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the gift that keeps on giving

I was given my first fig bush 6 years ago, a one year old potted improved Brown Turkey that was rooted by a friend off his 10 year old tree. I got a few fruit the 1st year but since then I have enjoyed more than a hundred fruit a year from this one bush in a picking season that extends over 7 months. I severely prune it each year to keep it in it's space and it just keeps on coming back. I have several other varieties now but this first bush will always be my favorite. Have been harvesting 1 to 5 brebas per day for the past several weeks to grace my morning oatmeal. Attached is tomorrows breakfast. 
sdpops  Yuma, AZ zone 10 20150521112839.jpg  20150521112928.jpg

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Looks great pops. Could you please post a pic of the inside before you chop it down into the oatmeal? Lol . Thanks for sharing!
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Those look awesome. Thanks for sharing. 
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Very nice!  It's too cold here for figs to ripen :-(  Not complaining since we are in drought conditions and it rained last night.  Might today and tomorrow too. 

Enjoy your breakfast!

Suzi
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Very nice ... I have a small tree that has not produce yet...but from your picture I can't wait to try it.
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  • Sas

Those improved Turkey Brebas look great.
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Wow very nice...just find out this morning that my IBT6  a variety from Thailand have started to produce few piglets.
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I had not heard of "Improved Brown Turkey" but I searched and found this thread:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/improved-brown-turkey-6781722

Whatever it is your fig looks great!
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Hi sdpops,
Nice ! Congrats !
Can you post a pic of the leaves too ?
I bought a tree labeled BT, but it is not THE BT . I'm hoping to get figs this year but not betting my head on that though, and then try and compare to what BT it could be .
Thanks for sharing !
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Originally Posted by jdsfrance
Hi sdpops,
Nice ! Congrats !
Can you post a pic of the leaves too ?
I bought a tree labeled BT, but it is not THE BT . I'm hoping to get figs this year but not betting my head on that though, and then try and compare to what BT it could be .
Thanks for sharing !


I don't think that pics of my bushes leaves will give you the info you want. I haven't counted recently but I know that there are at least 3 different leaf types this year. I have had years with as many as 5 and as few as 2. One of the IBT characteristics is it variable leaf pattern. I think it has something to do with the length of our dormancy period. Here in Yuma it runs from no dormancy at all to 6 weeks in my experience. Here is a description of this uniquness from a July 5, 2006 Garden Web posting by mountainman0826(z8B TX)

 "... Trees are vigorous, precocious, very productive, often somewhat dwarfed by heavy crops; terminal buds violet-brown. Leaves medium to large, somewhat glossy above, variable as to lobing; some are 3-lobed, with upper sinuses shallow, others 5-lobed, with upper sinuses of medium depth, lower sinuses shallow; basal lobes commonly auricled (especially on leaves of sucker growth), with the borders overlapping; margins coarsely crenate.
Breba crop fair, stimulated by terminal-bud pruning of dormant twigs, as described by Hodgson (1925); figs large, up to 3-3/4 inches long and 2-1/2 inches in diameter, oblique-pyriform, sometimes elongated; average weight 105 grams; neck thick and short, merging gradually into body; stalk thick and short; ribs prominent, generally coloring earlier and deeper than body; eye large, open, scales tinted pink, even on immature fruit; white flecks numerous, variable in size; color greenish purple, darker on side exposed to sun and on the apex; bloom delicate, meat violet; pulp strawberry; flavor rich; quality good..."

I'll attach a pic of my bush as it stands today, by late fall it will be as high as the wall and I will prune, very selectively it by 50% in January. pops 20150524104851.jpg 


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Originally Posted by jdsfrance
Hi sdpops,
Nice ! Congrats !
Can you post a pic of the leaves too ?
I bought a tree labeled BT, but it is not THE BT . I'm hoping to get figs this year but not betting my head on that though, and then try and compare to what BT it could be .
Thanks for sharing !


Another interesting thing about the IBT leaves...When I pruned in Jan I saved and rooted 16 cuttings of different sizes. They are now in 5 gallon nursery pots & will be ready to transplant this winter. These cuttings, all from the same tree each have one of 3 distinct leaf patterns, a sane person would say that they are 3 completely different varieties of fig yet.......oh well there will always be doubters...LOL  
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Originally Posted by DesertDance
Very nice!  It's too cold here for figs to ripen :-(  Not complaining since we are in drought conditions and it rained last night.  Might today and tomorrow too. 

Enjoy your breakfast!

Suzi


real cold is not something we have to deal with here in the Yuma, AZ area. While we have 250-350 chill hours on the Yuma Mesa where I am, frosts are rare. For an old guy from Montana, a very unique and comforting experience!! pops
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Originally Posted by Rewton
I had not heard of "Improved Brown Turkey" but I searched and found this thread:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/improved-brown-turkey-6781722

Whatever it is your fig looks great!


There is a very interesting BT discussion right here in this forum also, from Sept 19,2011.

If you go to the search option in the upper right of this page, then on the left, in the keyword option type or past "will the real Brown Turkey please stand up". Look for the very informative and well researched posting by forum member alanmercieca. He really does his homework!

For the warm dry areas of the U.S. the BT (IBT, CBT etc...) is one of the commonest, and best, if treated right of all figs and most under rated too!  pops
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Originally Posted by ChrisK
Looks great pops. Could you please post a pic of the inside before you chop it down into the oatmeal? Lol . Thanks for sharing!


Hey ChrisK--per your request--this mornings pre oatmeal--
20150525100641.jpg 

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Many thanks Pops . They look at least as awesome as I thought they would. Darn it, I'll be dreaming of figs again tonight! Improved BT for all that matters! Thanks again for sharing!
Love the bird netting set up also.

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