In early July I received two LSU Purple trees grown from Tissue Culture (TC) from a well known Florida Nursery selling on Ebay.  They were exactly as advertised, well packed, and mailed.  There is absolutly no problem with the transaction.

With all that said, I do not think I would buy another TC tree.  Why?  They take too long to grow to a real tree.  In the three months, I have cuttings that have grown to 12" tall, and the TC trees are still 8", which they were when they arrived.  I would consider it for an extremely rare cultivar, if it was the only one available.

I am too impatient, and OLD, to wait for this kind of growth!! Prefer air layer, layer, cuttings.

Hey Danny....

Same story...but I ordered seven, tissue cultured -  "Black Mission" figs from Florida Hill Nursery.  They did nothing since I planted them, and they are still the same size as the day I received them.  I wonder if the TC process causes these trees to grow slowly?  I will try to keep them alive over the Winter season....then come the warm Spring, they will go into a large pot, and then into the ground for unrestricted root-run.  Maybe that will give these glorified twigs a little punch, and they might actually do some growing.

Couldn't agree any more with your last statement....I 'm also too old to wait for these things to grow into respectable trees.  If I was twenty years old...I wouldn't give a flyin' crap about the waiting...but growing these twiglets is a young man's game.  And you are right about the air-layers.  "Instant trees" when you start rooting big branches.

Tempus fugit!!

Frank

I also ordered 6 black mission from Wellspring Gardens in Florida. They are tissue culture. I have had them less than four months. They have grown faster than kuduz (google). The only problem with them they put out many suckers. Keep them to three or four shoots for a bush. Mine are now 2.5 to 3 feet. in less than four months starting at less than 6". Don't forget to feed these things. I have read many times about not using excess nitrogen, especially for tomatoes. Wrong. Use it and the plant will respond. We will worry about production when we have a larger tree.Forgot to mention, I will be 66 in Feburary.

Location, location. location.......that's what I thought.  But some TC plants are in Texas...which is hot isn't it?  Two locations with longer growing seasons than Da Bronx....yet, some plants took off and some didn't.

Culture, culture, culture?????


Frank

I agree with being cautious about the TC trees or anything from ebay nurseries.   Mine grew fast, but I have doubts about them being true to type.  Attached are 2 photos about 4 months apart.   White Marseilles.  In the end is it worth it to have a bunch of unkowns from these TC labs? 

2 photos of Green Ishia, same issue as NWFlorida mentions.   Tons of suckers.   Grew like an absolute weed.   Not sure about it being a Green Ishia.  I also agree with what was mentioned about feed.  I fed the heck out of them.   I know I'm not going to get fruit this year, so why not try to get them as big as I can the fastest I can?   200 ppm constant liquid feed with a basic (as in non-acidic) feed. 

Danny, Frank,

I ordered Green Ischia, Mission, Brown Turkey, Celeste, Magnolia in May 2012 and LSU purple in August 2012 from Wellspring. The May plants are over three (3) feet tall and 1/2 -3/4 inch diameter at soil line. The LSU Purple are only one (1) foot tall but still growing (indoors, south facing window). They were some of my first plants and experimentation with figs.

The starts were root bound, they were bare rooted, de-tangled and up potted into Quart containers for about a month to establish root growth, they were then potted in 1 gallon containers. The rust infected leaves were also pinched (removed). When the roots filled the gallon containers, they were then potted in 5 gallon buckets. Control plants (experiment) were not bare rooted and they barely grew at all., They have since been re-potted, but were way behind in growth.

By the time of my first frost at the beginning of October 2012, the Green Ischia had fig buds starting at the leaf base. The Celeste had three formed Pea sized figs. All the May plants are currently dormant and in winter storage. 

I agree with NWFlorida, "Feed them" and BronxFigs, "Proper Culture" (plant growth not figs should be the objective of the first growing season). I used Espoma GardenTone Fertilizer (for balanced fertilizer and micronutrients), Dolomite Limestone and weak Miracle Grow liquid fertilizer (1 Teaspoon per gallon of water, once a week). The Liquid fertilizer was stopped at the end of July, to allow the plants to harden off. I pruned most of the side shoots (suckers), to concentrate growth in the main trunk. The main trunk will be cut at 16 - 20 inches in the spring for shaping into a container tree form.

Dan... For the small cost of the tissue cultured plants it may be worth it. You might also get a mutation that could be an exceptional Plant and Fig. The leaves of the Tissue culture "Green Ischia" match the leaves of "Green Ischia" from two other mail order nurseries (which I purchased), but not the 1-3 lobed textbook descriptions.

I ordered a Mission from them that grew very fast and did great so I ordered 3 LSU Purple and after 6 months they have done almost nothing. I thought the seller did a good job and I thought everything was fair and well packed, etc. but I, to, am too damn old to wait for these damn runty TC plants to do something other then take up space and make me grumpy (grumpier?) as they just aren't growing. I've even brought them into the house and put under lights just to see if they will grow -- and they are kind of small to over winter in the garage. The other figs I have that are the same age are 3 to 20 times their size.

Thanks for all the growing, and cultural tips.  I have a feeling that these treelets will take off in the new season, and put on some respectable growth.

Pete...I will try your fertilizer recommendations to encourage growth, and they will go into some 5-gallon buckets....then, into the ground for root-run, and cool soil.


Good luck to me, and to other growers.


Frank

personally, i don't trust tissue culture. i'm sure there is nothing wrong with it and they are great way to mass propagate plant materials. however, way i see it, it's just not natural. all these technology is slowing down human evolution. soon, no one will know how to start a fire without pushing a button, much less root a cutting.

Update on the tissue cultured plants...

Mission and Magnolia are dead, Celeste and Brown turkey are re-growing from soil line. Green Ischia had die back, but it was slated to be topped anyway. All the plants were exposed to 15 deg F temperatures before being stored for winter, it separated the hardy from the tender cultivars. The LSU Purples were not exposed outdoors and they are now growing in the shade outdoors.

Current Picture of Green Ischia TC, the suckers will be pruned once the weather gets dryer. The plant will be trained as a "container tree form" or open vase. The 4 scaffold (main) branches have already formed and are visible on the main trunk.

UPDATE for posting #2:

Tissue-Cultured, "Black Mission" have increased in size and now they are over two feet tall, healthy, robust, and hopefully FMV-D free.  Treelets show no symptoms at all.  I bought my seven, tiny, "trees" from FLORIDA HILL NURSERY, and this spring they just took off after sulking for a season.  I think once the root system was established, the top growth commenced.  They are still growing.

Waiting for tiny trees to grow into small, respectable trees, took just two seasons.  I would order from this source again.  Pleasantly surprised by the results, and my original cynicism vanished.


Frank

I would not trust Florida hill nursery with ANYTHING.  

WillsC....

How about some clues as to why......

Did you have a bad experience with this company?  You left me and others hanging.



Frank

I've had several dealings with Florida Hills Nursery and have been pleased each time. I've gotten healthy well packaged plants. I've gotten flowers, grasses and passion fruit vine. This year I got 2 LSU Purple tissue cultures and they did nothing until I took them out of the pot and basically power washed and untangled the roots. Repotted fed them and they are finally growing.

I orderd a tc tree from florda hill. When it came in I was a little disapointed. I potted in a one gal pot in miracle grow potting soil and two months later it didn't grow very large but it did get root bound. I planted in ground and it grew about 2 foot before winter hit. It was un protected and top killed. Now its growing like a bush with over 30 tips and is four foot tall in just a few months this year. I would order again just for the low price. It was advertised as a purple magnolia.

I think I might get some since they are cheap. I will play "jonny apple seed" and plant trees alone woody areas, and hills of Washington. Hopefully they grow nicely being in the "wild" hidden away from other humans. Growing lots of suckers would be a plus for my goals. 

WillsC...

Had absolutely no idea about the rep. of this company.  Thanks for taking the time to post links, etc. that tell the rest of the story.

I guess I just got lucky with my "Black Mission" fig plants....so far, that is.


Question to all F4F members:

Which Tissue-Culture companies are reputable, accurate with plant varieties, and, also sell T-C figs?



Frank

I bought 2 blue Ischias from Hirts through Amazon, they arrived nicely packaged and grow well. By the leaf description they seem to be the Black Ischia.
I am not saying that Hirts is great, just that my experience was positive.

My hardy chicago came from hirts as well. Though it wasn't a tc tree I would buy from them again.
Didn't know florda hill was bad news. Glad I only delt with them once. The tree I got from them is looking good I will keep updating on it.
I have been looking at raintree for a norland fig. Any thoughts on them.

Anybody has bought from Wellspring? They have good TC prices on eBay.

Eukofios types - Is there any evidence that tissue cultured trees are free of virus? 
In short no , i was inquiring some years back online at kitchen culture kit co. and asked owner about figs and FmV and was told that tissue culture just duplicates and will not cure Fmv if original has it and basically tissue culture is done to mass produce plants .


Greenfig types -I bought 2 blue Ischias from Hirts through Amazon, they arrived nicely packaged and grow well. By the leaf description they seem to be the Black Ischia.

Hirts blue ischia in comparing to UcDavis black ischia are not the same.      ; )

An update on my above post. The Mission I bought is the worst plant I've ever owned for pushing up suckers. Not sure if it's related to TC but geez. I keep about 300 fig trees and this thing is magnitudes beyond the others for sucker growth. Also the LSU Purples (3) I bought have still done nothing growth-wise. They are smaller then stuff coming out of my plant room that just rooted. All 3 are still under 6 inches tall and that's after a year of being babby'ed.
I will not buy TC'ed stuff again.

Martin,
Although I contradict myself here, but how do you know that the Blue (Hirt's) and Black (UCD) Ischias are the same or not?
I have not seen any Blue Ischia's fruit photos yet, there is nothing to compare to ...