Hello all,

Here we are with a multi fig tree grafting project that i would like to share with you guys in exchange perhaps for your experienced views on the next phase of this project, namely,TRANSPLANTING THE DARN THING WITHOUT LOSING MY SLEEP:)

last spring i ve started working/grafting on this unknown fig tree, experimenting on grafting techniques.. as u can see from the pics, experimenting was a success and i ve now resulted into my super-precious (for me and most probably for any of u figfanatics:)) 'reserve tree'.. it now has more than 40 varieties grafted onto it.. every end branch is a separate variety, and i ve also grafted some more varieties onto lateral branches as u can see... i intent to shape/train the tree and any other shoots budding this year... provided i manage to transplant it without killing it:)

 


 




 

 
 




THE CHALLENGE: now i want to transplant it to a better location, with the minimum risk to the tree and perhaps with as less setback for the tree as possible...the tree is not located in an ideal place, thus making the project harder...

now, i ve seen some videos on youtube, but there seems not to be a consensus in methodology used,

Hi Andreasc,
When you dig a tree up, you'll get some set back ! Whatever cares you give to it, but that's not a big issue.
On the first video: when the hell did he water the tree ? the dirt? That's a big mistake from that guy. The roots need wet soil to have better contact with soil.
He adds mulch, but then he no longer can check on the dirt, to see if it settles leaving roots in the air. - That could happen after a good Spring rain.

I wouldn't let the roots dry.
when I move a tree, I plant it asap - in the same hour, the tree is in its new spot.
You need to put dirt over the roots, and water the area. The water will take the dirt to the air pockets that might be located under the root-mass.
Add more soil, and water again; Repeat every other day, until you see that the dirt is no longer disappearing under the tree. If roots get up in the air, add more soil on top.
Water will help the dirt in settling and making contact between the roots and the dirt.
At that point, if you leave air-pockets, those can get the roots  to dry and rot.

Then during the following (one or two) year(s), you'll need to water that tree much more, or you'll get a huge setback, or you could even kill the tree .
What often happens, is that the moved tree will bud out, and people think that they are safe and stop watering. What they get to see then, is that the tree all of a sudden crumbles, because the roots can't find all the needed water for all the canopy. The problem being, that when the tree starts to crumble, you'll be almost too late ...
so the key is leaving enough roots (on both videos, they are good at that), and watering during the next seasons.
Good luck !

PS: Damned, now that's a Panaché tree. But funny here, the bark turns Grey on the trunk ... On  his tree, the bark on the trunk is still green ...

Congratulations on you strong grafting work. Fun and extremely rewarding. I would dig the hole were its new home is going to be first. Remove some of the dirt and refill it with two bags of miracle grow moisture controll soil. Use it for the tree to re root in
DO NOT BARY THE TREE DEEPER THEN IT IS NOW. THIS IS A BIG MISTAKE. CAN CAUSE THEN TRUNK TO ROT. not worth the risk. Keep soil line on the trunk the same. Richie from louisiana

Make sure you protect tree from wind when transporting and keep it moist

Nice tree, you've done some nice work there.

I haven't moved a tree like that, but typically you would top prune to balance for the loss of root function around the time of moving. Obviously you should leave at least of few nodes on new growth above your grafts, but I think this is a crucial step for overall reduced stress on the tree. I wouldn't let the roots dry either, that doesn't make any sense to me.

The only reason the tree would rot is if the water table was high either temporary from rain or because the water table is just that way. I always bury my trees as deeply as I can so if there's a freeze all the underground wood is protected. I 'd do it for stability's sake as well.

Why put a special tree with lots of work in it at any risk ? CIS4ELK This is not a potted tree. its going in ground. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS CHANGE AND ALL IT TAKES IS FOR MOISTURE TO BUILD UP.. JUST LIKE WHEN A CUTTING ROTS FROM BEING TO WET. DONT RISK YOUR TREE IN MY OPINION.

I watched a TV show once where they moved a large tree using compressed air to blow the dirt off the roots.  They went out past the drip line....I don't think it is wise the let the roots dry our for any length of time.  I was told by someone who moved trees for a living you need a rootball 18" for every inch caliper of the tree.  If this is something you really don't want to lose hire it done by someone who knows what they are doing or rent a bobcat / tree spade.  Is moving it worth the risk of losing it?  I have heard of people marking the north side and them setting it back oriented the same way.

Monserrat Pons shows one of his planting holes here at 8, 14, and 35 minutes. 

Those are some nice deep holes. I wish I spoke the language so I could understand. Seems like a good idea, put a tree branch in the bottom of a huge hole and slowly fill it back up. What could go wrong with that? Nothing.

Hello,

thank you all for your input/advice and your cheering comments:) i think i ve done myself some good grafting work here, but hey, time will show cause if i end up with an FMV infested tree that produces crop of multiple varieties yet of poorer quality then its not worth it right?

i will try transplant it anyways, mostly following common sense, and conditionally to the actual constraints of project, e.g. a bobcat cannot approach the tree as it is now... thus handwork mostly and hand-carrying few meters to truck...will prune, dig out us much roots as possible, wrap with burplap to keep moist and rush to the next location to have it transplanted on compost..will try not to change depth/waterline, max -20cm, neither direction (e.g north.. will use a compass) .  then i ll focus on good watering for the next 1-2 years and give the necessary root creating supplements..

BACK TO WHETHER THIS 'PIGGY-BANK TREE' WAS A GOOD IDEA, and especially with respect to possible FMV. obviously i cant be sure what each cutting may have carried... the initial idea was to save the varieties on a single protected 'reserve tree',  just in case rooting failed (which it did due to overwatering:) ), and indeed i ve saved the varieties, but the question now arises, if the whole tree got FMV (DOES IT BTW?is it like a virus overwhelms our body?) from only one unhealthy cutting out of the 30-40 grafted, then if i cut a new end cutting now to try re-root it will also carry FMV? thus the new tree will also produce inferior quality crop? thus i have not actually saved the variety, just managed to produce a spoiled version of it forever?

what is your view on this?

thx
andreas

The negative symptoms of FMV are tied to the obvious leaf distortions, if there are no visible leaf symptoms they will not cause stunted growth/poor fruiting/decline. The taste will not change if the tree becomes infected, however your ability to produce healthy plants will. Heavily infected branches produce heavily infected cuttings that produce plants which grow poorly. FMV is not very mobile in the plant, it moves upwards with new growth from cell to cell but can not jump from one branch to another unless it is carried by the natural vector, Aceria ficus.

FMV is not permanent in many cases, in nature the tree will smother the sickly growths with healthy ones and rid itself of them. The point is, past exposure to FMV is not important, the current condition of the growths is.

hi hoossierbanana,

thx for the reply..

so this FMV dude is not so bad after all is it now.. why the big fuss then?  is it perhaps just a matter of us over-reacting and over-emphasizing this in our minds?

i mean if it doesnt affect fructification (size, number, quality), and it is self healing when the tree is established, or even if u can choping it away, since it doesnt go downwards, just upwards as u say (i though it was like our viruses.. affecting all body)...

from what i read all trees may have some form of it, that will show symptoms just depending on the conditions..

so at the end of the day its just a matter of prudent growing practices and keeping the plant healthy, watering, nurishing,etc, no?

is it just that mite transmitting it? biting the leaves here and there?... i have now put cuttings of 20 varieties  in a bucket of water, to get moisture for a week till i use the bag growing method.. could water disperse more the virus therein?

It does reduce growth and therefore productivity. It can cause spots on fruit and make some drop. Cuttings that show symptoms often grow very poorly and are more likely to decline and die. If you were planning a commercial orchard it would be out of the question to start with diseased and stunted plants. 

There are many different viruses that can act together to affect the tree, but as a rule FMV is the worst. It is not passed through the seed, so the statement that all trees have it is illogical. Surveys have shown that FMV infection rates vary from low to high in different locations. The highest infection rate was from a survey in California where the fig bud mite, Aceria ficus, is an invasive species without natural predators to control population. The symptoms of the mite are confused with the symptoms of the virus, and without being able to easily detect the mite it makes sense that some people feel like it is always hiding just below the surface.

FMV is not spread mechanically, it must enter a living cell in order to replicate and infect other cells. The fig bud mite is microscopic and feeds on individual plant cells without killing them, it spreads easily and can cause FMV to become virtually systemic if infected mites infest all the buds on a tree. Grafting does spread the virus but at a much slower rate, from cell to cell. It could eventually pass from one scion to another through the rootstock, but would not be likely to affect the growth at the tips unless you prune back to a bud closer to the graft union that has become infected. It can travel up the plant (on new growth)  fast because infected cells in the buds replicate they also make infected cells, the trunks only replicate cells in the cambium layer which grows outwards, so sections stay infected but can only expand up, down, or side to side one cell at a time through the passages between cells. It seems unlikely that it could spread from one cutting to another through water.

As a longterm solution to preserving the health of all varieties a grafted tree is probably not the best option, the best would be isolating varieties as much as possible. If the grafted tree becomes infested with fig bud mites they will spread any active virus (they could bring it with them from another tree) to all branches very quickly. I would not rely on it alone, but if your regular plantings become infected and this one tree does not you will be glad you have it to make new plants from.

I should also add... Vigorous growth does seem like the simplest remedy to FMV. Symptoms often disappear on vigorous growths as if the amount of virus becomes diluted. The virus replicates at a rate that is independent of plant growth, so the faster new plant cells are formed the less virus they will contain and vice-versa. 

thx again hoosier...

so, if i get this right..

now, whats done, its done, with multi grafting... even if FMV is in the plant now, its development, symptoms on leaves, effects on crop, and finally its disolution of even cure to some extent, is subject to a lot of conditions from now on...

what i now can do is to provide for and nourish the tree and help it be as a vigorous grower as the variety/kind will allow, correct?... so:

1. first its making a correct transplant, with us much root ball as possible(thinking 1-1.20m diameter). i cannot carry its own soil, i ll have to shake 70% off the roots but will add compost and water thoroughly the first days to avoid air pockets under rootball. will try not to go too down on the current waterline.. -20cm i m thinking..
2. pruning and perhaps constrainig the new shoots as to not have huge cannopy especially for this first year, and watering say every week and twice in summers, for these next 2 seasons
3. ferilising, pesticides, and supplements for antistress and root creation (e.g. seasol or similar) will be put periodically
4. rope it down to support and protect it

anything else i m forgeting?  :)

thx 
a

Looks good. One thing, make sure the compost is well rotted. If too hot there is risk of damage to new feeder roots which can prevent the tree from establishing itself quickly.

hi jerry.. sorry my fault.. when i said compost i meant the black potting soil we usually buy from nurseries etc... this is perfect to stimulate rooting i reckon...

Keep us updated!

hello everyone. another few questions if anyone with experience can assist. 1. i ve seen some debate on the timing of transplanting. some say fall some say early spring. well now is kinda end winter early spring here in cyprus and i m willing to take the risk since now its dormant...
does anyone thing i better avoid it till next fall. i dont like the idea of letting it grow bigger for another season..

2.more important debate.bare root or not? i may need to remove all soil or 80-90% due to weight. in fact i m thinking to flush the soil away with water to expose the roots before cutting as much as possible rootball(will use grafting paste on cut roots and then cover with a wet sheet) so i m going full bare root for at least 1-2hours till i replant.that guy on the vid went bare root but of course he doesnt show the end result.. u think this is not doable? thx ...andreas

hello friends,

goodmorning actually. its 10:15 here:)

mission accomplished.. i ve did the transplanting  of my multifigtree this saturday.

so after i dug it out with us much as roots possible (was bareroot in shade for about an hour), i applied grafting paste on big root cuts. in the pre-opened hole i put 4 bags of 50L potting soil around the roots and then normal soil on top and stepped it very well.. then i watered/flooded very very well 2-3 times this saturday and shaked the tree trunk to let the water go everywhere and have any excess trapped air surface. on sunday i watered with 4 buckets of water with diluted funcicide and root stimulator/antistress and i ll do the same monthly from now on. 


questions:  :)

1. how often do u think i should now water it? it is still dormant. was thinking every 2 weeks till it leafs out, point at which i will water weekly and destroy excessive budding (will allow only the grafts to bud) to have limited growth thus limited water loss from leaves. as to give say 4 months for root creation. so i ll give the tree march, april, may and june to focus on rooting. from july i ll leave it alone to leaf out till october. i dont care much about harvesting for this first year. just want it to take well at its new home. perhaps i ll also destroy most figs that may be formed as to not pull the tree's strength. we want the strength to go to roots right...

2. since i ll control leafing, i m thinking to white wash the whole tree (except the grafted buds) with 50% diluted water based paint.. to protect from sunburns, and overheating/loss of moisture... u think this is a good idea? less sun exposure may also delay budding right..?

thx
andreas

   

 

YES to the painting the trunk. There are quite a number of fig trees at USDA Davis/Wolfskill that were almost killed by sunburn after they were planted. 

It sounds like you have a good plan to me, and you did great with the transplant. I also agree white wash definitely wouldn't hurt. I wouldn't let your tree hold any figs this year though.

smatthew and cis4elk thx for your replies..

anyone has any view on the water needs the tree may have? i mean once every 2 weeks sounds reasonable for a dormant tree yes?

I never water during dormancy. I find natural precipitation provides more than enough hydration.

Then again, I live in London, so my experience may not translate to Cyprus.