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Valley Black Fig

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Originally Posted by kkk2210
Is that plastic grow bag ?


They're 2 gallon Root Pouch grow bags with the tops rolled down a couple of inches.  I'm not sure what they're made of.

Typically used as they're meant to be, they're supposed to air prune roots.  Since mine are sitting in tubs of water, the bags wick and stay moist.  Roots grow right through them and are climbing the outside of the bags.

When it comes time to transplant the figs I'll just put the whole bag into the ground, bucket of media or whatever.  Should be no transplant shock.
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Charlie, very cool experiment. I really like how you experiment with different techniques! I an absorbing it all...taking it all in.
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Alanamerica, I would be very interested in more detail about your neighbor's citrus cuttings. I have a Meyer lemon that I could take cuttings from fr a test. Interesting!

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I have abag of lava rock now. Maybe I will experiment with the Meyer. I also have a dwarf naval and, I just bought kiwi cuttings from Tyler here on F4f but I dint want to mess those up. Vi'll star w the Meyer & post results when I get something. Goid idea.
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  • Sas

Hi Charlie, I just saw some play sand at Home depot. Just curious to know if it is similar to the sand you're using. 
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Originally Posted by Sas
Hi Charlie, I just saw some play sand at Home depot. Just curious to know if it is similar to the sand you're using. 


I've seen comments in various research that people have used play sand but personally I think it's too fine.  I got a bag and sifted it with the 20 mesh screen I use for washing the sand and nearly all of it went through.

Home depot should also have builders coarse sand in the cement area or filter sand. These will be better than play sand.
 
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  • Sas

Very Helpful. Thanks...
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Been awhile since update.  Valley Black continues to dominate the grow room.  One of them left un-pruned has touched the 8ft ceiling, has figs on and I'm going to do a fig doodle with it soon.  Both sand air layer experiments are about 4ft tall now and bushing.  The others that were top pruned are just massive bushes.  I'm glad Spring is here so they will all move outside next week, onto the driveway so I can shuffle them back into the garage in case of frost.

growroom_177.jpg 

growroom_175.jpg 

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Charlie looks like you got a Jungle in there!! Good Job! : )
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Originally Posted by Frankallen
Charlie looks like you got a Jungle in there!! Good Job! : )


Thanks Frank and you're not over exaggerating, it is a freakin jungle!  I can barely water any more.   
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Very nice. I hope they adjust to the outside and you get a few to ripen.

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Does Valley Black = Valle Negra?
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Wow Charlie this has got to be a record lol.

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Originally Posted by gorgi
Does Valley Black = Valle Negra?


No gorgi, they are different.  Brianm found Valley Black as a chance seedling, bearing good figs, along a fence in his area and named it Valley Black just last year or a year before, I don't know the exact date he found it.  

I won three cuttings in an ebay auction around the first part of October 2015 and it was the first to sprout leaves and roots in the sand bucket experiment.  It took off and hasn't stopped.  

The eight foot one was actually started later than the rest as Brian sent a couple more cuttings some weeks later.  It was just not ever top pruned since I needed a tall one to try the fig doodle this spring.

I'm really stoked it's putting on figs!  

This is my last time ever to grow fig trees indoors over winter.  It's been a good experience but I'm a slave to it, the system that is, having to be here to water every day. Should have made a RGGS.  
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Charlie, is the 8 footer the sling shot cutting?
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Originally Posted by brianm
Charlie, is the 8 footer the sling shot cutting?


Yes it is!  I buried it horizontal like the rest and this monster shot up. :)
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@ Charlie: Thanks for the clarification.

However, beside VB and VN share the same name (in different languages),
they both also have a similar leaf shape - 5 narrow finger like.

Looking forward to see any fruit pics.
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Originally Posted by gorgi
@ Charlie: Thanks for the clarification.

However, beside VB and VN share the same name (in different languages),
they both also have a similar leaf shape - 5 narrow finger like.

Looking forward to see any fruit pics.


These are all I have for now.  There's a different VB thread showing ripe fruits from Brian's ebay auction.

growroom_182.jpg 

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  • Sas

Did any of these figs ripen for you?
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I have been told Villa Negra is same as Nero, Nero 100 and Nero 600.
Is this true?
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Originally Posted by Sas
Did any of these figs ripen for you?


Yes.  The first several aborted and so I thought it must be a smyrna type.  Figgy sid reported the same thing happening to his in his topic.

Then one day a week or so later I was out in the yard and noticed a bigger one, low on the tree.  It was a maroon color and had a bunch of ants on it.  I know ants don't get on a fig unless it's good to eat!

Ended up getting a dozen or so over the next few weeks until cold weather but the majority aborted.  Hope that improves with age.  I can't tell how excited this made me because I propagated many and had thought my time was wasted but figured they would at least make good rootstock for grafting with the vigorous growth habits.

It's a very excellent tasting fig, dark maroon outer with an amber flesh, doesn't look much anything like a caprified one.

It appears I'm not able to add photo's due to storage limit. Let me see if I can find it on my blog and do a web link...

http://figsfortsmith.blogspot.com/2017/01/where-did-2016-go.html

It's listed in that post. 

 
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Charlie - Looks like a nice fig in addition to it being a very aggressive / prolific grower.... Also, nice blog... You are a very busy gentleman, where do you find the time to be so productive?
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Unfortunately I had no luck on my Valley blacks holding their figs. They produced two main crops on three large bushy trees. They got about 2-3 weeks into the stagnate stage, then turned yellow and fell off. I'm looking forward to the breba crop this summer.

I have several raspberry latte figs turning color, looking forward to trying it. I hope it will be pretty good based on the high taste ratings I keep seeing it get.




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Charlie, I really enjoy reading all your posts. Is there any possible way that what ripened could be from the previous year's growth, Brebas, since the fig was low on the tree? I hope not because I am rooting a couple now, I hope it's the main crop.
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The mother tree does not produce many brebas that is what is so interesting. Charlie's were a totally different color then the main crop. I don't recall the color of the brebas but it might well be SanPedro.
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