Ok fig friends particulary those from Louisiana, Hawaii and Florida or those who live in areas with similar zone climatic conditions. I have plans to plant specific variants in ground but not sure whether it is better to stay with pot culture. The variants I have in mind to put in-ground are JH Adriatic, Sal's El, Negronne, Smith, LSU Golden Celeste, LSU Purple, Hollier, LSU Gold, LSU Tiger, Paradiso "Gene", Latarrula, GM#1 and Sequioa. Next year the plan is to plant GM#5, Malta Black, Beall & I-258 or I-395. My concern is in the tropics where rain & humidity would be my biggest enemy as these factors are real spoilers(like splitting to souring) of a ripening fig. Hope fig friends can share their do's & don'ts on growing the named variants or if possible suggest variants that I am better off to have in-ground.  Thanks.

Paully, sounds like the much discussed Black Celeste might be one for you. It seems to have the characteristics you're looking for.
"gene"

It could be that Violette does not split in Florida,but it was splitting here very bad in 2006,and 2008,when it was raining here while getting ripe.
I sugest to put on your list as a must Scot's Black,as it is good in rain,and has a strong skin.Also is top of the line in flavor and taste.
Another one is Adriatic JH,wich seem to have a tougher skin but not as tough as Scot's black.
Some very good closed eye figs will not split,but when faced with a lots of rain, fungus will eat the thin skin and spoil the fruit.
So you need closed eye and tough skin.
I think that many figs will disappoint you in the tropics.

Herman, I will airlayer my Scotts Black and will plant this in Fall. Good recommendation. Also, I know you have mentioned Takoma Violet good qualities a few times and I will air layer this too.

Gene -- Yup that's a must have fig(BC). Unfortunately I don't have BC now and hopefully I can get a chance to either get a tree or trade for cuttings by Fall.

LSU Purple (the elongated strain with the very tight eye) should do real well for you. It is an everbearing fig (three crops) that handles rain real well. I would expect that fig to be one of your top performers in the tropics. Others that come to mind right now for trilas are White Triana, Scott's Yellow, and possibly GM #11. Black Celeste would be another one to try. I would give Col De Dame White a trial because it can tolerate very heavy rain, it has very thick skin, and a closed eye, plus it needs a long growing season. IMO, it also is one of the best tasting figs in the world.  Hunt supposedly does real well when it is mature. I definitely would grow Hunt for a few years. Improved Celeste (not O'Rourke) is almost everbearing (three crops) and very productive. However, some figs WILL split under heavy rains. It is a great tasting fig and it does real well during drier periods. It does not drop figs.

I plan to visit a mature Hunt tree this season with a fellow forum member. He tells me that it performs well and tastes great. Hopefully, my two trees will ripen the figs that they now carry. Have yet to taste a Hunt fig....... Texas BA-1 (AKA Red Gold) is supposedly another good one for our climate. My tree still has not produced any figs for me.....so I cannot personally verify those claims.

I'm still trying to find varieties that will tolerate heavy rains, high heat, and high humidity. So my trials are still a work in progress.....just takes time to develop that type of information especially when the weather does not cooperate with you! I hope to have a better handle on others this coming fig season.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Boy do I like to experiment.....you have no idea!!

Panachee is actually a bud sport of Col De Dame White. I have one in my collection for trial. It fruited for me last year. However, after showing two little boys and future fig nuts those beautiful figs that looked like "hot air balloons".........those figs somehow just dissapeared off of my tree. Likely they ended up in my grandson's pocket. But that's OK by me if it hastens their love of figs. So far I have do data on Panachee but agree with  you that it is likely rain tolerant like Col De Dame White.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Yes Dan:You are right,about Col de Dame,any color is good to be trialed in the tropics,and also LSU Purple.

Dan, how was your experience with Hollier ? My brother in Malaysia is much impressed with LSU Tiger taste. I am bringing one Col de Dame Blanc & one White Triana cutting and hopefully both get rooted when i get there this month. Figs grow year round there and during Dec & Jan when they have more rain, the taste is bland.

Hi!
I'm in Florida.. I do have many varieties..
So far I see this climat love and got lots of fruits...
Zingarella, Fracassana, Sal Corleone, Marseilles VS, Schar Amber..My Hollier don't doing so good now..I still don't sure why..
Strawberry verte doing good but not in full sun..
Sicilian Bifara doing great...
I hope to make some pics tomorrow.. if I will find the camera and find out how to make pictures smaller..
Many more figs now start having figs, but I need to check names..
Jordanian Zragi, Weeping Black, Giant Amber, Long yellow..
White Greek, Ronde de Bordeaux, Mediterranian, Fiorone de Ruva, La Goccia D'oro,Haikel Lebanese, GM 15, Quarter pounder,Maltese Falcon( GM5), Drap D'or,Blue Giant  and many more..
Negronne, Violette de Bordeaux and Panache.. still don't doing too good..Negronne and Violet de Bordeaux don't like full sun..
Scott's Black..I still don't sure..I have few, and one now seems start doing better, but still to early to say anything..

Hey Paully,

I have little experience with Holier as I am having trouble getting my tree to grow. The fruit that I did eat from it were very sweet tasting. However, they ripened during a time of little rain. So I do not know how Hollier handles heavy rain.

If your brother likes LSU Tiger then surely he will LOVE LSU Improved Celeste. I have much more experience with Improved Celeste than I have with Tiger. My two Tiger trees are  still rather small due to set backs each winter since they were planted. This coming winter I will give them some protection to help them out a bit.  Improved Celeste is one of my top tasting figs and it is almost everbearing. Even though it cannot handle very heavy rains, some figs are always sure to ripen during drier periods. In my area, our falls are usually dry and that is when this fig really shines. It is sweet with a very strong figgy taste and it has very nice complex tasting flavonoids in the jammy pulp.

I would expect White Triana to do real well down south. No fig holds tighter to the tree than White Triana and the tree is very productive. I had figs ripening during a rainy period and they did just fine. I left too many late season figs on my tree and it was top killed this past season.......a mistake that I will not make again.
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alanmercieca,

Often the problem in Florida is the that soil is way too SANDY. That makes water sensitive varieties struggle during the heat of day. IMO, it is not so much the sun as it is the poor soil.

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Olga, looking forward to seeing pictures of your trees. You have some interesting varieties. Figs that do well for you should do well in my area.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Thanks for the info Dan. I think LSU varieties will do well in tropical Malaysia. Hollier over here does well, very sweet even when ripen in Fall if there is not much rain. A green house would certainly help and it is quite productive even in pot culture.  I am quite certain varieties that do well in Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana will do well in my brother's place.

Even if you amend Florida's sandy soil with compost......the tree will still suffer in a few years. The best solution would be to increase the clay content. In my area we can buy high content clay soil (AKA Gumbo soil or Blackjack) by the truck load.  Just putting that type of soil around the base of a fig tree to form a hill would help too. Roots would then grow into that hilled-up dirt and that would provide a permanent fix.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Last year I did find out about nematodes.. In a hard way..
Nematodes love sand and compost, so I don't use any of those.. And I can't plant any figs before they became mature...
About more varieties I look, LSU purple have few figs on.. And Tarantella too..
Bornabat.. this is one have one huge fig on it.. lost it, after this another small come out and felt off..Now I have 3 more.. hopefully they will stay...
I read people don't have a good success with this one...Italian Schar have few figs on..And seems doing good..
For some reason Italian Honey don't doing too good..But I have a Lemon what I grow from a cutting what I got from Jon and this one doing good now..
Conardia last year very late produce figs so I pull them off, now I see this one start producing..
Janice seedles have many figs but leaves don't look too good..
White Genoa have a very strange looking figs on it..
Trojano.. have many figs.. Even this year rooted cutting loaded with small figs..This year Bl Bethlehem real took off and have a few figs, Bl Jack doing great, China White just now show couple figs and this one big size plant..
Grathams Royal very good and figs look great too, Kathleen Black a big size plant still no figs on it, This yea Madeleine De  Deux Saisons start grow..I real hope this one will be good..
Black Madeira...I put this one in a shade.. Very slow still no figs..
I got a fig from Ebay with Name Dark portuguese, not from Bass last year, this one doing good, but I don't sure if this one real a Dark Portuguese, same with Abebereira even this one was very sick in a beginning of this year with FMV
 now look good and have figs on it...
Marabout just now start show some figs..
Smith last year was doing nothing, now start grow, still no figs, Jurupa grow fast, no figs, Brown Greek last year many figs, done real good, this year still no  figs..Hunt big size plant still no figs, LSU Gold big plant still no figs..
San piero real good small plant already few figs on it..
San Pietro big plant, but still no fruits..