Frank,

Personally I assume all fig cutting to carry the FMV. With the mixing of collections at the rate and transport distance one is gaining in todays world it is not a far stretch to say there are no collections that are FMV free. 

Chris

Hey Frank ,

You don't know unless you try . If you avoid any varieties that show signs of Fmv you will be very limited in your choices and end up missing out on some of the best figs out there . Slight Fmv is not a problem .

John

I've already carefully considered all the arguments for trying varieties infected with FMV.  None of my trees show any symptoms of FMV...including cuttings, even if the trees are stressed.  I am a grower, and a fig eater....not a collector.  It matters very little to me whether or not, "Black Mission-NL" is part of my collection.  There are plenty of substitutes that will give me figs that are as delicious, if not better.  Besides, I wouldn't know the difference between each fig, and taste is subjective.  Adjectives that are commonly used to describe the taste of a fig are virtually, meaningless.

I'm now growing "Kathleen's Black", and "Black Marseilles-VS"...both FMV free.  I would be very content to grow these two varieties to perfection.  Could "Black Mission-NL" be that much better, and worth the trouble?  I'm not that curious.

I would love to try different varieties of diseased trees, but I simply do not have the storage space, nor the patience to be a wet-nurse for a sick plant.  : )  But, that's just me.

Frank

Frank 
All figs have fmv! 
 Yes the ucd strain of fmv is pretty nasty here on the east coast. If you want an fmv free fig grow a Benjamin fig.

Frank,

While you may not be a "collector" yourself, I do not think too many on here are. Stock that we all are gaining our backyard fig from do come from those few collectors. Even USDA can be considered a collector as a genetic depository of fig varieties for future generations even though it is a government agency. 

The one thing I like to remind the big fancy guys in any industry or business is that: the little guys are the ones that keep the ultra rare versions. That would be the majority of us one here who are all crazy about a small piece of fruit. Hey there are worse things in this world to be crazy over. 


Chris

Chris,

    That will always be the case, because commercial interests want uniformity and ease of shipping and prettiness and will sacrifice flavor and texture to gain these attributes, so the rare ones are not big enough, not uniform enough, not pretty enough, not sweet enough, not transportable enough, not productive enough, etc., even if they have other superior qualities. Consider the tomato, or popcorn. 

    While I can understand that there has to be a profit incentive to bring something to market,  we should be vigilant to preserve the size of the gene pool for several reasons (besides just 'cause we're bull-headed).

Dale,

I think we said the same thing two different ways :)


Chris

Frank lol your trees have fmv, you can bet on it. There are some though that won't show it much or not at all if they are growing happily. Some are more infected and stunted badly because of it. The thought is that there are several different types of fmv some trees have only one some have more, plus the different amount of tolerance to it by different fig trees gets the wide range we all see.

BLB, and others...

The information is very interesting.

If as you, and others say, that all fig trees carry FMV, and all my trees show no symptoms, and are doing and producing well, why would I deliberately bring in a tree that is obviously symptomatic with FMV to the point where it may fail in colder climates.  I  already mentioned that I could care less about whether or not I grow "Black Mission NL".  I originally asked Jon three questions about this variety, and he answered them, and at that point I made a choice not to seek out this variety, and grow it as part of my very limited collection.  I'm curious only up to a point.

If others want to grow varieties compromised with various strains of FMV, that is their choice, and they'll take their chances.  I asked Jon about FMV for a reason.  I will not grow fig varieties that are showing symptoms of FMV.  It's really as simple as that.  If in the future, my trees show symptoms...they will all go into the garbage.  I'm not that sentimental, and I have no time to waste on diseased plants, nor, the room.  So far, I've been lucky.

Too bad the gene pool is so contaminated.

Frank

Yeah it is unfortunate that fmv is everywhere. And I do understand your concerns, but you are also eliminating a large portion of varieties of very good figs.

How does one tell if the trees have FMV?  I have 46 trees rooted and in second year of growth, there are no symptoms that even make me suspicious of a problem.  Yes I have discolored leaves, most generally caused by bird poop.  Yes there are disfigured leaves, most generally only on those plants crowded together. so do I have FMV?  So far the only externals (those specimans bought or gifted) are two tissue culture plants from florida and 4 cuttings from a forum member none of which exhibit any symptoms.  I agree with Frank, I am not a collector, I am a "HAVER", my interest is in propagation and eating the results.

I wish I knew more, but I'm afraid if I did, I would still "have" what I wanted, for my own reasons, not justifiable to anyone.  Not meaning to be a smart$@@, and I know my place as a "newbie".

Danny K
Marshall Tx

Danny...

New, or not, your opinions are as valid as the opinions of anyone else posting on this forum.

If you Google FMV virus, I'm sure some photos will come up.  There's plenty of pictures of diseased plants on this forum also.  Blotchy, yellow-spotted leaves, are a sure sign.  Once you see it, you'll know it.  The plants look sick, and unhealthy.

According to some forum members, all trees have the virus, some just show symptoms, and, some don't.  Personally, I think the jury is still out on that.  Not one tree up here in The Bronx, or surrounding areas, have symptoms of FMV and they are all clean, and healthy.

Worry about bringing it to you collection from the West-Coast sources, like UC Davis, and some nurseries from the same areas.  I always ask if plants are symptomatic, and I've cancelled orders from Edible Landscaping.

Good luck.

Frank

Thx
Danny K
marshall Tx

If you think that the FMV is contagious you are mistaken, can only be transmitted by cuttings or by grafting on healthy rootstock.

FMV is most easily identified by the various light colored patterns on the leaves. Often early in the season, or late in the season, the4re are mis-shaped leaves that also indicate the presence of the virus. This pix has a mis-shaped leaves and some faint light-colored pattern.

Geez, now I wish I'd kept more then one of the cuttings I bought and rooted from you. Very nice!

Can't the FMV be transmitted by pruners, by reusing pots or soil or water contamination?

Most of the trees I see in the ground in NYC: Brooklyn and Astoria Queens have absolutely no sign of discolored or mis shapen leaves. Same in Milan Italy. Also visited the largest nursery in Milan that sold fruit trees - I saw some Panaché and some that i believe the name could have been Brogiotto and had no discolored leaves. I bought a 1 gallon Hardy Chicago that has no sign of discolored leaves and is bearing figs even being small. I have a Ischia and a LSU Purple I got from Wellspring and the leaves are solid green. I bought a Black Mission and a Celeste at the Union square farmer's market in 5" pots and they show discolored leaves. The Celeste seems more vigorous than the Black Mission.  Anyway the majority of established trees here are FMV free. It would be great that commercial vendors would propagate and sell healthy trees. I do not believe all the trees are contaminated, but many that are sold commercially are. I am wondering if commercial producers of figs for consumption destroy infected trees or if it does not matter. I have no experience so it is just some newbie opinion. But there are so many great tasting trees that are FMV-free. If those would be used for propagation the problem would disappear. But it would be a financial burden for nurseries that sell trees that carry the virus.

How does it affect the tree? Is it like humans are affected by HIV or is it like Herpes or Poliovirus? Polio has been eradicated somehow. Would it be worth eradicating FMV? Virus infected orchids get destroyed by collectors when they find out and the pots and whatever was in contact with them gets discarded.
I ambivalent about having 2 fig plants that show FMV. Will they contaminate what is healthy? Should I keep them? when I prune them I will have to disinfect with bleach the pruners. I will see how they grow compared to what I have. I may be too germophobic. Maybe I should not care and buy a Vista that seems to grow well and fast.

Here there are great experienced growers but i feel there is more partisanship than objectivity. Frank has a little space like most people in NYC and wants to maintain a healthy disease free environment. Other people instead have great trees that are affected by FMV.

It is a bit like wondering if you would date someone that has HIV or would you marry someone that has Herpes. 1 in 4 people in the USA have herpes.  it is a bit of a conflict between theory and practicality. I do not really have an answer but it would be good to find some independent studies. or have opinions from growers that are not collectors but commercial enterprises that sell the fruit for major distribution.

Anyway does the Vista taste close to Black Mission? I did not really like dried mission figs. tried twice from 2 different vendors. the seeds are fine and feel a bit like dirt. I am a fan of dried Smyrnas from Turkey. less sweet more fig flavor.

No, Vista does not resemble or taste like Black Mission.

FMV has been discussed ad nauseum, here. See the pinned thread at the top for instructions on doing a search. ;-))

Here's a cool FMV trick I learned from Martin.

If you inverse the colors in a picture (negative), FMV really stands out.  Note the dark spots in the leaves - that's FMV.

I've seen this reveal FMV in the most FMV-free looking trees.

Not sure if I am a collector or haver, maybe a copier. I look for good tasting and growing reviews from fellow fig growers in New Englanders ans those are the ones I selected. Been picking up local unknown cuttings recently from trees around town that are in the ground. Many of the trees we have are less than a year old and they are going into 3 gallon pots by fall so we'll they fare in the garage this winter.

I am sure there are many "types" of growers here and we all have our agendas and idiosyncrasies about growing fig but the bottom line we love our figs and we openly share with fellow growers our failures and successes. Darn good folks here, glad to be a small part of it and hopefully over time I can contribute ten fold to what was shared.

In any color, it is still a mal-formed leaf.