I have read a lot about how the taste of the fruit improves over time and that it may take several years for a tree to produce fruit at it's full taste potential.  My question is, if an in-ground tree that is several years old gets severe die back and needs to essentially be cut down to ground level will the fruit produced by the new branches taste like that from a new tree or an established tree?  Is the improving taste the result of the root system becoming more established or the trunk and branches maturing?

Unfortunately with this brutal winter we are having across the country this question may be better answered 8 months from now.

i think it's the tree under the soil with root. the new growth is sort of like new branch off that. and main crop grows on new branches anyway. 

I agree with Pete, it has to be the age of the root system. Otherwise, new growth would produce sub-par figs. However, if a tree dies back from cold, it may take a year or two to completely recover its fruit quality b/c that first year back from the frost it will put so much energy into regrowing the canopy.

I agree with Pete with a qualification.  I don't know if this holds true for figs.  I believe that for most trees, when extensive damage to the top, the tree will deplete resources from it's own root system to begin regrowth.  I've heard of studies that have suggested not pruning back more than 1/3 of the tree in order to avoid this situation.

Hi,
In 2012, a surviving fig tree did not make any ripe figs - just like a new tree... Although it did get back from the trunk at 40 centimeters above the ground and not from the roots .
So for me it is the age of the wood producing the leaves that does count.
In 2013, that tree produced both brebas and main crop - but they were smaller than what that strain can do - so for me the tree was still recovering.
For me the power/strength of the fig tree is not in its roots but mainly in the trunk and branches .

But something I know is that in figing, patience and knowhow are the keys.
I just do my best to water, feed , trim , pinch , remove root suckers ... and protect them during the winter.
I should probably move to our own fig paradise - southern France ... Well no, that would be way too easy ...

 

Ran into an article that said fig trees productivity starts to decline after 15 years?

Don't know why but I have in-ground trees that are 19 years old and they produce less than my in-ground trees that are 12 years old.  The flavor and fruit size is the same but the younger tree ripens more figs.  This is in spite of the fact that for 3 or 4 years I didn't bother protecting the younger ones at all for the winter.  I can't remember if they were sever winters but not like this year for sure.

Thanks for the inputs.   So I guess that even though it may be a slight set back it's not like it will be starting over as newly planted tree.

It's not about the age of the roots or limbs. It's mainly about the water relations within the tree. A well established tree with a deep root system  grown in the right climate can sustain a long term water deficit. It's primarily the long term water deficit that concentrates the sugars and flavors in the fruit. Remember figs are native to climates with little summer rain. Old trees on deep soil with little or no summer rain will produce the best fruit. Ask the people in Turkey or Iran. They drool over the dry farmed fruit.

So if an old tree loses it's top, the next year the fruit may not be as good because now the roots are out of balance with the top and there is too much water in the fruit.

Watering schedule can have the same effect. I force my trees into water deficit in spring and try to maintain the deficit all summer by careful metering of water, about one inch every 10 days all summer in a greenhouse with no rain.

Here's a writeup on my operation:

http://www.davewilson.com/home-gardens/growing-fruits-and-nuts/cultural-practices/greenhouse-fruit-growing/greenhouse-fruit-production-in-west-texas

I agree with last poster,and also will add that after a cold Winter and die back the fruits will ripe much later in the season,so in a said climate the weather might be much colder and with more rain in such a situation ,and that will have result in lower quality fruits,compared to when the tree would have been ripening at the optimum time.
As for the age of the tree,there are 2 ages ,to most every fig tree cultivar.
-The age of the exterior wood,which is a continuation of the original tree that grew ,for possible hundreds of years,and it was continued grown from cuttings,(as per cutting from cutting).
-The age of the roots ,that is counted from when the new tree rooted from a cutting.
Seedling grown from seeds,are the only fig tree that have the same age,on exterior branches and on roots.

I had asked similar question some years ago. It was commented then that plants have two kind of ages.
One is the obvious 'chronological' age of the plant part when it or its part came into existence. However it was mentioned that the the important age of the plant is the biological age which is counted by the number of cell distribution at the plant specific location and which relates to plant vitality etc. By this account, the bottom part of the tree has slowed down on this count of age progression so the aging slows down or almost stops) but the apical part of the tree has gone through many more cell distributions so more aged in biological terms; which in biological terms means that the most recent apical bud or shoot of the tree coming recently into existence is considered the oldest or more aged !!

I hope I remember the explanation correctly but I was scratching my head then.