Hi,

I have a potted fig tree (Black Genoa) which I purchased from a reputable nursery some time ago.

As you can see in the pics, some of the leaves on my tree have an unusual spots / markings on them- Is this Fig Mosaic Virus? Or just some sort of deficiency?

Cheers

FMV would be my assumption..

Hi,
Bottom leaf,looks like insect damage, or slug damage, or fig-moth damage ( ok, caterpillar from the fig-moth ).
It could be something else, like a deficiency or FMV ... hard to tell.
BUT, I would act upon the insects.
Do you have some of the white-wash (lime) that people use on trunks ?
Or do you have (you can buy from construction stores) extinct lime ? I rub (already done mid-march this year) extinct lime on the trunks of all of my trees.
This kills climbing insects and adds calcium to the dirt. Calcium is needed too for a good fruiting .

I googled "extinct lime" and all it talks about is the lime you create human food/drinks with. This is not what you're talking about, is it?

Hi,
search under hydrated lime. Apparently hydrated lime and extinct lime is the same product.
This lime will no longer produce heat when hydrated.
There is some other lime that will produce heat when adding water. Avoid that lime.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/TXI-50-lb-Hydrated-Lime-5195/202080968

I thought "hydrated lime" was poisonous.....I have fowl that free range in the orchard area and wouldn't want them harmed.

Hydrated lime is CaOH2.  It's a strong alkali and would probably kill your plants.  The spot at the bottom looks like it could be a fungus.  The rest could be FMV or a mineral deficiency.  It's best to fertilize with something that contains the trace elements that plants need.

Yay, from this post I just out my Conadria has FMV, yay.... At least it's not a problem

Thanks all for the replies.

I was going to get rid of my Black Genoa, but after the reading the above comments, I think I might give it a second chance and see how it goes with a repot + some trace elements / fertiliser.

If it doesn’t pick up by next summer, I’ll try the whitewash as  Jdsfrances suggested - but not sure if its insect damage as I haven’t see anything on the leaves / bark of the tree??

Hydrated lime (also known as builders or slaked lime) is quite safe to use on fruit trees. I have use it a couple of times on my apples to treat apple scab and it works like a treat! But I never used it for insect control. Jdsfrance, how much lime to water do you normally use?

Hi,
I don't use it in the water.
I rub it dry against the trunks so that the trunks get a white layer on them.
Usually I take some in my hand and rub it against the trunks. The trunks look almost white with some shade of Grey. I don't use a thick layer of white wash.
I tried last year spreading a hand full of hydrated lime on the dirt around the trunk too, and so far all of my trees (fig trees, peach trees, cherry tree, plum tree) are alive.
The results were particularly impressive on fig trees ( got rid of caterpillars of the fig-moth) and on peach trees ( fruits grew bigger and less wounded ).
I use hydrated lime against ants too - around rose trees - all are alive and looking good- works to some extend .
You don't need to trust my words. Just do it on one tree, and judge for yourself, and then continue on the other trees if satisfied . That is how I did last year.

So if I go to the farmer's store and ask for "water-soluble hydrated lime", they will know what I mean; and that is what I can use to whitewash my fruit trees without damaging them?

Hi,
You'll have better luck in a construction store. Ask for "hydrated lime".
You can find smaller bags at nurseries ... But you'll pay the same price as buying the big bag ...
Here the guy had a nice question for me: Outdoor or indoor lime , Sir ? There is a version for outside walls and for kitchen's wall... I bought the outdoor one ... That's were my trees are after all ...