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When to pollinate figs?

How many days after figs emerge are they ready to pollinate?
Thanks

What kind of fig are you asking about?

These are common figs. Hand pollinating, so I need to know when the syconia is ready to be fertilized. I guess about a week or two, or maybe when the fig is about half size?


Common figs do not require pollination

For seeds they do.
I am trying to produce apomictic seeds using Osage pollen, among other things. There was no interest in a previous post on the topic, so I thought I would not bore anyone with the details.
Just want to know when that embryo is ready for the baby batter. Sure would appreciate it.

Thanks Alan, I don't have enough figs up here to be doing dissections right now so that helps. Sounds like about two weeks for up here if they are ready down there now. My trees are just putting on main crop now, but there were a few early ones that could be ready, they are the size of an acorn now. Is that about the size of the one you cut open?

I would think you could pollinate them more than once, and one of those times would probably be right. Since seeds, not fruit is the issue.

I think you are right Jon, thanks.

Alan- Apomictic seeds would be clones of the parent, all female, all persistant, maybe with some mutations during mitosis. FMV free is the real selling point, because they will still need a long time to fruit probably. There is not much info out there on the subject, but Apomixis is common in other plants and could be possible in figs for sure.

Melons are tough, your setup looks really good though. Mulch really helps to keep soil off the leaves so that carpet is perfect.

Hi Brent,

I have no idea what you are doing, but it sounds fascinating and I hope you have some great success with it.

How does putting some kind of pollen into a common fig pollinate it if the pollen is from another species of plant?

I didn't see your other post/thread you are talking about, so I'm glad you posted about it again.  Much luck to you,

Alan,

What kind of mat are you using and where does one obtain it?  Does it come in different colors?

noss

Thanks Noss. There is not much info available (for free), but I found an abstract of a scholarly article that says this crazy plan is possible. My guess is that the pollen from Osage and Mulberry is the right size and has the right chemical signals to stimulate apomictic seed production in figs? Here is the other thread if anyone wants to see the article abstracts I am talking about http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5267165&highlight=apomixis.

The topic is frustrating, exciting, and confusing. And I think it is worth a try.



This stuff is way beyond my current level of understanding, but seeing JD's post 

about mulberries makes me wonder, since mulberries are so closely related to figs, whether they would be a useful pollen source for your experiment? Just a thought.

Thanks, Alan, for the link to the artificial turf.

Brent, I hope something great comes from your work.

noss

I am starting to see unpollinated main crop figs drop from Marabout and some others. The pollinated ones will not be ripe for as much as 90 days. From this I would judge that pollination needs to occur very early in the fig cycle, and that pollination should be attempted at least 90 days before expected ripening, and probably earlier.

Has anyone ever said that some of the common figs were able to produce good figs by themselves, but if they were pollenated by the fig wasp, they would be much better?  I may be remembering it wrong.  I was thinking that Martin, or Bass was talking about that.  Maybe it wasn't the common fig, though.

noss

That's about what the conversation was about, Alan.

Thanks,

noss

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