Fake variety ???? How did you come up with that idea ? Oh please !

I don't think anyone thinks it's fake, maybe he means in a general way, not specifically this fig or seller.

Impressive list lolita.  I can't wait to hear how the Ponte Tresa does for you.  Happy figging.

Well said, Harvey. Personally, i have been blessed by the kindness of others for which I am very grateful. I am happy with what I have and I'm not wasteful. What I value most, however, are people. Kind people move me and fill my heart more than anything else.

I'm fairly new to figs, and I'm happy if I get a good cultivar cheap! My problem though is it's not just figs! To me nothing beats a good nectarine! I grow some really amazing nectarines. Also blueberries, and raspberries, not all the same many cultivars out there. I have about 25 different raspberries and blackberries. Of course tomatoes and peppers, same thing. I have hundreds of heirlooms there. Luckily one can store by seed, so it's a different game, seed saving. Did I mention currants and elderberries? I grow white strawberries called pineberries, they taste like a pineapple with a strawberry after taste, just amazing. So many of you are lucky, you have only a fig addiction!
So buying fruit trees becomes quite expensive. Some of my stone fruit friends have well over 30 trees. And these are a lot harder to care for than figs. The payoff though is well worth it. The expense starts to become fairly big, so i get it. I just choose to direct my moneys in other areas.
Arctic Glo nectarine (it tastes even better than it looks! One of the best fruits i ever tasted of any kind). You will never ever find anything like this in a store.
  White D pineberries and a few Musk strawberries being prepped for freezing. I made preserves with these, wow! Fantastic! (I had about 200 pineberries this year)



So yeah I'm going to die broke, no doubt. (sorry kids!) Although I will have a huge smile on my face.

That's looks like a delicious problem to have drew.

I want to chime in on the PT discussion. I was in Ponte Tresa 2 years in a row, october 2014 and late august 2015. In august i had the chance to eat some of the figs of the mother tree and they were out of this world good.
I'm growing 50+ cultivars my self so i had my fair share of figs to compare it with.

Rob

Nice one mate, at lest you have tasted it. looking forward to see some pictures. 

I still don't understand why fig cuttings are sold for this kind of price. As a new variety yes for $50-$60 fair decent price. But most of us know where the PT seller got his cuttings from anyway. But to those folks who don't know the ebay scamming, then you need to look carefully on the bidding. I just don't get it the greed for money based on pure hype. Some of the popular seller got airlayers of this variety already, so why are they still bidding? Oh!! so that they can sell for top dollars next season. I understand some of you do this for a living, then why don't you buy cuttings in bulk propagate them and sell it under fixed price like every other Nurseries in this planet. But no you hype it on ebay first with the help of your elite figgers or with your second ebay account and then offer a second chance price...lol. Some folks wake up and jump off their bed seeing the price and will sadly end up buying. Why?? why can't you lot understand this scam?? One auction 10-20 sales wow.....

I love my plants and take great care for them and of-course I love fig trees. Of-course I haven't been growing them for many years like some of you, but my family did lot of  farming and growing other fruit trees. There is no such thing as a well experienced growers and highly respected trusted people (everybody desrves respect). If you really want something you can get all proper information and learn it, but then you need to have interest in it .Trusted people and good sources work together . 
Here i've said it what some of you might be thinking. I really don't care if I pissed someone off as I believe this is the truth. Also being less favorable is never going to affect my plants. And this is not referring to any particular seller nor do I intend to cause any trouble for your business . 

Happy Growing 

Whats wrong with you Vinny ? 
Cuttings don't grow on trees you know .
Oh ha, right they do grow on trees don't they .
Finally a sane person on this site .

John

So this was all a set up?

Someone said because it's from a more northern region it might do well in colder winters or shorter seasons, that's not the case. Ponte Tresa is on ground level and surrounded by hills and mountains so it has a nice micro climate going.
It's not an early fig, even in the  micro climate it's growing in i had a hard time to find some ripe fruit on the tree by august 29. There were some, but i would  say less than 10%.
The year before i was there on october 4 and by that time they were all gone besides a few that were drying on the tree. So it's safe to say it ripens through the month of september in favorable conditions like Ponte Tresa has.
Just because it is Switzerland doesnt mean it gets cold there. Ponte Tresa is part Swiss - part Italian. Winters there rarely get any colder than a few days of -3 celsius.

I think this is getting a little off topic. No one is reaching through the Internet and into someone's pocket. If you don't think the price is reasonable, don't bid. (Or buy). The question "why" was intentionally vague. I wanted to know if there was something unique or special about the fig itself. Yes, apparently there is. Is it worth $540? Not to me, but to someone else, I guess so.

Now if someone was trying to sell a fake, that's something completely different. I do not believe that is the case here.

Could somebody send me a node please? Pretty please? :)

I second that Charlie! I think you need one and Arizona needs one too! Super nice pretty please???? ;-)

Vinny, you say you're not accusing anyone in particular.  However, the only person I know of that has an airlayer already and bid, was me.  Controlling the market?  Hardly.  If I went to Switerland and cut down the entire tree, maybe.  I have one tiny airlayer but is there something wrong if I want several more in hopes that I can get some fruit to taste for myself?  Also, you think prices are unreasonable but you still can't be patient until these top varieties are more plentiful and prices drop?  Someone like myself growing a variety is going to help make prices come down faster because I have prime growing conditions.  It's quite possible that if I had 3 cuttings in a year from now another 100 would become available.  Is that a bad thing for the poor working "peasants"?  And do you think you work harder to make a living than me?

Take this as an example: I'm a long time member of the California Rare Fruit Growers ("CRFG").  Our northern California chapters have annual scion "exchanges" but at least 90% of the people that come to these exchanges bring nothing to exchange but grab bags of various scions of many species for free.  Yet we rarely hear of any grafting/growing successes.  People grab lots because it's free and, in most cases, most of it eventually is thrown away because they have next to nothing at stake other than a little gas and time.  I assure you, I pay much closer attention to a fig cutting when I'm rooting it if I've paid a high price for it (or traded something of high value for it).

Yes, I'm making some decent to good money selling fig cuttings and trees.  I have also significantly increased the amount of varieties and cuttings available to the fig growing community and I don't think that's a bad thing at all.

I've waited over 10 years to take my family on a nice decent winter vacation and haven't complained about others driving up prices to prime winter vacation spots but have been patient and saved.  If others can't do the same to get the "latest and greatest" figs, whose problem is that?

Wow Harvey, you chipped in. I wasn't talking about you by the way and you are not the only one who got an airlayer of this variety. Did I mention any of your products here !! infact I am still or was bidding on your items on eBay , also recently bought something. I don't understand why you have to attack someone if they have a different opinion. For your info I Already got what I need and I still bid yours because of the quality of your cuttings. It's not just about the money, I've already spoke to you about this "changing names " of already existing Varieties and increasing the price . No need to get annoyed, everybody is free to point out their opinion . If I had problem with you I would've started a new topic and why do you think I have problem with you selling and making profit?? Am I a seller ??( well I get rid of unwanted cuttings mostly look for trade like everybody else). You mention about your vacation , I can assure you that most of us don't get all comforts in life when we want it, I would like to do many things and waited many years for it .. Like buying a house ...but I wouldn't necessarily compare it to my need to buy a plant or my hobby for that matter.

[QUOTE= Someone like myself growing a variety is going to help make prices come down faster because I have prime growing conditions.  It's quite possible that if I had 3 cuttings in a year from now another 100 would become available.  Is that a bad thing for the poor working "peasants"?  And do you think you work harder to make a living than me?

sorry missed that bit, " Someone like you" ok waiting for the prices to come down then as you advise . I really don't know how hard you work, not my problem mate. I'm not interested to know either . As I said I wasn't talking about you or anyone. It's what some of us think. You are right about free scion exchange tho .

@ Harvey Again it wasn't your auction and I don't even know FMD. How do you know who was bidding and who else got airlayers? Did I say it's in USA ?? It's a small world but not that small you know. For god sake why would I have a problem with you??
Let me clarify , like most of us I'm obsessed with figs and for last few days I was really upset about people changing names of already existing varieties etc. I have driven miles and miles to different parts of Europe to collect cuttings ( not just figs) and then you see some people ripping other people off, just because they don't have access to fee stuff. About doing what you do... It's a business at the end of the day and like every other business you do what's in your best interest , also your products are top quality . But as with everything people will have different opinion and this is why we have a forum to express our thoughts, and not just to support friends.

Kkk I know someone who has this variety from several sources. I don't know if this person was bidding on this auction, but I would not have a problem with it if this person did. You apparently have a problem with a free market economy, free will, and personal responsibility.

How do you define "ripping people off?" We are not talking about bread and milk to feed my family, we are talking about a hobby. It is supply and demand. The seller can set whatever price they want. If no one buys the price will come down. In an auction setting it is the free market in action. It is out of the sellers hands. The market takes over and it goes to the highest bidder. It is the personal responsibility of the bidder to set a limit for himself. What is my limit of money, space, & time that I will spend on this hobby? The choice is yours. I am not going to Switzerland to collect a cutting. If I had the money I'd be rooting that cutting now. I have my limits, you have yours. We all know prices will fall eventually, be patient. Happy Figging!

Wow the hot pink lady sure has created a stir. I for one am working on my patience gene (very underdeveloped!) and I am so impressed by the time, care and generosity that has been shown by the members here. I just love thinking of all the great trees sending themselves out all over the world because they have captivated us, like Ponte Tresa because they are appreciated, nurtured and shared. For me it comes down to "absence and desire". Yes it will be a cool day when I have raised some of these gems to fruiting. A delight for sure. Yes happy figging all! And thank you Ficus carica!

My opinion only, and again we are getting off the main topic and responding to one another: the price that cuttings sell for is in the hands of the buyer, only the buyer, the seller has no responsibility for what the ending purchase price will be. The only responsibility that the seller has is  the cuttings are true to name, health of cuttings, and making sure it gets to the buyer. Just my opinion. Sorry Aaron for being off topic.

This is precisely why I hardly ever post on this board anymore.