My highly touted LSU purple is about a year and a half to 2 years old.  I had a few figs this year, and they were close to tasteless, not the description I had read!
Will the flavor improve as the tree matures?

YES-LSU Purple is notorious for being bland when young it goes from why do I own this thing to one of the best tasting fig you own in a few short years.

Mine is 3 years old and taste like a cucumber, watery and tasteless. Hopefully next year our trees will both taste better.

Yes. Also, if you can plant it in ground, do so, you'll be amazed by how productive it becomes.


Navid.

Hi Ireilly:

I can tell you 100% this is true.  The LSU Purple doesn't take good at all the first several years; then it goes to alright; to fantastic.

The first several years I thought I would dig up my LSU Purple.  And it took (not sure; I don't keep formal records) maybe 5 or 6 years to truly reach peak flavor.

Our LSU Purple is planted in ground, it is super productive (from about the 3rd week of July in Zone 7b through frost).

And the flavor just gets better every year.  I love them.  We have so many, I keep thinking I will take some to neighbors, but then I eat them!  ;-)

LSU Purple is a fig that takes great patience, but your patience will be rewarded.

Best wishes.

John

Here are some LSU Purple pictures:

I don't really remember going through puberty with LSU Purple, but it does take heat to ripen well, esp. since it ripens here later in the season.Taste is very unique and very good.

That makes me feel better cause I have a potted lsu purple from E.L. that is growing at a snails pace I had the first ripe figs off it for the first time yesterday and and the plant seems to get leaf rust every year.

I agree with Jon that the flavor of the LSU Purple is unique.  I absolutely love these, and wouldn't give up ours for any price.

It also has less seeds than most other figs, which may be a plus for some.

It does especially well here in the hot, humid Southeast, and stands up to the heaviest rains without splitting.

It is a real winner here in Georgia.

I'm not sure how well it would do up North, but maybe others know.

Best wishes.

John

One more thing about the LSU Purples:

There must be at least two different strains being marketed as LSU Purple.

I got two from two different sources, and while I think it is fair to call them both "LSU Purple" they are different.

You can see the difference on the plate of figs I posted above with some of both strains:

LSU Purple #1 is longer and purple and gold (appropriate for LSU)

LSU Purple #2 is rounder and more purple.

Also, the #1 strain took many years to reach peak flavor.  The first few years were inedible.

But #2 produced good figs the first year.

Still, all things considered, #1 is far superior in mature flavor and massive productivity.

Best wishes.

John

John,

Wow!  Thanks for the encouragement.  I will plant mine in the ground as soon as possible.  Mine came from Edible Landscaping.  I will say it is a beautiful fig to look at. 

Hi Joe.  I got the #1 strain from Raintree Nursery (I think), but it may have been One Green World.

The #2 strain was from a local commercial nursery ("Cofers" a good nursery; but they buy theirs from other commercial growers).

I would be happy to compare the pictures to my varieties, and you can look at the pictures I posted.  Also, if the flavor is not good initially, it sounds like strain #1.  The leaves are identical on both, but the fruit looks different, and tastes very different initially.  And the #1 is a stronger grower and far more productive.

It is also possible that there are more than two different strains being marketed as LSU Purple.

Best wishes.

John

I also have "LSU Purple" figs from two nurseries.
The trees from Just Fruits, seem to fit the description of
LSU Purple given by LSU themselves. 
Punch up' lsuagcenter LSU Purple fig'.
See fig4. The leaf looks a lot like the JF&E trees.
No ripe figs so far for comparison.
Dave.

John,