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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > shipping a caprifig with figs
 
 


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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
A question: 
anybody outside California got a caprifig in a pot by mail with the Profichi (first crop, with wasps) on it successfully (i.e. the figs were not dropped by the tree later on)?

I shipped twice and both times the figs were abandoned (the trees kept growing though). 

Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!
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wish list: Violeta, Calderona. USDA z 10a, SoCal
lampo

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Igor,

This is a risky exercise at this time of the year.
Through the courrier/post handling and storing maneuvers it would be not much difficult to have the pack subject to excessive heat and this could well cook the living creatures inside their galls.
if this was the case, then,  within a matter of hours the synconium would dry, shrink, turn yellowish and fall off. - see the symbiotic relationship between the insect and the synconium-
but the tree will be kept living and growing.

another possibility could well be the typical rough handling by the Post operators, forcing the fruit to separate from the limbs

or checks using some dose of  radiation lethal to the insects

It would be interesting to see pictures..

Francisco
Portugal
Greenguy

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
I read when they shipped the wasp to the us they just shipped the fig with the wasp in it (no plant).  They had trees here ready to except them (with caprifigs on them)  It took a couple of times to be successful.
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Thank you Francisco and Greenguy,

From what you saying, one should wait until the opportune moment (mainly when the East coast tree could accept the wasp) and ship the figs only from CA overnight.
Does it matter for which Capri crop this is made, the first, second, or third? I believe the third crop would be hard to satisfy because of the harsh weather conditions though.
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lampo

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Igor,

To try and start this rather difficult process here the way I see it:

1 - are there on the receiving side a healthy Caprifig growing and showing NOW any Mammoni figs ?
Mammonis on a Caprifig show up like the edible main crops on the leaf axils. To be receptive they should be about the size of a pinky nail or slightly bigger

2 - If above conditions are met you could UPS the Profichis, 'almost ripe', to supply the wasps upon arrival.
To limit dispersal of the insects and excessive exposure the receiving party should do it inside a green house, and try and force pollination on any existing and receptive varieties, Smyrna/Common and San Pedro... this to take max advantage of the many insects leaving the Profichis and carrying pollen.

Hope you still have Profichis at the right maturation stages for this exercise

good luck

Francisco
Portugal
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