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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Is the jury still out on Blue Ischia?
 
 


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tmc2009

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Here is the Blue Ischia that was offered on ebay.  It has it's first shiny leaf on it and recovered from a partial stay in the cold greenhouse before I brought it inside.  I'm just wondering if anyone has ID'd it yet?

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jpeg BlueIschia.jpg (145.62 KB, 173 views)
jpeg BlueIschia02.jpg (107.71 KB, 168 views)


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Tom
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Pattee

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Funny you should mention this variety again Tom , I just bought one from Hirt's on Amazon. I figured it was worth a try for that price. They sent a healthy albeit small plant . 
How old is yours now? Wonder who else tried one ?
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Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
I Planted mine in ground last November(bought it in July) and protected it from frost ,best I could.
It is alive tho the little stem,(just,like yours),Died close to ground but it has 4 buds growing at base now which mean it will start 4 Branches,this Summer.
Looking at your Pix,my opinion,is the leaves,are similar to UCD Ischia Black so there is hope ,no doubt.
I am not implying it is made from wood from UCD,because it is not.
Positivelly is not infected with the FMV,the other have.
tmc2009

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
I bought mine last year and kept it for part of the winter in the lean-to and then brought it inside the house.  I bounced back in the lean-to environment.  I don't think it looks like Ischia Black yet.  I have Ischia Black from Encanto Farms and UCD.  My understanding though is that it might look different for awhile because it was started from tissue culture.  Is this correct?
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Tom
Massachusetts Zone 6b
Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Absolutelly,It is known to have leaves in juvenile stage for a longer period of time.
My hope is that one of these will produce at least a couple of ripe fruits to look at,and make a better informed ID.
Even so I see on your tree,the leaves look like My Ischia Black from UCD,when I started them,in the first Summer,so,yes they look like Leaves of juvenile Ischia Black.
FMD

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Here's my Blue Ischia that I acquired from Hirt's in December 2012...
Hoping for a ripe fig at the end of the season.

Attached Images
jpeg photo.JPG (693.47 KB, 150 views)
jpeg photo1.JPG (542.80 KB, 169 views)


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Frank
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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
I purchased my "Blue Ischia" from Hirt's about two months ago...they sent me two trees in the same pot, so I separated them and placed each one in a 1gal. trade pot...they are small, but healthy and doing just fine...I have them both outside in full sunlight, and they seem to be very happy...as I look at the pictures posted by Tom and Frank of their 2012 trees, the leaves look exactly like mine, except that my leaves are a year smaller...I don't know what 'kind of tree' they are either, but I sent $6 and change to Hirts for 1 tree, and they sent me two trees, so thats about $3 per tree...can't go wrong.
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Vince
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baust55

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
That was a cool thrifty deal Vince .
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twobrothersgarden

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
I bought mine from Hirts back in November 2012. I sure hope someone can ID it soon.
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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Wow Henry, you've got that thing growing like crazy. Congrats!
I couldn't stand it....I bought one from Hirts today on Amazon.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Henry...what are you feeding that tree, "Wheaties" ??....that is one nice looking tree...good luck.
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Vince
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tmc2009

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
I'll have to take a closer look at mine because I just thought it was bush type growth with two stems.  Maybe there are two separate plants there.
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Tom
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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Per this link, "Blue" and "Black" Ischias are the same:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/fig.html
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ForeverFigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Tom (tmc2009)...actually, after separating the tangled bunch of stems and leaves, the two trees each had three main stems, which will eventually become the three main trunks of the trees....also, when I seperated the two trees, I was expecting to find traditional roots at the bottom...what I did find was two gauze sacks(each about the size of a large pecan nut, out of which came the three stems)...I'm still not sure what that was all about...maybe that's how they produce fig trees from tissue culture material??
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Vince
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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
My Blue Ischia from Hirts arrived today. Here are the pics right out of the box. Looks like I got 2 as well.

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jpeg 20130508_113937_(768x1024).jpg (372.93 KB, 125 views)
jpeg 20130508_113946_(1024x768).jpg (342.01 KB, 133 views)
jpeg 20130508_113954_(1024x768).jpg (354.94 KB, 107 views)
jpeg 20130508_114011_(1024x768).jpg (342.82 KB, 113 views)
jpeg 20130508_114020_(1024x768).jpg (336.31 KB, 105 views)


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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Looking good Tami...best of luck.
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Vince
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jake

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
I also got mine today. Could not stand the thought it may be what they say it is. Also got two in one pot. Tissue culture for sure. One already has about six suckers. Tissue culture figs will give many suckers and need pruning often and early. No FMV as viruses are not normally transmitted through tissure culture. Received several tissue culture plants last summer and they went from 3" to 3' before going dormant. May not be Black or Blue Ischia but cheap and healthy for sure. Just checked Amazon and Hirts Gardens and they are no longer available. Guess there must be others who visit here making orders. They had 14 left when I ordered a few days ago.
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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
They had something like 76 on ebay awhile ago and I also bought mine on Amazon. Ebay is gone as well. I bet we have a ton of Blue Ischia closet buyers!!! Come on guys fess up :)

I took mine apart and potted them into 1 gallons. I didn't see any suckers yet but that's not to say they're not there. Eyes just aren't what they used to be.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
Oh, how funny this is!  I wonder if they are wondering why they had a "run" on this particular fig.  LOL!  I'll bet it's not the first time it's happened to them, though.  Has anyone ever found a different fig tree Hirt's was selling that everyone had to have?

If this fig has an open eye, it would not be good for this climate, or other wet places.

Y'all keep us posted on the progress of all your babies because they look real nice and healthy, ok?

Thanks,

noss
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Ok, I am a guilty one who ordered from Amazon :)
It arrived today, in a nice condition. 2 plants in a pot, one single stem and one with 3 stems. Nice roots! I repotted them right away.
Not sure how sun friendly they are, it looks they did grow up under some artificial lights.
Please see the photos attached.

Attached Images
jpeg front.JPG (137.01 KB, 64 views)
jpeg side.JPG (145.58 KB, 67 views)
jpeg open.JPG (203.04 KB, 63 views)
jpeg split.JPG (304.33 KB, 74 views)
jpeg pots.JPG (248.88 KB, 70 views)


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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Looks very healthy like the rest of our do. I can't wait to see if they are the real thing.

They do look like they've been indoors, I am keeping mine under the oak tree for now and little by little I will move them into the sun.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
This is a riot ! I bet they are Noss . I've been so busy , that I hadn't noticed that there's  more than one that small pot also. I'll repot this weekend .
It will be really interesting to see exactly what we all have .
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americanfiglover

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
oh GOD why did I just read this!? Now I want one.
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Jarrett
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Smaritza

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Quote:
Originally Posted by americanfigboy
oh GOD why did I just read this!? Now I want one.

LOL!! I was looking for one too!
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Smaritza
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Tarantella, Jolly Tiger, Nero,
javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
LOL that's why you have to browse the forum every day....by fall we should all have cuttings.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
Yeap! No problem sharing cuttings if they grow nicely.
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ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #27 
I will admit that I also purchased the "Blue Ischia" starts. I had purchased other tissue cultured fig plants last year, had good growth (3 feet in 5 months), have not harvested any figs, but did get a few developing figs on the Improved Celeste variety.

Inline imageNote: these are the largest "tissue cultured" plants that I have received to date. The other plants were extremely small (not even 3 inches tall) with less than six (6) leaves each. Also these plants have been pruned to keep them small.

I explained my experience in an earlier Discussion on Tissue Culture.

I would recommend bare rooting (in a water bath, minimal root damage) and up potting to quart containers (The quart container is to better control moisture at the root zone). The plants that were not bare rooted were very slow in growth (they were root bound).

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jpeg Blue_Ischia_Hirts_5-9-2013.jpg (212.12 KB, 542 views)
javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
Thank you for the link Pete. I just read it and am wondering if I should pull them back up and bare root them. Maybe I'll wait a couple of weeks and see if there is any progress. 
I am going to pull up the LSU Purple cultures I got tomorrow for sure. They've been here 2 months and doing nothing. That is probably the problem.

You may have saved them from the burn pile.
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Tami
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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #29 
I'm just wondering--Does tissue culture equal genetically modified?

Thanks,

noss
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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #30 
Can't swear to it but I believe it is more of a cloning.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #31 
It is cloning.  There are techniques to induce genetic variation but that wouldn't be used when you want a clone.
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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #32 
Thanks Tami and Bob,

It didn't seem like it would be GM because that's an actual change, not cloning, but I wasn't sure.

noss
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #33 
An observation from today.
We had some 94F heat, sun was crazy...
The rooted cuttings outside under a tree were wilting a bit, the Blue Ischia next to them didn't care.
It seems they take heat happier. That is a good news to me if it continues to be like that, we are having 100 and above 1/2 of the summer.
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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #34 
Heat tolerance is fantastic news. They're going to get hot here as well.

I dug up the LSU Purple figs I had gotten as tissue cultures and sure enough, after washing the roots they needed to be up potted. They seem much happier now.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #35 
Tami,

What happened that they needed to be up-potted after you washed the roots?  What was on the roots?  Were the roots all compressed?

noss
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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #36 
Noss, The roots were all twined together in a big ball, after washing and detangling they were over a foot long and just needed more space to do what roots do.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #37 
i would have ordered one if i had space for it... looks interesting. hope to hear more about it in future and compare it to UCD Ischia Black.
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Pete
Durham, NC
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Posted Reply with quote  #38 
I would order one if everyone on the forum did take them all. LOL 
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Jarrett
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ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #39 
My procedure for replanting root bound plants, pictured is the Blue Ischia. I have been doing this for years on most garden vegetable plants that were root bound in starter containers.
The procedure is as follows:
1. Wash the roots in a "water bath" using agitation and water currents only (plant roots held underwater by stem, other hand creates water current by pushing water towards roots, like clapping).
2. untangle the larger roots carefully.
3. Root prune all the tips (if possible) to remove apical dominance and increase root branching.
4. Plant in prepared soil (garden or container) and fan out roots.
5. "Water in" to settle soil around roots.
6. Prune plant to balance for damaged roots and or for shape.

Due to the volume and size of the roots on the Ischia starts, I decided to up pot directly to 1 gallon containers.
Inline image<edit> for larger figs plants (1 gallon containers), I've used 5 gallon bucket for the wash basin.

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jpeg Ischia_repotting_3.jpg (256.23 KB, 96 views)
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jpeg Ischia_repotting_5.jpg (183.81 KB, 88 views)
jpeg Ischia_repotting_6.jpg (173.74 KB, 87 views)
noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #40 
Tami,

Good grief, those were long roots.  How big was the container they came in?  The ones I saw here looked like small pots.

noss
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Posted Reply with quote  #41 
Noss,
It was a small pot but they weren't the Blue Ischia. They were the LSU Purple I got awhile back. Tissue cultures from Florida. They came in the same maybe 3"x3"x3" pots as the Blue Ischia and I up potted them to 1 gallon but the roots stayed in a ball more or less, just like Pete was warning about. They haven't done much since they got here so I took Pete's suggestion and was amazed with all the roots. Now that they're all spread out with room to grow in a 3 gallon I am hoping the vegitation catches up to the roots.
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #42 
Tami,

With roots like that, I wouldn't be surprised if those little trees shoot up into orbit.  LSU Ps are very strong trees and like to grow.

Thanks,

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #43 
Thanks Noss, I sure hope so, I was getting really discouraged with their performance and now I know it was my fault all along. They both took the root wash, nasty leaf removal and repot without blinking, no wilting or anything.

I'm almost embarassed to tell you guys, Pete hadn't put up instructions yet and I took them out of the pots and basically power washed the roots with the shower setting on the hose. I guess in some peoples minds it can be considered water current..haha.

I'm really glad it was one of the stronger varities though.
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Tami
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javajunkie

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Posted Reply with quote  #44 
Available once again on ebay....400532263084
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Tami
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Posted Reply with quote  #45 
thought about this long and hard. i'll wait to see what my Ischia Black UCD will look like before going this route. just too many figs, it's hard to weed through which ones will stay with me in next few yrs.
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
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Posted Reply with quote  #46 
So I ended up buying a few of the Blue Ischia off Amazon (Hirt's Garden) as well as LSU Purple.  Will be interested to see how they turn out!

Herman, how is yours growing this year?

Tim
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timclymer

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Posted Reply with quote  #47 
Came in the mail today.  LSU Purple stems had lignified and very well rooted while Blue Ischia were very very young, looked like they had just been moved to their pots, and the stems were completely green.  Let's hope they hold up!  Anyone have pics of theirs after growing a few months?

Inline image 

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Posted Reply with quote  #48 
Just got mine in the mail. Soft and puny, about 5 inches tall, recently up potted to a 4 inch pot. It will need some shade and TLC, but it was a good price.
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Posted Reply with quote  #49 
Mine are several months old and just got moved to a 5 gallon bucket. I will try to get pics for you tomorrow.
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Posted Reply with quote  #50 
It look healthy but growing very slow,no fruits yet.
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