Just wondering if anybody else is keeping doubles and triples of certain varieties? I have a problem with only keeping just one of a good fig. The bad thing is when you have 100 varieties it adds up.

I'm with you.  I have over 90 plants, but since it's my first year growing figs in pots, I want to ensure I have extras if one variety dies over the winter.  I will 'try' to limit myself to 40 pots eventually.

i try to keep double or triple the first yr. after the first yr, i keep one and share others. weather here is mild enough after first yr, i don't worry about losing the tree.

Have a few doubles of some favorites.

I do the same with other fruit trees, can't have enough of a good thing.

I do. I want to make sure I start next year with at least one of everything I have.

I do also . Mostly for the same reason, possibility of losing that variety.  A couple I just wanted more than one ! 

Guilty as charged.

Not many, usually if rooting and I have extras I keep the best ones and either keep extras for cuttings for sharing or gift the entire tree or cut them up.

I'm planning on growing some for commercial sales so have multiples of many of the 100 varieties I've got, though some will probably get sold to make room for increases in other varieties.

Yup.  Me too.  It makes sense to do when you find varieties that you really like and that do well in your climate.

I do. Tacoma Violet Hardy Chicago KB Celeste Desert King Latturula Toni's Brown Italian Atreano Black Mission VdB and many more I just love the flavor and taste!

Just Black Madeira

i got double on Black Madeira and another one rooting right now. i have 4 figs on one of them and they are still growing. i have two on the other, but it seem it was stressed during repot. chances are i'll lose the ones on the repot. i'll probably keep all 3 BM. i almost lost Tacoma Violet, but two rebounded after lime incident. KB, i'm not worried. the darn thing is really hard to kill. i just hope it meets my expectation this yr. VdB, i have one extra just because it's one of the most amazing fig as far as i'm concerned.. BM might change the opinion but production on VdB might be much greater... 

My extras go into fig hedges, ie....hedging my bets.

Being limited on space, I make to sure to send my extras to my nephew, first, then others. That way I am assured of a reserve stock not susceptible to my horticultural practices, nor to a local infestation.

I double up (at least!) on just about everything! 

My good friend sent me VdB cuttings, which turned into 6 cuttings. They all rooted, now I have 6 VdB plants! Also have about 7 Negronnes too, because all the cuts have rooted! Same situation with 5 Black Madeiras, 6 Zingerellas, Kathleen Blacks etc etc. Im going to have to give them away, the figs have invaded my house room by room. I have a 6 bdrm house and I'm running out of room.

I will this year! I had doubles of several varieties except LSU Champagne, LSU Black and O'Rourke. All three died back to soil level and are now only a few inches tall. I plan on doing at least one air layer of the better cultivars near the end of the season, as backups.
<edit> The backups will be planted in containers no larger than 5 gallons.

I have doubles and triples of everything. I think its just in my nature to want to have extras. In case something doesn't make it. I would hate to have to start all over.

Black Mission
Kadota
BT
Panachee
Hardy Chicago
Negronne

I got 6 Black Madeiras all started from cuttings this past winter and I'm keeping every single one of them until I have at least 2 established trees. Just in case.. :)

I'm with FiggyFrank. I've got several of some varieties growing because I'm pretty new to growing so many other than the popular hardy ones in my area.  I don't want to kill my only variety!  Hopefully I can get it down to 30-40 varieties over time.....

I have backups as well, I will start sharing them next year

I was happy with one of everything, but when the Figs 4 Foundation was in the dreaming stage, I realized that I need at least 2 of everything. Preservation dictated that one of anything was not enough. Not there yet, but working on it. Have roughly half of the collection duplicated, so far. That means about 1700 trees currently. I do have one tree that I have 8 copies of. Had a scare 2 years ago, and never want to lose this particular tree. Doubt that I can replace it.

I keep doubles but I sell plants and donate to charity I have triples of some. That way I can always get cuttings but I am starting out at this so most are to small to get cuttings from at this time.

[QUOTE=pitangadiego]I do have one tree that I have 8 copies of. Had a scare 2 years ago, and never want to lose this particular tree. Doubt that I can replace it.[/QUOTE]

Best way to prevent that is to pass it around :)

I got a little over a thousand trees.  Some are dups and the wife wants the 150 fig trees off the decks.  So, I decided to drain my swimming pool and create more "fig space".  This new space will be a new sun deck for my citrus and fig tree oasis!

next time wife says i have too many trees, i'll have to tell her that some have over 1,000 trees :)

I was keeping doubles of everything then I decided that wasn't necessary I started clearly out doubles and I'm having kinds of trouble with trees I kept I only had one of and now I'm back to wanting doubles....

Some of these may be redundant (VdB/Negronne), but I plan to keep all of these until I get fruit, then determine if I should keep more than two of each.  If Preto is like Black Madeira, I'll keep all 4 for sure.  Some of these cuttings were very small so it will take a few years to be confident they'll survive.

RdB - 5
Preto - 4
VdB - 3
Petite Negri - 4
Negronne - 5

I received most of my UC Davis cuttings as 3 large sticks that were cut into 9 total - most rooted and are growing.  I've been giving away dupes (sometimes it's hard to get someone to take a Kadota - kind of like giving away green squash).

Black Madeira, Panachee and some others have only 1 survivor (and that seems touch and go).  My one Ischia Black put out a leaf (and roots) and then keeled over.

So the ones I want dupes of are scarce and the more 'common' ones are coming on strong.

I plan to keep at least 2 of everything that I can for the first year and eventually see what I like to eat and thin/grow from there.

Andrew

I keep doubles but I sell plants and donate to charity I have triples of some. That way I can always get cuttings but I am starting out at this so most are to small to get cuttings from at this time.

Dave, did you forget you wrote this in the #25 above? :)

KK,  You are right: distribute widely. That is why I try and make as many different varietal cuttings available each year. That is one of the major reasons for the Foundation: to be able to continue to have wide distribution of the many varieties. There have been occasions when I have been able to replace a plant for someone who lost their original plant, because they sent me cuttings to grow, in the first place. That is also one of the goals of the Foundation: to be able to be a back-up for other peoples varieties. Likewise, people have sent cuttings or plants precisely because they know they we be re-distributed, and they do not want to hassle with all the requests they they would get.

When I sell plants and cuttings, most of that money goes to maintain the current collection, and to acquire new varieties. That allows me to continue to keep the collection until we find the $$$$$ to give the collection a permanent home.

Jon,

That one fig that gave you the scare. Was it the up and coming "Jons Hybrid BT"? As in Brown Turkey?

Yeah sorry about the double post. I spend most the time on my android phone and service for cell phones are not that great here so I somtimes get double post. Delayed post. Etc.

Rafed,

That would be somewhere between nightmare and life ending.

At the moment I am keeping multiples (if I have them) of each variety at least until I taste them. If I don't like them, out they will go. I've already given away a good number of young trees that I had many of, and plan to give many more away when I know which ones I'll keep. I'm going to plant a number of them in the ground and of my favorites or hard to obtain, will keep a dup in a pot because of the potential of gopher loss. I don't know how many Ill end up with, but the intent is to keep most them in-ground, in bush form by pruning significantly in winter.

[QUOTE=pitangadiego] I do have one tree that I have 8 copies of. Had a scare 2 years ago, and never want to lose this particular tree. Doubt that I can replace it.[/QUOTE]

What variety is that tree, if you don't mind me asking?

I don't keep doubles but I do make sure my nearby fig friends have a clone of my rare trees in case something happens.

Howie, there has to be some mystery. ;-))

Jon then so what you're saying is that it IS a Brown Turkey! Lol

Wow.. this thread got big...  like most of my new trees ;)

I have been debating about keeping 2 of each.  But I'm having a hard time convincing my wife I need to keep at least 1 of each.  I'm having to come up with creative places to plant some of them so that they serve a purpose.

We have a 4 bush hedge next to a side parking spot in our driveway that looks pretty ratty and overgrown with weeds.  I've convinced her to let me dig em out and plant a fig hedge that will be prunned (somewhat) every year.  I'm going to use a Hollier, Marylane Seedless, White Texas EB, and (Home Depot) Ischia.

I may try to keep 2 Ronde de Bordeaux's.

I'm just starting out and don't have many varieties but do have more than one of most of them.  I don't see a problem with that so far.  The more the better.  I will probably want to thin them out as I learn more about them growth habits cold tolerance taste all that type of stuff.

goss

[QUOTE=Gina]

At the moment I am keeping multiples (if I have them) of each variety at least until I taste them. If I don't like them, out they will go. I've already given away a good number of young trees that I had many of, and plan to give many more away when I know which ones I'll keep. I'm going to plant a number of them in the ground and of my favorites or hard to obtain, will keep a dup in a pot because of the potential of gopher loss. I don't know how many Ill end up with, but the intent is to keep most them in-ground, in bush form by pruning significantly in winter.

I'm only going to keep doubles of potted figs until I plant one in the ground and see how it does. Then I will only keep one in the pot of that variety and the other will be in ground. That way I can free up space just in case I find another fig that I MUST have. Well, at least that's my plan, whether or not I follow thru with it will have to be determined. The world may never know.....

I am in Zone 5a and store many of my figs in unheated garage in addition to some in a small basement cold storage. So, I feel I need duplicate of the ones I do not want to be lost due to winter kill.
The only way I ever lost a fig is due to winter kill when stored in the garage. This year I lost about seven tree aged 3 to 5 (some of these were about 1.5" thick dia in 7 gallon pots).

I used to keep duplicates. The only duplicates in my care this season are VdB, H.Chicago, Latarrula, DK, Aldo. These duplicates are kept mainly based on what produces well for my zone or just based on taste.

[QUOTE=OttawanZ5]This year I lost about seven tree aged 3 to 5 (some of these were about 1.5" thick dia in 7 gallon pots).[/QUOTE]

I believe I would cry if this happened to me.