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Subject: Would anyone want some of my poopy fish emulsion/sludgewater? Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 186
 
maybe you can dry it.
really no point to ship H2O.

Subject: Early Breba Figs Replies: 8
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 175
 
Of course, you know that I am joking. LOL

Anyhow, weather forecast says that the Nov/Dec weather will be mild in Maryland this year. So I hope that some of the green figs will get a chance to ripen, even without leaves on the tree. :-))

Wishful thinking, maybe~~~ We will see.

Subject: Early Breba Figs Replies: 8
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 175
 
Looks at these breba figs -- they are really early!
Hope we have a mild winter. LOL

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Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
Picked a couple of yellow figs today.
021.jpg 022.jpg     
 


Sadly, there are still a lot of green figs on the tree which won't be able to ripen this season. Temperature will dip below zero this weekend in my area.  :-((
023.jpg

Subject: Some figs and pawpaws Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 199
 
Yes, Mark. There are lots of wild pawpaw trees in Maryland. Two weeks ago I went for a hike along the Billy Goat trail, and saw many pawpaws. Most of them are small though, compared to fruits of named varieties.

Subject: Some figs and pawpaws Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 199
 
Hi Dennis, I like ripe pawpaw, but not very ripe one. When getting very ripe, the fruit starts to give off some alcohol smell in addition to the aromatic smell, which is not very pleasant to me.
Interestingly, my little kid likes the mango-flavored variety the most; I prefer the banana-flavored variety; my wife does not like eating them at all.
Of course, all three of us love figs!
LOL

Subject: Some figs and pawpaws Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 199
 
Likeo, sorry for the confusion. By "seedling", I actually meant to say 1 year old seedling from a rooted cutting (not from a seed).

Subject: Some figs and pawpaws Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 199
 
Hi Tyler,

Some pawpaw varieties bear earlier than others. Hope you don't have to wait for too long. :-)

And yes, the large one on the fig plate is LSU Gold (from a 1 year old seedling).

Subject: Some figs and pawpaws Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 199
 
Hi Likeo, Pawpaw tastes somewhere between banana and mango, with its unique flavour. Different varieties taste differently. There were a lot of discussions in this forum. :-))

Subject: Some figs and pawpaws Replies: 11
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 199
 
Yesterday I picked some pawpaws and a few figs. My kid and I like pawpaws very much, so we ate a lot. The wife does not like the pawpaw smell, so she had some figs. Great dessert. :-))

Here are a couple of pictures to share.


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Subject: Stolen images on ebay Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 353
 
Hi Steve,
That really sucks!
Well, that did show how fantastic your pictures of Black Madeira and Figo Preto are. :-))
I agree that watermark is the way to go.

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
I received a lot of cutting requests.  For folks who already PM-ed me at this point, I will try my best to fulfill my promise later this year. For other folks, please don't send me more PMs. Thanks!

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
Thanks, guys!

I received a lot of PMs asking the possibility of getting some cuttings. Sorry that I cannot reply your message one by one.
I will trim the tree in Nov/Dec when it goes dormant, and will probably have ~50 cuttings available. I will share the cuttings with fellow forum members who are interested in this. You pay a small shipping fee.

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
This variety started to ripen for me in recent days. Here are some pictures.

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With a few hardy chicago figs -- it is truly a beauty!
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It tastes great to me -- figgy melon flavor with enough sweetness. 
005.jpg 

Weather has been quite cooperating lately in my area. Hopefully it will last a while. Have fun!

Subject: Found a fig tree at the doctors office Replies: 16
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 537
 
Very impressive! If it really died to the ground this past winter, the new growth is HUGE!

Subject: Desert King? Replies: 8
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 402
 
The interior looks like LSU purple as well.

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Thank for the nice words, Chris. I wish you best luck with your Preto, which is basically a healthier version of Black Madeira!

Subject: Ripening and drying Replies: 14
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 482
 
looks fantasic!

your climate seems ideal for figs. i amso jeolous, hehe

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Hi Chris,

I know you are joking.
Anyway, it was really small, so i was not excited, no interior pic taken.

I just ate it. it did have more complex flavor than others, which surprised me.

I finished it in no time. Lol

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
A few days ago, I finally got a chance to taste my first Black Madeira fig.
It was a breba, and only weights about 7 gram, LOL
All the other main crop figs on the tree are still green.

000.jpg 

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
Dale, it is definitely true in my 6b climate, especially in terms of fig sweetness. Smaller figs generally are sweeter here.

My 6-year-old daughter likes sugar-figs. The sweeter, the better.
I prefer milder sweetness, so this variety is excellent for me. I also like the large and shiny appearance of the fruit. Of course, it is all just personal preference.

 

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
Hi Dale,

This variety has a strong figgy-melon flavor and is quite juicy. Its sweetness is not as high as Hardy Chicago though. I rate it 8 out of 10. (As a reference, I rate RdB 9/10, Hardy Chicago 9/10, Black Mission 7/10, California Brown Turkey 4/10, in my yard.)

The tree requires a lot of watering in summer as the leaves are quite large, and has a tendency to grow vegetatively. Maybe I fertilized it too much, as it is still a young tree. I pinched the top, which did help to form plenty of fruits. Next year I am going to stop fertilizing it since it is too vigorous.

I am sure that it would do better in hotter climate (than my 6b), since the fruits are large. My friend told me that the summer in Kashi, China is very hot in daytime and cool in night time. The yellow giant figs produced there have a great great reputation.

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
Note that the hand in the picture is my daughter's. She is now 6 years old. :-))))

Have a great weekend!

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
Some pictures of the ripe fruit taken last year:

102.jpg 
105.jpg 
104.jpg

Subject: "Kashi Yellow Giant": A Large Yellow Variety from Xinjiang, China Replies: 31
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,762
 
In my church, there is a family who was originally from the city of Kashi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. He has fig tree that he called "Kashi Yellow Giant", which is a large yellow fig variety.

He kindly gave me a sucker last spring, and I planted it in ground. It grows quite vigorously. I was able to sample a couple of figs last fall. The figs were indeed quite large, averaging ~100gram, with pretty good taste. Of course, my 6b climate may not be really ideal for this variety. But, still, it is a keeper for me.

Here are some pictures, enjoy!

100.jpg 
101.jpg 
 

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Thanks, Steve! I sure hope so. The weather this summer has been cooperating thus far.

Subject: Hardy Chicago in Zone 6b, Highly Productive Replies: 2
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 252
 
I have a four year old Hardy Chicago. I didn't protect it in the winter of 2013, and it died back to ground. It bounced back nicely last year and produced 40+ figs.
The past winter I spent a lot of efforts protecting other rarer varieties and neglected this one. The tree died back again, to ~2 inches above ground.
It bounced back vigorously this spring and now is ~6 feet tall, and loaded with figs (essentially one fig per leaf)!
I am fully convinced that this variety is highly reliable, and I will definitely give it better protection this winter.

003.jpg 

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
002.jpg 



Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
An update on 07/23/2015

001.jpg 

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Steve, your comparison between Black Madeira and Figo Preto is very informative. Thanks!
And you potted trees look gorgeous!

It has been a hot early summer so far this year. Hopefully you can have a good harvest on these two similar varieties.

For my in-ground one, I would be happy enough if I get the chance to sample one or two later this season.

As for winter protection, I was using "dry leaves + trash can" last winter. It wasn't enough for BM, clearly.

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Just an update --

My in-ground black maderia finally started to send out some nice main crop baby figs.
Seems that the hot weather lately really helped.


01.jpg 






Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Thanks for being frank, Michael.

I put the BM tree in-ground just for fun. People rate it so high that I feel that I must have one, even though it is not really a good variety for our climate.
Somehow it makes me feel happy just by looking at it. :-))

Fortunately, I have two other 5-year-old trees (a hardy chicago and a brunswick), which are relatively productive at a young age. Last fall, I also got a RdB, to which you gave top rating for our area.

Subject: Tissue Culture LSU Purple, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 391
 
Thanks, Michael!
I live in Boyds, MD, fairly close to your place. I learned a lot from your previous posts on this great forum.

I have two other TC figs: Green Ischia and Black Mission. These two are very vigorous (~4 feet growth in last season) but haven't shown any sign of figs yet.
I think you are right --  their performance can be extremely varied. This year I am going to pinch them and see if that helps.

Subject: Tissue Culture LSU Purple, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 391
 
Thanks, all!

To answer jdsfrance's question: The lowest T in the past winter here is about ~-3F. Without good protection, the tree will die back to ground for sure.

The main thing that I learned is that tissue culture figs could be as good as figs grown from cuttings, as least for some varieties. Initially I had doubt about this.

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Pino! It is a good idea to let it grow for one or two more years before doing any pinch. I will do that.

To answer your question: when I planted it in-ground last spring, it was ~1.5 feet.

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Thanks, ChrisK. I wish you good luck with all your figs as well!

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Sas, I heard that heavy doses of fertilizer and some lime stone may help to get BM out of the stunted growth. You can try it. It seemed to work here.
The weather in your place is excellent for this variety. Once it is established, you shall be able to enjoy the fruits.

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
Thanks, Pete!

Yes, I heard that BM requires ~100 days to ripe the fruit. 6b is definitely not an ideal place to grow it.

Hopefully this summer is going to be relatively long and hot here in MD so that I can have chance to try one or two. The brebas will ripen for sure, but they probably won't taste that good.

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
I am tempted to pinch it to encourage the fruiting of the main crop. But I am afraid that it may slow down its growth. Any suggestions?

Subject: Tissue Culture LSU Purple, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 391
 
Thanks, ChrisK! It actually has only about a dozen figlets right now.
Last year, I got two figs. But they are small. Averaging ~20 gram.
They tasted good though. The wife likes it more than Hardy Chicago! Kind of surprising because many people say that LSU purple does not taste good in the first several years.

Last year's picture:
07.jpg 

08.jpg 

Subject: Black Maderia, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 25
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,161
 
I have a 3 year-old Black Maderia, grown from a UCD cutting. It has been a slow grower.
Despite of a heavy winter protection, it died back heavily with only two low lying branches survived this year.

Now it has a couple of brebas, but no sign of main crop figs yet.

This is picture of it a month ago.
05.jpg 


This is how it looks now.
06.jpg   

Subject: Tissue Culture LSU Purple, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 391
 
Rewton,

I did several layers protection:
1st layer:dry leaves
2nd layer: a large trash bin
3rd layer: more dry leaves

Below is a picture -- it was the protection for another larger tree. It looked very ugly but worked. Fortunately my neighbors are super nice and didn't complain. :-))


04.jpg 

Subject: Tissue Culture LSU Purple, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 391
 
Thanks, PhilaGardener.

Initially I thought it may not survive my zone 6b winter, because this variety is not particularly cold hardy. Now it not only survived the extreme cold, but also is one of the earliest to push out figs in my yard. I am very happy. :-))

Subject: Tissue Culture LSU Purple, In Ground in Zone 6b Replies: 13
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 391
 
I have a tissue-culture LSU Purple that I got from an online nursery a year ago. I put it in ground last year. It survived the past winter with some protections. Now it starts to push out figs.

I heard that tissue-culture Figs could be late on producing figs. I guess different varieties may behave differently.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

Back in March:

01.jpg 
Now:02.jpg  03.jpg 

Subject: Please Update Your cutting wish list Replies: 79
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 2,356
 
Thanks for your generosity, Dennis!

Subject: Minimum Winter Temperature for Figs Replies: 17
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,213
 
Same here, all my fig trees in container were stored in my unheated garage. The temperature was at lower 20's for several days. All of them turn out to be just fine, including several 1 year old plants (which were not fully hardened off last fall).
I think as long as the soil is kept to the dry side, the roots would be fine at lower 20's. Too much water in the pot soil may cause problem.

Subject: Fig Juice In My Blood Replies: 12
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 513
 
Lovely family photo and nice story! Thanks for sharing.

Subject: How to eat a fig (seriously) Replies: 50
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,841
 
This is arguably the best post of year so far. :-))

Subject: Let's give BLB (Barry) a big dose of holiday cheer Replies: 46
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 1,173
 
Wish Barry all the best. Get well soon!

Subject: Pinching worked great! Replies: 6
Posted By: nanozhou Views: 689
 
I thought if one tree has FMV, all the trees nearby would get infected sooner or later...
Or maybe I am wrong?