One of my first "fig sightings" after I got hooked was this fantastic tree in a corner lot on my way to and from work. The light at that intersection is always red when I hit it, so almost every day I get to admire this giant tree, and I was really looking forward to seeing it leaf out and grow this year.
So I'm on my way home from the hospital yesterday, sitting at the light at that intersection, thinking about how little time I have to let the dogs out and get changed to meet my husband, and I notice this strange thumping noise. I look over at the house and see some guys working in the yard, and it takes me a second to realize the fig tree is gone and they are hacking at the roots! At this point, the light turned green so I drove around the block and parked in their driveway. The lady of the house was home, so I introduced myself and explained how much enjoyment I got out of seeing her tree every day. She sighed sadly, and told me the tree had died. She was very upset because she really like the figs it produced. I voiced my disbelief, and asked if she would mind my taking some of the tree to try and grow it, which she agreed to. We walked over to where the workers were hacking away, and sure enough there was a ton of new growth coming from the bottom! I pointed it out to her, and said that even with the damage the workers had caused, she could probably just cover the stump with soil and the tree would likely grow back. One of the workers tried to cover himself by saying, well, half of the tree was dead. Oh, the look she gave him... Anyways, I grabbed what little I could, threw it in my trunk and then let some of the roots soak in a sink full of water with thiamine. I wish I had taken the time to ask her more about the tree, I don't even know what color fig it produces. I'm not entirely sure to do with the chunks I have now, I guess throw them in soil and see what happens?
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