Is it true the lighter figs are less prone to critters?

I have enjoyed a good amount of figs so far this year, but there were just as many eaten by the critters either on four legs or 2 wings.  I admit to finishing a few with just a little bit missing ;)

I "went in to the tree" today to get a better look at things and saw quite a few on the ground - very sad.  The tree also looks like it may be getting some heat stress, a lot of the interior leaves are yellowing.

I am an organic grower and feel that if I am satisfied with figs I can share with the critters.  But - can I ever be satisfied with figs???  

I do have a white adriatic ( I think) that was gifted to me 3 years ago, I don't recall who gave it to me but he dropped it off at my house when he was on a road trip). Some members may remember some personal difficulties I have had so a lot of my trees went nearly 3 years in the same pots from rooting.  This particular tree was given to me already rooted in a black fabric type pot, I would say about a gallon size or so.I haven't transplanted it yet but I did get a fig this year and it was very good.  I picked a little early in fear a critter would get to it first.

That is why I ask the question.

I saw someone saying that the green figs tend to be less sweet so the critters dont smell them and that their color can act as a camouflage.

Birds learn what to look for on ripe figs, green white or dark.
Maybe they can smell the ripeness, don't know.
Squirrels seem to pick on my purple and red figs first,
then they learn about finding the ripe green ones.
You kinda need to decide who wants the figs the most.
Trapping pests and relocating them may be your only answer
to getting to eat figs yourself.

just my experience with my figs and pests.

On the other hand, light figs as a whole are less tasty
than the dark and the red figs and some green ones. IMO.

I am considering removing all light figs from my orchard
and just concentrate on collecting anything but the yellow ones.
Birds hit the bright yellow ones first.

Doug

Not really.  There are 2 types of critters in my book.  Those that fly and those that walk.  The trick I've learned is to trick them to eating just one thing.  But sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  I have chipmunks and sometimes during the year I can have a lot of them.  So, I trap them with havahart traps and leave the traps out at night.  Come morning, the coons have gotten the critter out of the cage and moved on.  But sometimes if they smell figs in the air is strong, it will hit the fig trees.  A simple noise outside will shy away a coon but not a possum. 

I've stopped covering my figs with those bags.  Because the coons have learned to only go for those with bags now.  Birds will only hit my dark color figs unless they see ants on the fig then they will test it.  The best I can do is either net the tree or move it close to you home if its on wheels.

Plant a mulberry tree close by and the birds will flock to it and spare your figs.

Can you be sure of that?
I have peaches, plums and nectarine that get attacked each year by birds
then they move on to my figs when they ripen.

Doug

I lost a lot of fruit of all color to birds, but the minimum losses are alway among the totally green figs.
I don't cover my trees any more and this year despite my losses, I managed to eat a few figs. The thing that hurts the most is when you have your eye on a certain fig and the next day it's gone while there are only a couple in total on the young tree. I believe that if the tree is large enough there should be plenty of figs to go around.
The Celeste in pot was one of my most productive this year and the losses to birds were about 20%.

My birds are very smart and eat all figs equally. Maybe birds elsewhere aren't as smart.

I think they eat what ripens in the order the figs ripen for me.
New mocking birds arrive each year teach their youngins to do the same.

Never ending battle, and I'm sick of it.


Doug

Pitangadiego, your comment made me laugh so hard!

I have to agree with Jon.  California critters are VERY smart!  They just have this instinct! 

Suzi

Or just more hungry due to drought.

Doug

Having a little beagle in the back yard helps. He is active enough that he keeps the birds upset most of the time. And no problem with squirrels at all. They can't set foot in the yard without him trying to catch them. I lose a few figs, but not too bad.

Nevertheless, I am just about ready to remove the yellow figs. They just don't grow well for me and even when they do they don't taste nearly as good as the dark ones.

You must have a very active beagle and I suspect that if you quit growing figs he will get rather fat...

I have 4 AKC Australian shepherds. 3- 6 month old females black tri and 1- 5 year old blue merle male.
These are $1200 dogs each with their bloodlines.
They have killed one snake early spring in their 40x40 pen. Even if I did not care about myself getting bit,
I sure as heck do not want to lose one of my dogs to a serpent.

Everybody has to do what they feel best to protect their figs and family.
My dogs are my family with my wife.

You can try nets, when or if they fail you can hang cd's or tinsel or whatever else
anybody has mentioned that works for them.

When all efforts fail and the birds, squirrels and incest's eat more figs than you, well
I adapt to whatever it takes to make it work.
This year is going to be more drastic than in the past.

I tame the wild feral cats and their kittens, they do me more good than anything so far.
But they kill, and some people can not handle the word kill when it comes to rodents and snakes and birds.

When you are actually dealing with the problem, your thinking may change to doing
whatever it takes to get rid of them.

Doug

Hi,
Birds are hard this year on my BT (Picked one and threw seven shredded this morning ) and the bigger ufti.
My theory is that those two have a bigger canopy and are near an hedge of other trees.
So the birds hide and sleep or rest in the hedge, and come for breakfast, dinner and whenever.
The damage is bigger on the BT .. Reddish/brownish fruits seem to have their preference (perhaps because here birds love to go after reddish fruits like cherries ).
I had problems with ants again this year, and suddenly I remembered that the rain had washed the lime (the white powder for constructions ) from the trunks.
So I applied lime on the trunks, as ants will damage figs and those attract birds. The ant related problem is for now over.

I hung plastic bags around (wind will shake them), and just started hanging some cloth-pieces on the figs to hide them from critters.
That war is never over ... it just gets paused during the winter, and resumes as figs start ripening.
Rodents are kept under control, and most trees have a pot or trashcan acting as a sleeve to protect their roots. ( I just got reminded that I have a nice pic to post ... Who said light is pruning roots ? You'll change your mind soon)

All damaged figs are taken off and thrown away. I'm not creating a honey-pot for the critters !
If I leave damaged fruits, small flies do proliferate and go after the other figs. Flies and ants will attract birds too, and once they starts on insects for the meat ... they'll go for the dessert ...
All those measures help ! So keep on doing !

But I must admit, (shut!... not so loud) that I have a tree ripening green-yellowish figs, and those have so far not been attacked.
That tree is smaller and near my walkway, so birds may fear more to come there .

I shove some trees on the hedge too !

One strange thing I also noticed is whenever I have a lot of ripe figs on many trees at once, like now and the past few weeks, I have LESS bird strikes on my trees.  Don't get me wrong, the birds do hit my figs, but not so much when the trees are ripening.  I noticed the same thing at UCD years ago.  But they do hit light figs too.

You will not win wars with birds or squirrels..
They just return when they realize your art work does not hurt them.
Elimination is the only way to stop them.
Or you can just keep feeding them and they return for that.
I have not had one fig bit into or stolen from me this year.
I picked 2 pounds of perfectly ripe figs in the last 2 days.
No birds that will eat them, no more squirrels either.

I have to be heartless to fig eating pests, or they will eat my figs
before I get the chance.
At least I live in a area I can hang the rifle out a window, and feed
the cats.

Yes, some say I'm wrong for killing pests, but at least I eat
all my figs. When new pests show up, I deal with them one at a time
instead of 15 squirrels raiding my orchard.

Pests have one thing on their mind, eating what tastes good.

Doug

Although my dogs can be used for show, the parents were both working dogs.
The AKC and ASCA registered dogs I have run in a 40x40 pen.
I don't let my females off leash for a reason,,no mutts.
You should know that all pure aussies have herding bred into them by nature.
They do not need trained to start herding, they do it naturally as a young pup.
They do need trained to not nip at your heels.
My dogs are also genetically tested for purity.

I'll let my 22 air rifle chase birds.
Netting 73 fig trees is a bit more than just1 bush to worry about.

Doug

edit

My 4 dogs are my children. I train them and love them
who doesn't brag about their children?
I'll shut up.....