Desert King main crop clarification (?)

brianm
1499737476

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Originally Posted by lampo
Thank you Elin, Vladis,

The book says it is a San Pedro so we have to accept that.. may be still through some mutation to establish itself as a 100% SPedro... Not much is known about its real origins.. it's known where first it was located and the approx date ( mid XX century)

My personal understanding is that under certain climatic conditions the second crop wakes up a sort of 'parthenocarpic dormant gene' making a few fruit to show characteristics of a ripe fig.

Partial pollination also happens but that implies that the plant is in a wasp area.. this is rather common with many Smyrna varieties...

Also seen in April/May a few 'brebas' from Smyrna cultivars showing signs of being ripe.. voluminous/colored etc..but non edible, with dry insides.

However, read old papers from early/mid XX century saying that in some seasons, growers in Cal. did pick and sell Calimyrna brebas (?) . ... (Ira.Condit - circular 77 of the Cal.Ag Extension Service / October1933)... and wonder if this is still experienced today ...

Francisco

I have never seen Calimyrna breba and I live next to one of the last areas in Fresno that still pick them. The trees don't get trimmed either

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lampo
1499763023 · Edited

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Originally Posted by brianm
I have never seen Calimyrna breba and I live next to one of the last areas in Fresno that still pick them. The trees don't get trimmed either

Neither did I .. Practically all Smyrna types here, develop a layer of sizable and nice brebas which certainly for lack of pollination, never mature..
As said before I.Condit may have seen it and wrote in that circular..

Francisco

PS - btw, How do your DK perform ? your climate is very similar to mine (wasps included) and I wonder what is your experiance with this San Pedro..

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nelson20vt
1499876232

I have eaten some main crop figs from Adrianos big inground tree a few years ago generally it drops 99% of main crop but some years you get quite a few to ripen and they are tasty very nice flavor and sweet. Adriano also has a plant that was purchased as a desert king brebas and leaf pattern are the same as his big inground tree but the main crop ripen always this one is grown in a pot.

Nelson

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lampo
1499901940

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Originally Posted by nelson20vt
I have eaten some main crop figs from Adrianos big inground tree a few years ago generally it drops 99% of main crop but some years you get quite a few to ripen and they are tasty very nice flavor and sweet. Adriano also has a plant that was purchased as a desert king brebas and leaf pattern are the same as his big inground tree but the main crop ripen always this one is grown in a pot.

Nelson

Hi Nelson.
Thanks for comments on this DK fig, on Eastern Canada.
My environment is much far apart and I am trying to find out how best cultivate this San Pedro to ripen an acceptable number of brebas and a few maincrop fruit. Almost everybody seems to agree that main crop is problematic and only a few ripen with or without wasps around.

Francisco

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Ramv
1499927235

Judging from this thread, I guess I am one of those very few who has never tasted a DK main crop fig.
I have a fairly large tree in the pacific northwest (15 years old). It produces a lot of excellent breba figs but I have never harvested a single "edible" main crop fig from it.

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lampo
1499936256

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Originally Posted by Ramv
Judging from this thread, I guess I am one of those very few who has never tasted a DK main crop fig.
I have a fairly large tree in the pacific northwest (15 years old). It produces a lot of excellent breba figs but I have never harvested a single "edible" main crop fig from it.

Hi Ramv.. Thank you
This is very interesting.. you seem to be the only grower with a true San Pedro DK... right on its preferred habitat (Seattle)!
If we were authorized I would volunteer for a trade to fill some in your 'WL'
Francisco
Portugal

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Ramv
1499971859

Francisco, I am happy to send you some cuttings for free this fall when I prune if there are no problems at your end.

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lampo
1499987451

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Originally Posted by Ramv
Francisco, I am happy to send you some cuttings for free this fall when I prune if there are no problems at your end.

Thank you Ram.. that's very kind of you!
It will be difficult.. Broad plant material exchanges are not authorized by the Ag Authorities ..only between countries inside the EU.

Francisco

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lampo
1501062508

Back to Desert King..... the main crop now!
A nice load of figs, practically one fig on every single season's node... grounded on a wasp area have not forced caprification and let it play with available insects promenading around in the vicinity, and soon could see the fruit getting volume and slightly changing color... practically no figs aborted indicating there were sufficient wasps around... this by late June..
Becoming ripe now.
This DK main crop does grow large figs... a good deal above 90 gram... not excessively sweet but with a good flavor.
Altogether the two whip from same number of 'chip buds' done 2 yr ago will ripen well over 100 figs.
As the tree ages, colors and flavors will settle and hopefully get better
Also done the seed float test and every seed sunk to the bottom of the glass.
So far I may say that this fig did exactly what any San Pedro would do. Hope to see its breba crop next spring.
A few pictures

Francisco
Portugal

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