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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Violette de Bordeaux 2012
 
 


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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
(Breba) Picked and eaten on Saturday 2 June. Thanks to Jim C (daygrower) for the tree which is now about 24 months old and 6 feet tall.

Prior to leaving for family trip last week, I noticed that the VdB breba was swelling...uh oh. It was too early to pick it, but it needed protection from birds and ants at the very least. What did I do? The attached photos show it better than I could tell it.

My wife, seven year old daughter, and I shared it. My third - with the thick white skin - was under ripe and somewhat watery due to a couple days of heavy rain while we we gone. It was still sweet and the flavor was not bland as I expected. Thus unlike my first not-very-good tasting of RdB last season, I can say that VdB is promising. I suppose it had better be. It was much bigger than I expected. I presume that is because it is breba coupled with the rain.

I am looking forward to the main crop and I trust that it will be most of what it has been touted as.

[7335863816_2918df8d77_b]

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jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
FrozenJoe

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Looks good JD.
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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 

JD,

 

lovely pictures as always..

 

my VdB that i got from Gene H. is about 4 feet tall. it's going into its 3rd season. the last year was very first year it put out the main crop. the figs were amazing. this year, i have about 60 or more main crop on it along with about 10 breba. i can't wait till they ripe.

 

pete
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***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
BLB

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 

VDB produces maybe the best brebas, certainly the best I've had. Your gonna love the main crop!
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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
I've already had 2 breba which were fabulous, and now waiting for the main crop to ripen.  VdB is a great fig for sure!
Suzi
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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Hi Jd,
nice pictures of a Dark type fig !
The main crop least on my tree is excellent and hope yours are as well.

Ronde hopefully will be as good and maybe be better as were all different.
Hope to see more pictures this season.
theman7676

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
hey jd. nice pics
do you mind explaining pic # 4? is it to prevent ants from getting to the fruit or something else?
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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
#4 looks like tanglefoot
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Grant
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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Tanglefoot (for ants) it is. I wrapped some parafilm to act as a host because last year removing tanglefoot from the trunk was a PITA. If you know a better way, do tell.
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gorgi

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 

The VdB is a fig that everybody should have... period.
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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Fantastic Photos!!!
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hblta

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Yes wonderful pics.
Giving me something ot look forward to, as my VDB has some  main on this year

Grant
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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Thanks JD, no VdB for me this year, but hopefully next as my small trees get on with growing. Looking forward to it.
"gene"
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Gina

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 

Quote:
Originally Posted by JD
Tanglefoot (for ants) it is. I wrapped some parafilm to act as a host because last year removing tanglefoot from the trunk was a PITA. If you know a better way, do tell.

 

There is a product made just for that purpose. It's brownish so you don't see it as much, similar to rolls of crepe paper, but sort of waxy so it lasts. When you wrap it around the trunk, you can sort of form it around the tree so ants can't just go under it. Of course, it's one more thing to buy...

As for VdB, I just looked at my very small tree outside, just purchased this spring, and I think I see a very small fig forming. Too small to take a picture, and many months away. If I were smart, I'd remove it.. But it's going to stay. :) 

 

 

 
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Posted Reply with quote  #15 

Hard to be "smart" with that kind of temptation
JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Candidates for the 2012 main crop...
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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
Here is another but different VdB. Thanks to Cathy, it arrived this spring. It is immature but quite vigorous. The leaf shape appears to be similar to but different from the larger more mature VdB first pictured in this thread (post #1) and in the previous post (#6). The leaves are more serrated and the fingers more distinctive. Martin's trials assure us that there are likely two strains of VdB (UC Davis and EL). I suspect (and hope) that one of these is the more desirable one which happens to be one from Edible Landscaping when Martin grows it in Illinois. I also noticed the red apical meristems on this youngster that were not apparent on the older one.
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Gina

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 

Here are some baby figs on my young VdB. These are the first figs on any fig tree I've grown, ever. I purchased the plant from EL this spring.

 

You can also see red bracts on a shoot. :)

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
 Watch the VdB figs as they grow  may turn like a brownish type color then back green then later turn pretty dark color near the end stage.
Here in picture you can see what i try to say.

Negretta does similar.

Click to enlarge

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jpeg Violet_de_Bordeaux_1.jpg (91.83 KB, 52 views)
DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Here is one of my VdB.  She is the 3 year old, and moma of many children!  She has over 70 figlets at this time.  Her daughter is loaded now with figlets, and I've taken several greenwood fresh cuttings and am rooting them now for friends, family, and for our next home.

Suzi

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jpeg 2012-05-12_VdB.jpg (133.87 KB, 50 views)


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Posted Reply with quote  #21 

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DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Nice JD, but what I wish is that there was no green anywhere.  Am I wrong?  Or should we wait till that stem goes neutral?

Suzi
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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Suzi,
I wish there wasn't any green anywhere also. I picked five VdB. If had waited any longer, then these two would have soured (like two of the five) or been invaded by ants (like one of the five) because of the size of the eye, or the birds would have feasted upon them like they did five others that we're just the stems of what they once were. Sometimes you can't wait. Practicality supersedes perfection and often times dictates process or informs protocol.
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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Nice pics JD. VdB is one of my favorites here in Central Florida. The tree grows and produces well. It is one of the varieties that I grow more than one of. I agree with the rest of the members on the forum, it should be in every collection. In fact I would go so far to say if I could have only a few trees, most of them would be VdBs. I am addicted to them. 
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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Man O Man, JD. I don't know how you could have held out eating this one before the picture. That's perfection.


luke
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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
JD, looking good!  It is definitely a very productive variety.  I took these two pictures of my VdB almost 1 month ago on June 14.  Can't wait for the harvest (after the bird/squirrel/ant battle)...

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jpeg VdB_2.jpg (577.19 KB, 38 views)
jpeg VdB_3.jpg (590.36 KB, 34 views)


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Posted Reply with quote  #27 
My VdB has dwarf like leaves, maybe 5-6 inches long and about thumbnail sized fruit, is the tree really growing like a dwarf?
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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
JD,
Tape a ring of 3 inch wide masking tape around the trunk with a very small slightly folded flap at the end of the tape where the ends meet and slightly over lap end to end. (The tape's folded flap provides a place to hold onto the sticky mess with a pair of pliers when pulling it back off the trunk).  
Then, once the trunk is taped, completely paint your Tangle foot all over the 3 inch wide ring of tape, (and folded flap ) the tape will come off cleanly with the Tangle foot still painted on it when it's time to change it., The masking tape makes a good close barrier so insects can't climb underneath it, and being stretchy paper, will expand,, stretch and will even break without harming the trunk if you forget to remove it, as the trunk grows.
Good luck Buddy!
Wishing I had a beauty like that! Good Job!
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