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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > figs for the partial shade
 
 


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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
I have a nice strip of land where I can plant 3-4 trees but it is partially shaded. It is between 2 houses with the long side along the NS direction and narrow along the East-West. The summer sun is there for about 4 hours but it warms up the wall of the house so the area stay very warm for long after the sunset. 

I checked the forum for the shade friendly varieties and managed to find the following that were recommended (I will keep editing the list as learn about more shade tolerant varieties):

MVSB, Hardy Chicago,  Atreano, Improved Celeste, Adriatic JH, Petite Negri, Brogiotto Nero (Violette Sollies), Malta Black, Osbourne Prolific 

I have 3 questions at the moment.

1) Are all the Mt. Etna types shade tolerant (like St. Rita, Sal’s EL, Takoma Violet, etc.)?

2) Any other varieties you would recommend?

3) What is the tolerance of RdB, LdA, F. Preto, and White Greek?

By tolerance I mean the tree is happy and the figs are tasty and productivity is good.
Please note it is the SoCal with no winters and hot-hot summers (i.e. the season is long). 
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rafaelissimmo

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Don't forget Malta Black and RdB there was a post by Herman 2 yrs ago
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rafaelissimmo

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Btw it is my experience that less than 6 hrs sun daily will result in no fruit or inferior fruit, but that is in zone 7b
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rafaelissimmo
Don't forget Malta Black and RdB there was a post by Herman 2 yrs ago


Can you find the thread you are referring to, please?

btw, I am sorry but I didn’t understand what you said :)
Do you mean Herman said those were the shade tolerant too?
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andreas

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Hi Igor
my peloponnisiaka aspra are in a partially shaded area and they grow great.
i think you liked that fruit...
i guess white greek would be the same.
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andreas-patras
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Andreas,

I checked your thread : 
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/best-greek-fig-peloponnisiaka-aspra-sika-7021370

but the White Greek leaves look very different which makes me to believe those are different figs!

Thanks for the suggestion, maybe one day I would enjoy a Peloponnisiaka Aspra when it makes it across the pond.
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andreas

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
igor i am sorry to say that no one in the states knows what white greek is.

greeks mostly call figs black for dark and white for everything else...

so white greek could be any of 20-30 dif. types.
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Ah, true. 
In winter Jon has the cuttings sale and in that roster there is a fig under the name White Greek.
I was referring to that one. It looks different from yours.
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WillsC

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Igor,

I can confirm that JH Adriatic and VDB both grow well and fruit in semi shade.  In fact I don't think the JH gets any direct  sun at all and had a fig at every node.
greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
WillsC,

Thanks for the confirmation! JH was on my short list already and now it will stay at the top. 
Do you have a JH in the sun to compare the taste and fig size?
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rafaelissimmo

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Yes I did mean that Herman said they were shade tolerant, my only in ground space is north facing and gets too little sun. Malta black bore fruit this year, RdB did not. In ground. On the other hand, containers will bear more fruit in the shade I think, or so I am told by ejp, a respected grower here in NY.
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GreenFin

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenfig
I checked the forum for the shade friendly varieties and managed to find the following that were recommended:

MVSB, Hardy Chicago,  Atreano, Improved Celeste, Adriatic JH, Petite Negri, Brogiotto Nero (Violette Sollies)

Thanks for gleaning and compiling that list of candidates for growing in partial shade :)

I'm having good success with MBVS in partial shade, but I don't know if all Mt. Etnas are the same in that regard.
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Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Any fig cultivar that get ripe before Sept.15 ,on the east coast,in full sun,will get ripe ,just fine in part shade in Southern Ca.
If there is a problem in Southern Ca,is watering the tree while it is young.
WillsC

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenfig
WillsC,

Thanks for the confirmation! JH was on my short list already and now it will stay at the top. 
Do you have a JH in the sun to compare the taste and fig size?


I mostly just grow one of each variety, so no:)  
greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Thank you, all, for your input! 

Herman, I will have the irrigation setup in that area so the watering shouldn’t be a problem unless our drought gets really bad and the city prohibits the watering completely (now we can water 3 times a week only). Also in that area I will 2 persimmons and will need to water 5 trees (will 3 figs).

I will check the forum for a list of NE early ripening figs. Anybody can point me to the right thread (I am sure this has been discussed many times already)?
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greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
I read through a few threads but couldn’t find the answer.

In the partial shade, is the fertilization different from the full sun growing figs?
How about the soil composition (i.e. less porous etc)?

With watering I assume it depends on the needs and is more apparent.
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Herman2

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
Shade or sun the fig have the same needs,in fact very little fertilization.
Just make sure the soil is close to neutral,as much as possible,that is PH 7.
Not fussy about soil at all.
greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Nice! Thanks, Herman!
Do you have a list of NE early ripening figs by any chance?
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drphil69

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
If you search cold hardy figs you might find the earlier ripening figs, and I think I remember a thread on ripening order as well.
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Phil - Zone 7A - Newark, DE Newbie fig lover just trying to learn.
needaclone

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Greenfig,
  Osbourne Prolific is supposedly tolerant of some shade...
Jim
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Clarksburg, NJ - Zone 6b Wishlist - A wise man recommended: Nero600M .  Malta Black . Tacoma (Takoma) Violet . Gino's . Adriatic JH  . Vista Mission . Florea . Atreano .  ...also...RdB, Bethlehem Black, Negronne, Grise de St. Jean, Livano, Col de Dame Blanc/Gris/Noir, Vasilika Sika, Longue D'Aout, Italian 258, Pennsylvania 6-5000
greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Thanks, Jim!
Do you grow it in the shade successfully or heard that?
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needaclone

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Greenfig,
  Recommendation is based mostly on research and advice from others more knowledgeable than myself.  I have a small tree that I bought last winter.  I got lots of growth (in a shady spot) but I think there's only 1 fig on the tree (not ripe yet).  But at least one person I know who has 100's of trees was specifically seeking out Osbourne Prolific for it's production in shade.
Jim
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Clarksburg, NJ - Zone 6b Wishlist - A wise man recommended: Nero600M .  Malta Black . Tacoma (Takoma) Violet . Gino's . Adriatic JH  . Vista Mission . Florea . Atreano .  ...also...RdB, Bethlehem Black, Negronne, Grise de St. Jean, Livano, Col de Dame Blanc/Gris/Noir, Vasilika Sika, Longue D'Aout, Italian 258, Pennsylvania 6-5000
greenfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
That’s wonderful! Thank you for your input.
I think I will add it to the list at the top.
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GreenFin

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
At the risk of sounding treasonous...you could grow and fruit an edible banana in your partial shade location. I fruit mine successfully underneath 2 layers of plastic, which is like partial shade. Here are some varieties of varying heights (with approx height of pstem at fruiting; leaves reach higher) that might do pretty well there:

~7' Dwarf Namwah (sweet, no tart)
~9' Dwarf Brazilian (aka "Hawaiian Apple" because it's common in Hawaii and has some apple flavor)
~12' Pisang Ceylon (supposed to taste a bit like SweetTart candy)

It's iffy on whether you'd have good success growing the truly tropical varieties (the Cavendishes, the Reds, Gros Michel, etc), since they're so cold sensitive. They're more along the lines of zone 11+ type plants.

Jon sells bananas, so this could give you a good excuse to visit Encanto Farms and ogle his figs.
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