Are chill hours really necessary?

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Ogorodnitsa

Registered:1397693340
Posts: 38

Posted 1416512651	Reply with quote #1

On some forum pages, others have written that figs will still produce fruit without getting chilling hours. Do any of you know this to be true or not? As I know figs do grow in some climates which may never experience these lows in temperatures and still produce fruit. Thanks for any information you can share with me about this :) __________________ Pennsylvania, Zone 6B

johnnyq627

Registered:1366344367
Posts: 710

Posted 1416513444	Reply with quote #2

Quote: Originally Posted by Ogorodnitsa On some forum pages, others have written that figs will still produce fruit without getting chilling hours. Do any of you know this to be true or not? As I know figs do grow in some climates which may never experience these lows in temperatures and still produce fruit. Thanks for any information you can share with me about this :) Absolutely untrue. Every variety I overwintered under grow lights fruited this summer. __________________ Nick- Youtube: PA Figs \| eBay: tdepoala Zone 6B/7A - Douglassville, PA Wish list - Galicia Negra, Paritjal Rimada, Black Ischia UCD

Tonycm

Registered:1314411773
Posts: 922

Posted 1416516364	Reply with quote #3

There are some members here who live in tropical climates and their trees do produce figs. Don't hold me as this being 100% true but I've read that in those climates they will pull off all the leaves to simulate dormancy. However, when a tree does go through a natural resting period it does help it to produce a greater quantity of fruit. Even though it is not necessary it is helpful. __________________ Zone 6a Sarver, PA Wish list; Rafed's Genovese Nero

rafaelissimmo

Registered:1335639347
Posts: 1,473

Posted 1416525330	Reply with quote #4

Short answer: it depends. __________________ Zone 7b, Queens, New York

pino

Registered:1383190021
Posts: 2,117

Posted 1416533007	Reply with quote #5

This is an interesting topic that arises from time to time. I think the jury is still out on dormancy for figs. Fig trees can produce figs without dormancy and fig varieties growing in the tropics have dropped their need for dormancy. Haven't seen any long term studies to see if this is detrimental to the fig tree in the long term. Deciduous trees in general benefit from dormancy. Some seeds won't sprout if they haven't been provided their dormancy period. Some plants won't flower if they haven't had their dormancy, Some trees if kept in a continuous summer have shown stress and some have died..(Wiki) My experience trying to grow fig trees year round is that they look weaker and end up losing their leaves later on anyway. Then they seem to take some rest period before they get growing again. __________________ Pino, zone 6, Niagara, JCJ Acres Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.

ChrisK

Registered:1415844271
Posts: 937

Posted 1416543675	Reply with quote #6

Pino is absolutely right! Winters of 11/12 and 12/13 were very mild and unseasonably warm here in GA! All my fig trees went dormant but started to bud in mid February ! Extreme growth and very few fruit. Last winter was the opposite . Very cold and dry until late April. No budding until almost May but lots and lots of late figs!my opinion is the same , dormancy and a certain amount of chill hours not needed but definetly help! __________________ ChrisK Atl GA Zone 7b-8a

levar

Registered:1392366658
Posts: 195

Posted 1422320013 · Edited	Reply with quote #7

A little bit of a bump, but threads like this are what I love about reading these forums. Anyway, all the way down here in 10b Miami, nearly every single one of my trees defoliated and went dormant this winter 2014-15. I don't think temperatures have dropped below 50F, with the daytime temperatures reaching into the 60s - 80s. I think last night was the coldest it's been (so far) since Jan 2014 and it was only ~52F at 3 am. The only trees of mine that didn't defoliate were one new Excel and one new 143-36 but their existing buds didn't develop into anything and they didn't put out any new growth until about two weeks ago, when nearly all of the rest of my trees began to break dormancy. (LSU SB, Brown Turkey, Kadota, and Hollier being reaaaally happy to be awake. In fact, only my RDB woke up a week or so later than the rest of them.) Also, idk if this really matters when it comes to dormancy, but if you're curious, all of my fig trees are in pots. However, in my neighborhood, there are a few in-ground fig trees, all of which went dormant and broke dormancy in sync with my potted trees. I should note that 10b accumulated zero chill hours during the Winter of 2013- 2014 and I got fruit from all of my trees, even ones I'd started from cuttings seven months before harvest (RDB & JHA.) Both varieties grew about 4 feet. Not only that, but my older Texas Blue Giant and Kadota matured and produced better quality figs with a larger crop. In Winter '13-'14, the coldest temperatures ranged from the ~38F at night to the ~mid 60s during the day, and that really only lasted a day or two before it started going back to 60s at night and 70s during the day. As for whether sufficient chill hours are necessary for optimal fruit quality, I don't have that answer. Does anyone else from this far south have any input? __________________ Wishlist Figs: Fiaschetta lunga di Campagnola, Unk Pastiliere, Cajun Gold, Marangiana, Rigato del Salento, Black Ischia, St. Rita, Dottato d'Élia, Watt's Zingarella, Zidi, Macool, 187-25, Peter's Honey, Peloponnisiaka aspra sika, and Martinenca Rimada. Atemoya: Geffner

cyberfarmer

Registered:1293483474
Posts: 544

Posted 1422337989	Reply with quote #8

The question is about chill hours, not dormancy. A fig tree doesn't need any chill hours to go dormant. The house where I grew up is walking distance to the beach in California. There are NO CHILL HOURS. Some years the (unknown verte) fig tree goes dormant. Sometimes barely at all. The tree is over 40 years old and is big, healthy, and bears heavily. That tree does not need any chill hours. __________________ Paul the Fig Tree Destroyer in Fallbrook, CA (Zone 10A )

dkirtexas

Registered:1341345900
Posts: 1,327

Posted 1422359873	Reply with quote #9

One year I left potted trees in an unheated garage, temps down to 17F. Kept lights on trees 24/7, never lost leaves. My theory, daylight hours + lower temp determines dormancy. Chill hours are not required for figs. __________________ Thx, glad to be here Danny K "EL CAZADOR DE HIGO" Waskom Tx Zone 7B/8 Wish list: anything anyone wants me to have. LSU RED. Any LSU fig.

cyberfarmer

Registered:1293483474
Posts: 544

Posted 1422367482	Reply with quote #10

I am not a botanist, arborist, or any kind of real farmer. So this is just my humble interpretation of what I've been to glean from the internet. Most explanations of chill hours refer to the minimum number of hours required for a fruit tree to set bloom. I don't think figs care. As long as it is warm enough and there is enough light, they make figs. Perhaps someone from the tropics could chime in... I would imagine you get a continuous crop. I think they have problems with humidity, but not lack of cold. Anyway, I have only found information that refers to chill affecting bloom set. I have seen nothing mentioning quality of fruit or health of tree. Please enlighten me if you know otherwise. Also, I have heard a lot of people saying that trees need dormancy as if it is some kind of rest period, without which they will lack energy the following year, as if having not slept. Again, I declare shenanigans. I think the only need for dormancy is to protect the tree from freezing weather. No freeze, no need. In warm winters, some tree are putting on next year's leaves while still shedding previous year. I don't think those tree underperformed compared to neighbouring trees that did go dormant. Again, this is just my opinion based on my limited experience, but it seems obvious to me. I have eaten hundreds of figs from a tree that gets no chill hours. If you're telling me it has been sub-standard and will improve with chill, then I have some fantastic cuttings to share. __________________ Paul the Fig Tree Destroyer in Fallbrook, CA (Zone 10A )

pitangadiego

Moderator
Registered:1188871011
Posts: 5,447

Posted 1422411586	Reply with quote #11

They grow year round in tropical places and do fine, acc to reports, but a new report says that Black Mission doesn't fruit in Thailand. If it really is Black Mission, that might mean that there are some varieties that do, in fact, need some chill/dormancy. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com http://figs4fun.com http://webebananas.com "pitangadiego" everywhere

cyberfarmer

Registered:1293483474
Posts: 544

Posted 1422412991	Reply with quote #12

Quote: Originally Posted by pitangadiego They grow year round in tropical places and do fine, acc to reports, but a new report says that Black Mission doesn't fruit in Thailand. If it really is Black Mission, that might mean that there are some varieties that do, in fact, need some chill/dormancy. I remember seeing a thread in here where someone had trouble getting their Black Mission to fruit. I have the same problem. I have 4 or 5 Black Mission that are each 3 years old. One of them set its first fig a month ago. I'm just curious to know if the reports about Black Mission not fruiting had anything to do with chill hours, or if they just didn't wait long enough. __________________ Paul the Fig Tree Destroyer in Fallbrook, CA (Zone 10A )

HarveyC

Registered:1212433117
Posts: 3,294

Posted 1422428911	Reply with quote #13

Are any San Pedro figs grown in tropical climates? What is it about dormancy that results in breba being formed? Or is it even dormancy that is the cause of brebas forming? __________________ Harvey - Correia Farms Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14 http://www.figaholics.com https://www.facebook.com/Figaholics

Speedmaster

Registered:1404377112
Posts: 385

Posted 1422433815 · Edited	Reply with quote #14

Harvey, I pulled a breba off from my fig. It formed while the fig was not dormant. it formed when I cut a cutting from that part and it produced a breba from the wound. I removed it because I moved the whole tree to another location from the ground. oh, and I am still eating ripe figs now ;) __________________ Weather: Winter: 10C+ Summer: 42C+ Growing: Syrian Unk., Atreano, Egyptian Unk., Lebanese Unk., Col de dame Gris, Beall, Negronne, Ronde de bordeaux, Brogiotto Bianco Wish List: Panache.

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