Register  |   | 
 
Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > optimizing the yield Of figs
 
 


Reply
  Author   Comment  
greenfig

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 3,182
Posted Reply with quote  #1 
I found an interesting article about optimizing the yield with respect to pruning:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/asfh-oya031711.php

If you click on the link at the bottom, and then click onto the Full article on the top right side, you will access the paper itself.

The research, conducted as part of Gerber's MScAgric degree requirements, was developed to establish the optimum 1-year-old shoot length to maximize fig fruit yield and quality.

For a few years I was following the Herman's suggestion to pinch after 5-6 leaves for all the varieties. While it is a great general way for the colder climates, it seems the paper's results state that we should approach different varieties differently.

Anybody had looked into this?
I am curious about your feedback.
__________________
wish list: Violeta, Calderona. USDA z 10a, SoCal
AL_Blake

Registered:
Posts: 119
Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Cool article...
__________________
Blake ZONE 8A AL

Wish list--Want to buy-- Native Black (Becnel farm), Figo Preto, LSU (Red, St. Gabriel Black, Scott's Yellow, Late Black, #156, #5), CDD B/G/N, Excel, Texas BA-1, RDB, Nero 600m, Sal's Corleone (Belleclare Nursery variety); Cajun Gold
figpig_66

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 2,678
Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Do you know if trees in the south need pruning for production?
__________________
RICHIE BONI
HICKORY LOUISIANA ZONE 8B WARM HUMID
WINRERS ARE VERY MILD LOW 20'S BUT WARMS RIGHT UP DURING THE DAY. SUMMER IS EXTREMELY HOT & HUMID 100 degrees 100% humidity fig tree grow like crazy but some split from rain & humidity
Wish list. Col de dame blanc
Col de rimada
Lsu numbered figs
DesertDance

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 4,518
Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Richard, all figs need pruning for production.  North, South, East, West.  A fig is a fig. 

This year nothing got pruned here, because some trees never went dormant, and I didn't get to the ones that did in the two weeks they were dormant.  Short winter here.  But, I find pinching after 5 leaves is a great way to increase production, and that can be done all year.

Suzi
__________________
Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!"  Wish List:  I wish all of you happy fig collecting!  My wishes have been fulfilled!
greenfig

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 3,182
Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Suzi,

Same here, crazy winter! Many of mine didn’t go dormant too. I just pinched the terminal bugs instead of pruning, to promote bushiness. They will grow like telephone poles otherwise.

-----

I checked the references from that paper and one caught my eye: 
http://www.gipe.uchile.cl/Articulos/Botti_et_al_2003.pdf

The authors tested the VdB/Larga de Burdeos, Kadota, and Brunswick/Kennedy fig productivity in Chile in different locations (i.e. hot and sunny CA vs. less favorable conditions for us in the US). The results of this study clearly demonstrate the strong effect of the climate on fresh fig production.

“.. Despite the fact that the distance between each locality is less than 66 Km (straight line), El Palqui, further away from the coastal influence, in an interior valley, shows better conditions for fig production in agreement with several authors who indicate that figs grow best under intense solar radiance, high summer temperatures, moderate winters and low relative humidity.Almost all the vegetative and productive parameters evaluated showed significant differences between the trial at El Palqui (with higher temperatures and higher solar radiation), and the other two sites. In cvs. Kadota and Kennedy, the difference in fruit weight per plant was more than 10 times higher, while cv.Larga de Burdeos, though also more productive at El Palqui, showed somewhat less climatic effect. For fruit weight, cv. Kadota had an increase of 71,3% and 85,4% when compared to the fruit of the same cv. collected at Cerrillos de Tamaya and Las Cardas, respectively. “

So, basically, we need to choose the wish list figs quite carefully, depending on the conditions first of all (not the overhyped figs and pretty photos)
This has been said many-many times and confirmed by the seasoned fig growers, I am not rediscovering the wheel here. It was just interesting to see the test results.
__________________
wish list: Violeta, Calderona. USDA z 10a, SoCal
sbmohan

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 223
Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Nice article. Thanks for sharing.
__________________
Mohan B
Harrisburg, NC - Zone 7a
Hermitian

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 135
Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Pruning is an important part of the equation. Given effective training of the tree a second factor to consider is that volume of roots is proportional to the volume of harvest. The proportionality is based on inputs of water and nutrients -- some of which might already be present in the soil. As a rule of thumb, a tree with effective root volume of 1 cubic yard will maximize its output with annual input in NET POUNDS:
N1.00
P0.50
K1.50
S0.01
Mg0.009
Ca0.01875
Fe0.0125
Cu0.003125
Mn0.003125
Zn0.003125
B0.001250
Co0.00003125
Mo0.00003125

So for example, if your fertilizer has an NPK of 10-5-15, then 10 Lbs of it will provide 1 net Lb N, 1/2 net Lb P, and 1.5 net Lb K.

Use the above table to scale to your estimated root ball size.

If you are trying to increase the size of your tree, then additional Nitrogen input will be needed. For example, consider 1:1 ratios of N to K.
__________________
- Richard
Vista CA, zone 10b
Previous Topic | Next Topic
Print
Reply