Hello
My last posting for help to id this fig resulted in finding the original owner that brought the fig from Italy.

This fig originated from Valoze's Greenhouses; http://valozesgreenhouse.com/about/

The fig was brought over from Italy by the grandfather Sal Valoze 50 years ago and this family fig is still growing in their main greenhouse.  According to them the fig tree can be found happily living in many homes around the capital district (Albany NY).  They call this fig "Valoze fig tree".

Thought I would do a topic on this fig and see if any other f4f members are growing this fig and how they like it and if anyone recognizes the fig family variety and what part of Italy it originated.

My container grown 2yr old fig was very sweet, chewy and a rich taste.  Could eat a basket of them.  The fig said to be cold hardy.  It sure seems very happy at my place and it is a keeper for me.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Thanks for looking

 

Great idea to get a topic started on this fig, Pino. I like the story behind it and a beautiful fig with what appears to be excellent taste. It really looks like a great fig. Is it possible to get a photo of the mother tree?

Great idea Meg!
Albany NY is 250 miles away from me so hopefully someone else from the capital district can visit the mother tree that is still growing there at Valoze's Greenhouses.

Yes, maybe a F4F member who is close to Valoze can do it. It sure will be great to see it!

I live in the Albany area and have a few of the Valoze fig trees. I have a Valoze tree that has been in the ground for maybe 10 years and does better than any other tree in my collection. The tree is fast growing, very productive, and cold hardy. It also roots from cuttings extremely easily. It seems like it's hands down the best fig variety for my area, probably because it has been in the northeast for over 50 years. I can post a photo of the mother tree as soon as I can get a chance to visit the Valoze greenhouse. I would offer some cuttings to members but I do a bad job of keeping my cuttings organized and they are all mixed up with my other trees.

Pvc12
How do you cover it for winter. And when does the fruit ripen in the Albany area.
Cian

Congrats Pino. Another good one for Canada.

To protect my trees in the winter I encircle them with carpet and fill with leaves.
Here is a photo of the protected tree:  

The Valoze figs usually ripen in Early September through October until the first frost (usually mid October).
I have relatives who have the Valoze's in pots and they ripen a month earlier in August.

Paul, nice of you to offer to get a photo of the mother tree. I think we will all enjoy that. Does the Valoze nursery sell these trees?

[QUOTE=paully22]Congrats Pino. Another good one for Canada.[/QUOTE]Thanks Paul!

Paul growing it in ground for 10 years in Zone 5 sounds very promising!!  Given the taste and quality of this fig I am putting it on my favourites to grow in ground in cold areas.  It also does well in containers and ripens early.  The first figs ripened for me in late August.

I would think it would do well in the PNW also I will start an air layer for you if you like?

Thanks to all for your comments!

Wish I had discovered Valoze figs when I lived outside of Albany. I would have started growing figs much earlier.  

Anyhow, Valoze has a large nursery operation with outlets in both Cohoes, NY and Latham, NY.  My guess is if someone were to write to them and ask, some cuttings might be obtainable or possibly even a dormant tree. The south end of Albany had a large Italian population, I bet there are several trees in back yards that could be sources for this cultivar too. Sounds like it really deserves to have a higher profile than it does.

Hi Pino.
Thank you for posting that great looking fig, I live about half hour from that nursery,
I'll be visiting the nursery to see if they sell plants.
Vito

The mother tree is a huge stump like tree where they continually remove cuttings to grow the trees that they sell. If your lucky enough to get a tree it will usually be about 3ft tall with figs on it already and cost somewhere in the area of $20. They have  limited amount of trees, and they sell very fast in the spring.

Thanks Pino for the information and bringing this great fig to light. Looks very interesting and attractive. The fruit resembles Negronne/VdB, but with a longer neck, yet the leaves are close to Mt.Etna type. If it is doing great in your area, I am sure it is a good fig for areas with summer.

Just to save every ones time (including Valoze's). I called them. They were very nice. They said they don't sell cuttings. They don't ship. They said once they put the rooted cuttings for sale they sell them quickly (couple weeks). The woman I spoke to felt bad for me and said I could buy some from such and such nursery, and that they ship. I said but are they Valoze figs? And she said no. LOL

Mohan, thanks but really thanks should go to Sal Valoze who brought this fig over from Italy and to Paul for growing it for 10 years and giving us his insights  

Blackfoot, thanks for following up with the nursery! 
Too bad I didn't know you were going to call it would be nice to know what part of Italy the Valoze  brought this fig from.

Thanks Pino. Would love to trial it. Can I make you an air layer Preto, CddN, Cdd Gris, Florea to reciprocate.
What is MC on your wish list ?

Paul, 
Thanks on the Florea but I have one coming.  I need to update my list.
MC is Melanzana Calabrese.  I am still trying to nail this one down since what I thought I had is likely LdA.

The other figs you are offering would be like a wish come true!! 
I can only promise to make my figs available for you or be your back up on anything I have.
grazie mille!

Thx for all the follow up & sharing here. Im on the West coast so I am not able to visit when they offer the tree... i am still hopeful for a picture of the mother tree!

To any Valoze owner...I would be happy to trade or pay a reasonable amount for some cuttings. Pino, you have a Bella tree.

I went to Valoze'S nursery a couple of days ago, and to save everyone time, there will knot be any rooted cuttings, I spoke with who I think is the owner and said it's very hard to root,he would get two cuttings out of ten to root so he didn't root any this year. The mother tree is a trunk about eight inches round four feet tall with a big nob on top without any branches, he was kind and busy and cut me four tiny little cuttings about two inches long with a couple of leaves on them.
He said he will have figs trees for sale, not the Valoze's.
Vito

Si, bella vera!
Thanks Lewi!

Hope someone comes through for you. 
My plant has grown very well but is still only 2yrs old.  Am doing a couple of air layers for friends but no cuttings this year.

Thanks for letting us know Vito and good luck with the cuttings!

I wouldn't be too discouraged with those comments.  Everyone has a different skill level rooting cuttings.
I am anything but an expert at rooting cuttings but I had good luck with them.

Hi Vito, I am very suprised to hear that! I have been going there for many years and the only trees for sale were the fig trees from that mother tree. I wonder if something changed in the management and they no longer have the desire to produce the rooted cuttings?

Hi Paul.
It was my first time there, although I've passed it hundreds of times.
I was also surprised because there was no branches on the plant, I can't imagine they would cut all the branches and throw them away.
Vito

Vito
I usually go there in May and the tree (stump) will have many new small branches. I'm thinking they remove all the branches in the fall for propagating?
I remember last year I did not see any fig trees for sale and they said they had trouble growing the cuttings. I thought it was just a bad year because every other year before that they would have many trees for sale.

Vito, teach them to a/l.

Hmmm.  That leaf looks a lot like my Unk Jim Dandy find.  I haven't got to see a really ripe fig to compare color but the ones I did get were that shape/size.  "Jim" brought it to Arkansas from Brooklyn some 40 years ago.  Hopefully I can learn some more this year.

Vito, those sound like candidates for grafting!  If there are unopened buds on those tiny cuttings, cut off those leaves.

Good luck!

One tiny cutting I grated 27 days ago was transplanted into a 5 gallon pot today and I'm hoping for fruit by early August.  I'm biased towards grafting. :)

Harvey.
I grafted three cuttings last year and all three failed, I didn't want to change it with these cuttings.
Vito

Vito,
I have the best luck by plating cuttings directly in the ground at an angle, leaving about 1/2" above ground. I plant them in May or June and get nearly 100% success.

Paul, the one that I planted in promix looks good, the other three in the cloner are coming out of shock. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Vito

Vito, If you have any trouble rooting the cuttings, we can meet in the summer and I will give you a live Valoze tree.

Thank you very much Paul. I'd like to meet you even if they root.
We could meet at my house with my friend Al(Hadlock pond) and have a couple of cold ones and solve all the fig problems ☺
Vito

That fig does look special, Pino. I'm glad that you shared the story, thanks.

Anyone take a picture of the mother tree...before its gone?! Ps: I'll be happy tobuy a couple of cuttings if and when they are available.

[QUOTE=vito12831]Harvey. I grafted three cuttings last year and all three failed, I didn't want to change it with these cuttings. Vito[/QUOTE]

Vito, this made me laugh a couple of times.  I have high rate of success with grafting and rooting most cuttings in ProMix HP.  But I will offer two cloners for free to anybody who wants to pick them up! :)

Oh Harvey you're kill me

Thanks Gary!  Cool climate growers have to be a little more discerning when choosing what figs to invest time in for growing in ground.  This fig has my endorsement.

Meg, hang in there Paul has said he will visit there in May and hopefully will take a photo. 
It may be too late for cuttings this year unless someone has a Valoze in a pot stored away that sees your post.  Next year you should have lots of chances to get some cuttings. 

Good luck with those cuttings Vito!

Thanks Vito. I must have missed Paul's post.

[QUOTE=Smyfigs]Anyone take a picture of the mother tree...before its gone?!

Ps: I'll be happy tobuy a couple of cuttings if and when they are available.[/QUOTE]

Meg, Here is a picture of the Valoze mother tree.

Holy crow! Albany is only about 20 min away from me. I never run into fig trees around here, so it feels like a bit of a shock to learn that any nursery that close had been selling figs for years. So sad that they stopped doing cuttings. The Valoze tree looks and sounds like a winner.

Hey Paul,
Thanks for the photo of the mother Valoze tree!
I can see a great relationship with me and this fig tree given the great taste and cold tolerance of it.

Paul, thanks for posting the updated Veloze fig tree pic!! Beautiful tree!!

Valoze is also ripening nicely here are a couple picked a day early since heavy rain predicted over night.

Great story and thread. Seems like a keeper fig, especially for cold hardy areas... Congrats!

Very nice looking fruits Pino! I hope they will become available here a day.

Hi Joe,
My Valoze fig is doing great,it even has a couple of figs on it. They won't ripen this year, but there's always next year.
Thank you for bringing attention to this fig tree.
Vito

Thanks Devin, Tony and Vito.
This tree is in a 5 gal pot.  Hopefully Paul will post a photo of his in ground Valoze and see how they look.

Nice! So glad to see the fruit!! I hope some day they will sell cuttings again. Thx for posting Pino.

Thanks Meg!
My tree is small for now but there are several people in NY that have this fig.  Hopefully someone can get you a cutting or 2.

Here's a picture of my Valoze fig tree on the right, to the left is the Mega Celeste. Both trees died to the ground this past winter because I made a regrettable mistake and wrapped them with paper instead of burlap. The Valoze has some figs on it and the Mega Celeste does not.

Looks like they are making a healthy rebound!

Got so more Valoze figs so thought I would post some photos to show how this fig differs from the Mt Etna types (MBVS, HC).

The size is similar and even the leaves have a resemblance to mt. etna figs.

The big difference is in color and taste.  

Note how the Valoze has the shades of blue and red as the Sicilian red. While the Mt. Etna figs have a dark brown shade.


 
On the inside the Valoze flesh has a violet tone compared to the mt etna red tone. 

The figs have different berry tastes that I can't describe.  The Valoze ripened a week later than mt etnas this year.

Comments welcome.

 

I echo Meg's comments! Nice fig, Pino... Always nice to hear about and see a fig that has such a family history.

What a great story for a great fig.

Sounds like this is richer and more complex than Mt etnas. Is that correct? Looks very nice.

A great-tasting fig with a great story!! I am open for trade of Goodwill cuttings if anyone has Veloze cuttings.

Very nice, well worth getting!

[QUOTE=figherder]Sounds like this is richer and more complex than Mt etnas. Is that correct? Looks very nice.[/QUOTE]A nice fig different than Mt Etnas more along the lines of a VdB in flavour.  Mt Etnas can be quite nice rich tasting when picked fully ripe also.