Don't know about others but this tree has been a bit fussy for me.  Very cold intolerant and no third year figs.  I've pinched and the tree/bush looks great this year but still no figs.  Anybody have any ideas, especially those of you in the south where our weather conditions should be similar.  Thanks in advance for your help.  Tree is inground.

Steve, mine was a second year tree last year with figs. It has figs now also. Full sun is all I can tell you. Mine came from JR

Mike,

Mine is in full sun and has never produced a single fig, ever.  Very disappointing since it is supposed to be a good tasting fig for the south.  I'll try to remember to get a photo tomorrow.

I cant wait to taste this fig as well Steve. I have a second year Smith that has not produced any figs as well. Ive removed imature figs from everyone of my plants except Smith. I guess good things come to those who wait?

Steve, this is what I posted last year about it



Very good fig on a first year tree. Sweet, strawberry jam with no crunch. The skin was just a little
chewy but also a little sweet just the way I like it. Oh, and another very ugly fig on the outside. I give it an 8.5 already.

I have a Smith. Don't get me wrong. It has to be one of the most flavorful ugliest figs around. Problem is, it is not very productive. It's almost not worth the effort for me to grow Smith when there are so many other great varieties around. Perhaps it's my climate or altitude. I need to think twice about keeping this tree another season. Just my experience, not telling others they should do the same.

Is it in a pot or in ground?  I find the right amount of fertilizer with all the micronutrients makes all the difference for my potted figs.  If I'm missing something they wont make figs or the figs wont ripen.

Mine looks really healthy and gets full sun. Second year tree and no embryos. I don't have space or time for trees that won't produce in my area. Maybe Smith is one of those.

Mine is in a pot, first year tree, growing upright, not bush. It has about 15-20 figlets growing in full sun in NYC. Got it from Just Fruits & Exotics. They need a long season-I will use a greenhouse to extend growing season in fall if they havent ripened by then.

Steve, I'm glad you posted this.

I have a Smith from JR as well, my second year with it and it was likely a year old when I bought it. Last year it made a few figs late, none ripened. This year I thought it would be different, so far there are many little nubs on it, but none have taken the leap and become an actively growing fig yet (nubs are what I call the little things that usually turn into a fig, but sometimes they fake you out and turn into a shoot, and sometimes they suddenly just shrivel up and fall off). I have a feeling they are going to do the same as last year, I hope they ripen in the sunroom this year. Last fall the tree dropped all it's leaves before the figs ripened. It makes me nervous to leave them in the sun room for too long after they drop their leaves, I don't want them to take a quick nap and then start growing again. 
I think I'll still keep it and pot it up again in the late winter, but if doesn't change next year...I'll have to seriously consider my course of action.  

It seems I have many figs that are late in forming this year, even though I started the shuffle on April 1. I guess when I think about it though, most of April was rather cold, like in the fourties and fifties during the daytime...probably not too good for much other than a really slow wake-up.

Hi omotm,
IMO, for me that figtree whether is bad or not enough watered and fertilized - Exposition to the sun seems alright as per your sayings.
So, if you're about to crush it, then fertilize like hell (more than you're doing; lets say twice - are you fertilizing the tree? ), stop pinching, and water well.
You should get figlets next year, or by then, you'll know that your tree is "bad" - or you'll be out of patience and would toss it...
I wouldn't give up before fertilizing crazy .
Third year, is still not too late . You could wait one or two years more ... But you're the boss at your trees !

Here's a photo of my Smith.  Wish it looked liked the Smith at last years LSU Fig Day.

Yup, its just a baby in comparison. Good things will come!

What's the attraction to this fig? 3 years is a long time. I've got cuttings I propagated this winter that have figs on them.

I have a couple of Smith trees started from cuttings from the 2013 LSU fig day.  I had never tried rooting summer cuttings, but I got a couple to live.  They started slow but have really taken off this year.

I planted my Smith from a cutting last year,so it was only a foot and half in height,it was loaded with figs,infact I broke them all off to encourge more growth and still more figs emerged.....

RichinNJ,

Copied from Durio Nursery's website:

Smith - A superior, old fig cultivar that has been in the Becnel family for over 100 years. It is a big, flattened, yellow fig with brown shading. The color of the flesh is a deep red and it has a drop of honey at the eye. The quality of this exceptionally sweet fig is outstanding. It is considered "the best fig" by those who know and grow it in the parishes close to the mouth of the Mississippi river.

Yeah Rich, all due respect but this top notch fig is proof positive that looks aren't everything.

Dance naked around the tree. (you may have laws against this.) Fertilize more and see what the next season brings.

Hi omotm,
3 years and "so small" !
Is it a slow grower ?, or is the fertilizer still to be bought and eventually spread around ? :P
All my trees at 3 years are bigger than that - so that tree is perhaps just missing some fertilizer.
Ok, all but my damn "Longue d'aou", but harsh winters die-back have made it into a bonzaï.

[QUOTE=omotm]RichinNJ,

Copied from Durio Nursery's website:

Smith - A superior, old fig cultivar that has been in the Becnel family for over 100 years. It is a big, flattened, yellow fig with brown shading. The color of the flesh is a deep red and it has a drop of honey at the eye. The quality of this exceptionally sweet fig is outstanding. It is considered "the best fig" by those who know and grow it in the parishes close to the mouth of the Mississippi river.[/QUOTE]

If it's in a full sun location then more fertilizer and more water. I've had great results foliar feeding and watering with the MG hose attachment once a week.

My Smith  (air layer from Danny K last year) doesn't have figs either.  It put out lots of leaves this year, then kind of just stopped for a while.  Then put out a few new shoots.  

I think heat stress and not getting enough water was the problem.  I've just up potted it to a 5 gal SIP and started 2 air layers on those bottom shoots.

Mines still tiny compared to yours.  It's the one on the right in the picutre below. This picture is about a month old. (The one one the left was from a cutting from the same).

     

Here is my Smith.   2nd year plant.  Full sun, pinched all the tips and gave it a fertilizer boost.

Below is my Maltese Beauty.  Also 2 years old. Same fertilizer injector.

Below that is a 1 year old Maltese Beauty from a cutting.  Less fertilizer. Still more figs than Smith. 

  



 

Steve, same issue with me. I have a 3 year Smith from JF&E and still no figs. All my other potted trees are loaded with figs. Maybe there are different strains that are less productive

  Peter

Patience. If your south is like my south, then I advise patience.

Since managing my frustration, I can say with confidence that Smith is an excellent cultivar here in 8B even when neglected. Any many have said it is slow, it is late, it is sunlight needy. Fortunately, the Kirkian echoes were resonant within me when I thought about getting rid of it saying "JD, are you out of your Vulcan mind?"

My Smith is from Just Fruits and Exotics and was purchased in 2011. The original "mother" tree is grounded and I have three potted layers (siblings) that have outperformed mother to date. Sibling #1 produced the figs shown in this 2013 post. It took 2+ years for sibling #1 to fruit and the mother tree still has still produced only two figs. This season sibling #2 has the potential to do what sibling #1 did in last season. Now, if sibling #1 holds and ripens the fruit is has, it will double what it did last year. Sibling #3 has a few buds but needs at least another year before I expect anything from it. 

Concerning metrics, the siblings (potted) get more water and less sun than the mother. No fertilizer for any of them; only Azomite and limestone. Time permitting, I will add a few photos of mother and siblings.

I've heard it's a great fig, the photos do look good. I really need to look at my space and since everything has doubled in size, things will be very tight next fall. I've told myself I need to downsize by 25. How can we pick which ones to get rid of? My RDB has only a few figs on it as well. Black mission, Gulbun also nothing. How do you get rid of figs that are supposed to be good but give nothing back? The plan is to cut them up and give them away to someone that has the patience. Probably a response best left on another topic, but I was really hoping to try Smith. Thanks Steve for starting this thread.

 i'm experimenting with treating figs like flowers. it seems to be working.

early in the season i use a complete 20-20-20 fertilizer, but then switching to a complete low N, higher P and K  fertilizer.

this works with flowers n seems to stimulate fig development.

its seems to have worked,   but maybe all my figs were just about to produce anyway.

i'll know better next year.
 
steve, why not try something like jacks blossom booster n see what happens.

if you do try this, please let me know your results.

I read somewhere that stubborn trees sometimes need some shock to stimulate fruiting. Maybe let it go dry for a few weeks then hit it with a good dose of fertilizer/water. Just a thought.

Steve,

I planted my Smith last July and it is now the size of yours.  For a 3 year old yours does seem a bit on the small side so maybe it has struggled a bit?  No figs for me either this year but have high hopes for next year.  The waiting just makes the reward more enjoyable.