Went with our son to view a home they are thinking of buying, about four miles away and what do I find in the back yard?

 

 

 

 

The home is vacant but somebody has been cutting off ripe figs so there were none to take pictures of.  It's a very healthy looking bush form but could use some pruning.  If they buy the place so it will be!

What do ya's think? Celeste?

Lets wait for ripe figs :)

That may not be possible Aaron, unless my son buys the place and even then it got down to 44 F here last night.  

You'll just have to take some cuttings, grow them and show us the figs in a few years.  If you were truly worthy you would have already gotten cuttings.  Or did you just want to avoid 7,548 requests in your inbox    ;)

What part of the world are we talking about?

About 25 miles South of Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Guess I'm not worthy, I would never take without asking. :)

That is not Celeste nor Brown Turkey.
Get Some cuttings I have a filling you will love this one!

I agree not Celeste 

They have decided to try and get the place.  There's also a small twin wall polycarbonate greenhouse my daughter-in-law wants removed asap once things are final.  The tree will go dormant soon and there will be lots of cuttings to go around. :)

That's a unique fig tree. Look at the leaf pattern. If I were to guess without seeing ripe figs, I'd say it's either Col de Dam Blac or Grantham Royal Rough guess though! Definarely a good find Charlie.

Nice find Charlie. Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Just saying.

Wow so it might be some special fig tree huh!  That's kind of exciting lol.  

Charlie. Did you practice rooting all of those cuttings for nothing? It's only 25 miles. And it's dark. And you have my address, lol

Actually it's only 4 miles from my home which is 25 miles south of Fort Smith.  I know the current owners who are selling, we used to attend the same church.  I doubt there will be any problem getting some even if my son doesn't get the place.  Hershell you will be the first to get some soon as I do. 

Thanks Charlie, but actually I was just giving you a hard time.

You should ask them some questions, get some info.
Hershell, LOL. I have never heard that before "ask forgiveness..." I love it!

Get the cuttings anyway Charlie. Worst case scenario? It's a FIG :)

Nice find Charlie, a good looking fig. Perhaps the owners could fill you or your son in about the fig and it's history. If they buy the house, you ought to take that greenhouse if your Daughter-in-law doesn't want it. Might come in handy for your gardening interests. Mike in Hanover, VA

[QUOTE=Hershell]Nice find Charlie. Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Just saying. [/QUOTE]

Everybody should help themselves with Hershel's figs/cuttings and you should be OK as long as you ask for forgiveness. LOL

If someone comes here and doesn't leave with something there not welcome back because there not a true enthusiast. There is not a greedy bone in my body. Just ask anyone that has visited.

[QUOTE=Hershell]If someone comes here and doesn't leave with something there not welcome back because there not a true enthusiast. There is not a greedy bone in my body. Just ask anyone that has visited. [/QUOTE]

I've read several of posts outlining your hospitality and generosity. You're a good man, Hershell!

[QUOTE=Otmani007][QUOTE=Hershell]If someone comes here and doesn't leave with something there not welcome back because there not a true enthusiast. There is not a greedy bone in my body. Just ask anyone that has visited. [/QUOTE]

I've read several of posts outlining your hospitality and generosity. You're a good man, Hershell![/QUOTE]

I wouldn't quiet go that far.

As I have always said,
if the person doesn't give me the cuttings with his/her blessings and good wishes then I don't want that cutting!

Furthermore...taking without asking is NOT OK...unless it's a neglected and non-vacant property or a wild tree. In which case you are doing the tree a favor helping it survive through the cuttings.

It's just me...;)

Great attitude Hershell, people like you get their rewards through the acts of giving, making others feel good and gifted. Let your actions be transferred to everyone and likewise they will carry on the generous acts of giving. Kudos to you.

Thanks waynea, there are some very generous people here that have helped me tremendously. I would like for all of them to know how much I appreciate there generosity.

I spoke with the person who planted the tree.  He said it was three years old and was purchased at a Fort Smith retail garden center location but doesn't know the variety.  He doesn't have a clue about why it dies back every year and said what I see all grew this year.  I'm not calling him a liar but close inspection of the tree clearly shows last year wood and old, dead stumps at least 1.5 inches in diameter where they cut off .  I think he has lost some sense of time.  He also said he has another tree of the same, the figs are just now starting to ripen and calls them a medium size fig.  Did not think to ask the color of ripe figs.  Very much on my mind right now.

The picture in the OP shows the bush from the West and there is a 6' tall wooden fence on the East side, directly behind the bush so it only gets sun from noonish on in Summer and even less Spring and Fall due to trees on the South side of the yard.  It is open to the North and cold winds  The soil is predominantly red clay.

Can get all the cutting I want since it "dies back" anyways and he is interested in talking some more as we just had a few minutes on the phone.  I told him of my 30+ varieties in pots and so we are sure to get together at some soon future date.

    

See Charlie. You wouldn't even have to ask for forgiveness. I always have a cutter handy, you never know when an opertunity is going to present its self and a small limb really needs to be pruned for the yard to look nice so the realitor can sell the house with any yard issues. It's just the rite thing to do sometimes. Just saying

Charlie,

I have a 4 year old fig tree that died back for the first time last winter.  It came back from the roots and looks very close to the size of the tree you posted.  I am still amazed how much it grew this year.  In fact, it is currently larger than it was at 3 years old without die-back.

Hey!  cuttings were my idea in the first place!  And besides, the worst reception anyone's ever gotten was after they had permission to take cuttings, right, Dennis?   :)  Charlie, I think that post was before your time.  Read all about it here.

There may still yet be an opportunity to get ripe figs from this bush, perhaps telling us more about it before it goes dormant.  I forgot to add there were several suckers too. :) 

Hi Charlie,
I would prepare a pot with a fig tree. And when the tree is good going I would give it to the guy.
I like "give and take" . Most people do .
Some people fear that if they start giving cuttings, then 100 beggars will knock on the door ...
You can accommodate one but even 5 is hard if you are not prepared to.
I started preparing my self, and now I have some pots ready.
Those pots are also my guinea pigs for potted fig trees trialing .
I already swapped with two neighbors this fall . Don't ask me what I got ... One should be in the Brunswick family, the other one is an unifera ...
Time will tell - if my cuttings survive of course . Yes, I swapped rooted small/medium trees against cuttings ... I guess I need a course on sales and negotiation :) .
So who planted the tree ? Is it the actual owner ?

Yes the guy who planted the tree is the owner who is selling the place in a divorce settlement.  From our short phone conversation and his statement "for some reason it dies back every year", I figure he doesn't know much about fig trees in particular or he would have said "the cold kills it back every winter".  When I asked if he knew the variety, he said "no, I just wanted a fig tree" and that it came from either Lowes or Sutherlands, he didn't exactly remember.  He must have bought two since he said he had another of the same kind, unless he had created another from this tree by some method.

Like I said, our conversation was very limited as both of us were headed for church.  Being from Lowes or Sutherlands garden centers makes me think it has to be some commonly available variety.  This bush is standing at least four feet over the top of the 6' fence in a partially shaded location.  I wonder why or how it grew to be so big in a three year time, dying back every year? 

I could see that some figs had been removed by cleanly cutting them off yet he mentioned his other tree figs were just beginning to ripen and there were not very many unripe ones on this tree.  The house has been vacant so some neighbor must be removing the figs as they ripen.

Will do my best to meet with him one day this week where we can talk more.  

Any house with a fig tree has got to be good :)

Charlie, 
more I look at the tree pic more good things a
I see on it.
Beautiful and healthy leaves, doesn't seem to be infected with FMV.
When or IF you get cuttings, make sure your cutter is sterilized (to keep the new cuttings FMV free).

The house sold out from under my son dang it but the good news is they aren't closing until sometime in November.  The owner told me just to go over and get what I wanted so it will be soon.  

Charlie,
Put me down on the "List" please :)  
Fig with those beautiful leaves can't be a bad one.

Tree is probably not going to be dormant before cuttings are taken so I need some advice.  This procedure is new thing to me.

Do I cut the leaves off, leaving a bit of the petiole on the cuttings or completely remove them?  

Would these cuttings benefit from a time of refrigeration before attempting to root?

Should I take everything since the tree is going to likely die back anyway this winter and he did say to take what I want or maybe prune it so that it can be winter protected by the new owners, who I don't even know who they are yet or if they even want the tree at all?

[QUOTE=Hershell]If someone comes here and doesn't leave with something there not welcome back because there not a true enthusiast. There is not a greedy bone in my body. Just ask anyone that has visited. [/QUOTE]

That is the truth.

[QUOTE=sppsp]Charlie,
Can you dig part it out ( roots and branches and leaves) and bring it home to pot or plant inground?
Also take some green cuttings and root them.
If you get extra green cuttings, I would love to try to root them.
Good luck[/QUOTE]

Yes there are several suckers to dig up.  Was thinking of taking a couple of buckets full of dirt to fill the holes where those will be dug out.

You are on the cuttings list as are all who have commented here, if they want.  Can't promise to those who will comment after this comment lol, but will gladly share what I can.  I will post a different thread after getting the cuttings to get them distributed.    

Working in north Ga. This week I saw two nice trees growing near the street on city property. I took about 20 cuttings of both. I guess I need to ask forgiveness so please consider it done. Anyway you can't even tell I took any limbs but I got plenty. One is in Dahlonega and the other in Dawsonville. They are old trees. The one in Dahlonega I first saw about 20 years ago. In my opinion I would take cuttings and any root suckers I could find. Removing the tree would be extreme.

Charlie, yes, after taking the branches home, de=leaf them, the left over stocks of the leaves will drop in a week or so, cut the naked branches in 6-8 inch length,equivalent to 3 Nodes on each cutting, wash them well , deep both ends(less than 1/4 inch deep) in melted Paraffin and Store them in zip-lock. You don't have to root them now, Root them in Spring. They will last a very long time in the fridge drawers.
Good luck :)

Going now to get cuttings.  :)

Best of luck with it, Charlie. That is a very good looking plant, I hope it turns out to be something special.

Got a few. :)

 

 

 

Congrats! Did you get any ripe figs?

No ripe figs to be had and many green ones still left on the tree.  The owner was there and said they had not ripened yet this year.  The wildlife is getting them or the neighbor who watched me prune the bush, or the "new" wooden fence has blocked half of the sunlight the tree normally gets.  He said the home buyer was a single man who didn't care about figs so there may be another batch of cuttings in a few weeks.  

Nice find Charlie!

That's "a few"

I need to get an idea of how many people who have commented in this topic want some of these cuttings. I will trade for anything you want me to have.  So far I know for sure Hershell, Shailesh and Aaron.  So if you have commented in this topic and want some, send me PM with your address.  

These will be labeled as "Unknown Lake Spur" until somebody can put a positive ID on it.  

Now I feel much better about you Charlie. That's the way to get a few cuttings.