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Subject: Starting my cuttings Replies: 17
Posted By: rcantor Views: 539
 
I've had cuttings develop rot under the bottom wax so I remove it.  I think that's rare, though.  Be sure to get all the dust out of your perlite before using it and then only a small amount of sphagnum peat moss, not long fibered sphagnum.  You want there to be a lot of air spaces.

Subject: Transition from rooted to pot growing, where am I going wrong? Replies: 9
Posted By: rcantor Views: 415
 
Your slightly moist sphagnum will hold a lot of water when you put it in potting soil and water it.  This excess water will kill your roots.  If you try to get the moss off the roots you'll break a lot of roots.  I don't think you can win with sphagnum moss.  Sorry.

Subject: Please help me find 2 small fig varieties for California Replies: 10
Posted By: rcantor Views: 227
 

You can prune them to any height and width you want.  Any fig will do well for you as long as they get full sun.  I would recommend 2 figs that are different than your VdB.  A lot depends on your budget and how long you want to wait.  Panache is easy to get and tastes great. Members here Harvey C in Iselton (NW of Stockton), Pitangadiego in San Diego and Bass in PA have lots of varieties they sell.  I believe they all ship, too.  You can do a member search and find some growers near you.

Many people try to get a variety of flavors.  One way of dividing figs in to flavor groups is listed here

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/fig-groups-comments-welcomed-6530525

That might help you choose your other 2 figs as well.

If you have the money, buy a Galicia Negra  :)

Subject: What's my [fig] problem and how do I fix it! Replies: 13
Posted By: rcantor Views: 484
 
Figs like 8.  So as long as it's 7.8 and not 8.5 your pH is right where it should be.

Subject: IS AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE OK TO USE Replies: 16
Posted By: rcantor Views: 256
 
It's fine for figs as a one time, quick burst.  It will be gone in 2 weeks or so.  Don't use it on blueberries, they don't like the chloride.

Subject: Will a long cutting with no nodes grow Replies: 29
Posted By: rcantor Views: 884
 
Fig wood can develop nodes.   The older the wood the more time it takes.  Fig roots will never sprout.  Keiki paste may accelerate the process.

Subject: Hello! New Member from Kansas! Replies: 21
Posted By: rcantor Views: 242
 
Those are lenticels.  They help the plant absorb oxygen better when it's in a low O2 environment.  Figs don't typically do well in low O2 environments.  

Subject: Hello! New Member from Kansas! Replies: 21
Posted By: rcantor Views: 242
 
Welcome!  It might be Violette de Bordeau which is a great fig.  The white specks could be mold, roots, lenticels or a host of other things.  Can you show us some photos?

Subject: Great Figs For Zone 5 and Colder? Replies: 33
Posted By: rcantor Views: 1,016
 
You might want to keep back up plants in pots should your experiments be unsuccessful.

Subject: Heading to Encanto Farms Replies: 21
Posted By: rcantor Views: 559
 
I'm very jealous.  Ask Jon which varieties he thinks would be best for you.  Panache is a great one.

Subject: DO I THROW THESE AWAY? Replies: 16
Posted By: rcantor Views: 461
 
It could be the next Ponte Tresa for all you know.  :)

Subject: Pots?... Soil?... Starting media??? Replies: 29
Posted By: rcantor Views: 708
 
Some nurseries and landscapers will give pots away for free.  For soil you have to see what's available locally.  Does some town or county government give away pine bark chunks?  Can you get free manure to compost?  Is someone wanting topsoil removed? It all depends what's available cheap.

Subject: How do you get fig tree trunk to grow thicker? Replies: 15
Posted By: rcantor Views: 565
 
If you pinch the top it will encourage branching. Tell us about your fertilizer and lighting, too.

Subject: HELLO FROM VA Replies: 8
Posted By: rcantor Views: 138
 
Welcome!  There's a guy in GA (8a) who tested a lot of supposedly hardy figs in ground and none of them could bear fruit.  The only one that I know dies to the ground and bears fruit the same season in Z6 is Hardy Chicago.  I haven't tried a lot of others but after hearing the results from GA I'm not all that inclined to.  figs in 7 gal pots will bear fruit and you can bring them in to a garage or shed that stays above 28 and below 48 or so in the winter.  That way they'll stay dormant until it's safe for them to go outside.

Subject: Inground covered tree has a litle bit of mildew but branches are visibly green Replies: 7
Posted By: rcantor Views: 104
 
I would kill the mildew but not have high hopes for those red buds.  With figs you never know, though.  If there's any live wood underground it can sprout from that.

Subject: Seeking black or purple Capri fig trees Replies: 5
Posted By: rcantor Views: 133
 
If you want to breed you need persistent capris.  :)

Subject: Cuttings update Replies: 21
Posted By: rcantor Views: 555
 
Strong work!  I hope you have some of each on their own roots to compare to.  It would be interesting to see the results.

Subject: Hello! I'm new to forum! Replies: 8
Posted By: rcantor Views: 118
 
Welcome!  There are approximately 3,578 named fig varieties and you'll undoubtedly want them all.  You might need another acre.

Subject: when should just started cuttings start showing signs of rooting? Replies: 3
Posted By: rcantor Views: 126
 
If there are no roots at 5 weeks I take the cutting out and use fresh rooting media if it's still viable.  I keep temps in the 78 degree F area.  If the cuttings are cold (69 degrees F) they may never root.  I'm assuming your bottle has holes in the bottle for drainage.  I put a pinch or three of peat moss on top of my perlite to provide some organic acids that may help rooting.

Subject: Winter protection gone wrong... Replies: 15
Posted By: rcantor Views: 266
 
I'm sorry that you lost some of your figs.  Please understand that figs never come back from the roots.  They only come back from wood that was far enough underground to be unharmed.  That's why I tell people to bury their trees as deeply as possible as long as there's reasonable drainage.  Usually the wood doesn't have to be very far underground at all to survive.  Here in Z6 with a mild winter I can see sprouting as early as Ap 1.  More often it's around May 1.  A severely damaged plant may not sprout until late summer.

Subject: $7 fig trees for spring/summer delivery, around 150+ varieties Replies: 775
Posted By: rcantor Views: 28,715
 
Meg, ask him to hold your delivery until August.  Your neighbor may or may not actually water your plants.  Even if they're reliable anything could happen with them.

Subject: OT root care for a pomegranate Replies: 8
Posted By: rcantor Views: 211
 
I know nothing about pomegranates but I imagine you'd have to.  I'm primarily commenting to bump the thread back to the top before it vanishes into the oblivion that is page 2.  :)

Subject: 5th zone the wintering in a hole Replies: 15
Posted By: rcantor Views: 311
 
Strong work!  If you have access to batteries like these they last much longer in cold weather.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DC4EL

or

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DUQDQ

Subject: New Rooting Issues! Replies: 4
Posted By: rcantor Views: 151
 
Good Luck!!

Subject: Young fig tree question Replies: 5
Posted By: rcantor Views: 159
 
If you want a lot of branches why cut the first one that shows up?  Air layer it at the length you want to keep it when the time comes.

Subject: Never give up, NEVER GIVE UP! Replies: 12
Posted By: rcantor Views: 365
 
Strong work!

Subject: Young fig tree question Replies: 5
Posted By: rcantor Views: 159
 
It's personal preference.  I'd keep it, many others would eliminate it.  A lot depends on how you want your trees to look  and if there's ant practical rason that branch would be in the way.  Every time a plant puts out a leaf it gets more energy from the leaf than it used to produce it so it is growth, it doesn't interfere with growth.  Whether it's growth in the way you want it to grow is a question only you can answer.  :)

Subject: Identify this fig Replies: 11
Posted By: rcantor Views: 359
 
You have many figs there that are not in the States.  We have one other Israeli member.  If he doesn't know you might want to seek out some locals.

Subject: Question: pruning apical bud Replies: 8
Posted By: rcantor Views: 176
 
If you notch above the nodes you don't have to pinch the apical bud unless you want that branch to stop getting longer.

Subject: Rooting issues.... Replies: 27
Posted By: rcantor Views: 686
 
I've tried several rooting hormones and Clonex has turned out to be the best for me.  Many people find that powdered rooting hormones cause their cuttings to rot even when it's fresh.

Subject: Good gojis? Replies: 16
Posted By: rcantor Views: 232
 
Phoenix tears is the most widely sold and has had consistently good reviews.  There are fewer reviews about the lifeberries.

Subject: Fig breeding steps Replies: 95
Posted By: rcantor Views: 6,785
 
Samantha, you'll get better answers if you start your own thread.  We'll need more information and preferably photos of the figs and their insides.  If you don't have the wasp you are unlikely to have a caprifig.  If you do have the wasp you might have a smyrna fig and you'd need a pollinator.  Common figs don't need the wasp and those are the only ones likely to be sold if there's no wasp in your country.

Wait until you're able to start a new thread and then you'll get better answers.

Subject: Rooting issues.... Replies: 27
Posted By: rcantor Views: 686
 
JoAnn, I'm glad you're disinfecting them and moving on but if there was mold then everything that was exposed to that mold should be disinfected or thrown out.  The moss should be thrown out because you'll never be able to disinfect every nook & cranny.  The bin and lid and anything else in there has to be disinfected or the mold spores will grow from those surfaces.

Best of luck!

Subject: Is food spike is good for fig tree Replies: 3
Posted By: rcantor Views: 186
 
All I can find out about it is that it's 9-12-12, which I think is OK.  I can't find any info on trace elements, pH or anything else.  I think I'd go with something that had more info available and has the micronutrients plants need.  I'm using Dyna grow because I got it cheap but there are many great fertilizers.  

Subject: Calderona vs Manresa... Replies: 2
Posted By: rcantor Views: 225
 
You may have to be the one to tell us the answer, hopefully this summer   ;)

Subject: Dark vs. Light Replies: 19
Posted By: rcantor Views: 649
 
It would be more accurate to say that the chemicals that create flavor often have color as well.  Some people have the green with dark red centers and rich berry taste as their favorites.  Even Martin (Dieseler) had some light figs in his collection.  The skin of the dark figs often have more flavor than the skin of the green figs, especially Violette de Bordeau.  But the dark interiors usually have a more complex flavor than the light interiors regardless of skin color.  Which you like is a matter of personal preference.  

Subject: up Potting Replies: 3
Posted By: rcantor Views: 91
 
Personally, I recommend it.  The more wood under ground the better your chance of having the plant survive a cold snap.  I plant mine at or close to the bottom of the container every time I up pot and if I plant in the ground I try to have only the tips above the ground.  

Subject: Expiramental Deep Water Culture Replies: 11
Posted By: rcantor Views: 216
 
I don't think anyone's doing it with figs on this forum, sorry.  You can teach us.  I'd be really interested in what you find.  And the fact is that coco coir works really well for some and not at all for others.  There are a lot of environmental factors that we rarely measure so everyone's growing conditions are different.  

If there's any info out there for other fruit trees I'd look at that but also know that figs seem to like limestone a lot so I'd start with a higher pH than citrus (maybe 7.8?) or tomatoes but at least the same amount of calcium as tomatoes.  At least they're not contradictory goals   :)   Fruiting requires K+ even more than PO4.  Too much N will inhibit fruiting but for a baby plant you want to grow quickly you can start with higher N.  Many fig plants take a few years to produce good quality fruit so don't rush to judgement. I personally wouldn't push a fig to produce fruit in its first year.

So no data but perhaps a little help in perspective and starting points.  :)  Best of luck with them.

Subject: cloner question Replies: 2
Posted By: rcantor Views: 108
 
And clean and disinfect the cuttings.  

Subject: Rooting the 3 year old cuttings Replies: 11
Posted By: rcantor Views: 432
 
Check the temp.  Water will be cooler than solids.  temps over ~80 - 82 are not helpful.

Subject: Jo-Anns Family Tree Replies: 8
Posted By: rcantor Views: 317
 
Well right now it's a stick among other sticks.   :)  Maybe waiting until May for a photo would be better.

HC was brought from Italy a long long time ago and is one of a group of similar figs referred to as Mt Etna figs because that's where they came from.  HC is sometimes called Mongibello.  I have several Mt Etnas but yours matches my potted HCs even down to what day it ripens its figs.  It doesn't have that similarity to any of my other Mt Etnas.  There's no guarantee that they're exactly the same but they're very close.

Subject: Fig leaf tea Replies: 30
Posted By: rcantor Views: 519
 
Don't use leaves that have any infection, including rust, for your tea.

Subject: Jo-Anns Family Tree Replies: 8
Posted By: rcantor Views: 317
 
Hi!  It appears identical to my Hardy Chicago from Edible Landscaping in 1993.  Leaves, fruit timing and the fruit itself are all the same comparing the ones I have in pots to your family fig.  My mother tree has been in the ground for over 22 years.

Subject: Valoze Fig Tree Replies: 60
Posted By: rcantor Views: 1,039
 
Vito, teach them to a/l.

Subject: 3 Inchario Preto cuttings Replies: 19
Posted By: rcantor Views: 600
 
Next year I'll get some!

Subject: Has anyone tried this? Replies: 10
Posted By: rcantor Views: 338
 
I  remember it being outrageously expensive.  :)

Subject: Pastiliere got too big Replies: 15
Posted By: rcantor Views: 344
 
I hope you get ten time as many figs each year!

Subject: OT - Very painful injury Replies: 77
Posted By: rcantor Views: 809
 
Fortunately they're not dangerous but they are super painful as you know better than anyone else right now.  Good luck getting better super fast!

Subject: Finally finished.... Replies: 6
Posted By: rcantor Views: 143
 
Best of luck moving forward.

Subject: Introduction Replies: 12
Posted By: rcantor Views: 139
 
Welcome!  Best of luck with your plants.