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Subject: Leaf shape – Which variety? Replies: 10
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 232
 
Great post Frank, agree completely. 

Subject: More about Ebay sellers... Replies: 9
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 464
 
If they do not mention their username on one of the two major fig forums, skip them.

Also, always make sure to ask if their mother tree has fruited if they do not have pictures of fruit. Too many people sell cuttings that come from "reputable" sources prior to them fruiting, which I am ok with as long as they disclose it so the buyer can judge if they want to assume the risk.

Subject: Late Start = Late Finish? Replies: 8
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 231
 
If you believe it has enough new growth and want it to set figs, feed it some flower booster (High Phosphorus) fertilizer... it worked well for me last year.

Subject: Cuttings update Replies: 21
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 555
 
The only cutting I found tougher than CDD Bordissotenca was Partijal Rimada.  Neither of the two cuttings wants to root at all!

Subject: Cuttings update Replies: 21
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 555
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianm

Yes I do, they all are  rooted but no foliage yet. They are also on the thinner side so not much energy in them. CDD Ciutat and CDD Bordissotenca have not rooted yet. Probably been almost 3 months and im trying different tricks. Frustrating to say the least.


Brian I had the same problem with Bordissotenca. It has been very slow to root, but still alive. I just up potted it and plan to move it to the greenhouse to see how it does in there.

Subject: Where to buy fig trees larger than 5 gallon containers Replies: 4
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 187
 
If you aren't too far from me here in 19518, I can help you out.

Subject: Is it too risky to leave figs out now? Replies: 17
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 363
 
Warm here in PA, but there will be cold snaps still. If your trees get hit with frost, it will set them back and possibly ruin your chances for a main crop on late ripening varieties.

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 377
 
Great ideas everyone. We planted periwinkle in our front flower bed and wish we never had. It is a constant battle to keep it from taking over everything!

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 377
 
I can't seem to figure out why the amazon drive photo links aren't working, perhaps it is time to go back to Photobucket.

I love calla lillies, but they are pretty expensive!

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 377
 
This was the flower bed a couple of years ago when we planted a red white and blue petunia bed. They grew in nicely and flowered all summer.



We got a really good deal on Petunias at Lowes after a late frost hit them, $1 per flat!



Last year we weren't so lucky, so I am trying to avoid last year's expensive nursery bill!

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 377
 
So does everyone have a favorite type of zinnia? There are a lot of different ones!

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 377
 
Jay we plant perrenials in our other beds, but like something we can change out each year in this one. Zinnias might be a good idea!

Nurse, I will have to check that out. We use a seed mix around the greenhouse where it is too difficult to mow.

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 377
 
Every year my wife and I plant flowers in the 2ft×35ft sidewalk area in front of our house. Two years ago we did all petunias and last year we did a mix of petunias, salvia, and leafy annuals. We like the petunias since they are low maintenance, flower constantly, and put out a nice fragrance at night.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/KVikRBWestw5s88mfjmWpj5ISirTujVMRk22rhvdZrI



I figured a lot of us on this forum do a lot of other gardening and I would welcome ideas people might have on what to do with the space. Annuals that I can start from seed in the greenhouse would be preferred and think pretty flowers!

Subject: What month do East Coast Collectors start rooting? Replies: 10
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 371
 
There is no bad time to start, it helps pass the winter. I try not to fertilize mine or warm the plants until about now though, otherwise they grow too large inside.

Subject: Rain Gutter self-watering system - Vacation? = No problem! Replies: 21
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 1,385
 
Toss a few fish in the rain gutters to control the mosquitoes! Instant fish pond and some extra fertilization ;)

Subject: Video: How to root prune....Ninja style Replies: 23
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 461
 
Also remember to buy a sharpener for the machete, they normally come very dull!

And for figs sake, watch your fingers!!!

Subject: Figs(Febuary, Greenhouse, Hawaii) Replies: 30
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 619
 
Did you need to take a drive up Mauna Kea to see what our winters feel like! I am on Kauai right now and I am always surprised I do not see more fig trees around.

Subject: Bag Rooting Techniques Replies: 108
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,080
 
Mai, it may be because I live in the Northeast and the air is extremely dry here this time of the season, but I find the moisture level to be extremely different from bag to bag of sealed potting mix.  The two bags I bought this weekend were 10lbs different, which is more than 1 gallon of water.  I posted a video on the bagging and cup methods and in it I weigh the two bags if you would like to see what I mean:

Subject: Nazarti cold hardiness? Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 190
 
Mine never produced brebas and the main crop needed pollination. Not very cold hardy as none survived the winter in storage.

Subject: Bag Rooting Techniques Replies: 108
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,080
 
Lolita do you know the humidity in your room? I noticed the potting mix I got today looked a lot drier than yours does as well.

Subject: e-bay dealer Replies: 38
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 1,161
 
Jeez, too many fig scammers coming from PA.  I get a few questions on my eBay auctions as well, since I am in Douglassville PA, under my account: tdepoala (wife's account we have used forever).  If you are buying figs on ebay, the seller should be able to send you a picture of ripe fruit that they took, or say in their description that they have not gotten fruit from their tree yet.  Those are two golden rules I stand by.  I will not sell/share cuttings with others if the tree has not fruited yet without disclosing that information.  I try to be pretty careful with who I get my trees from as too many folks buy cuttings from non-trusted sources, grow them, and take cuttings prior to getting fruit and verifying the ID.  At that point, they are well intended, but also potentially selling incorrectly labeled varieties and propagating the problem, literally. 

Subject: Black Madeira Christmas Cookies Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 210
 
I have two trees, both were loaded with figs. I would bet I had a few hundred ripen and still a couple of dozen left. I paid a lot a couple of years ago to get a healthy BM, but it was worth every penny!

Subject: Black Madeira Christmas Cookies Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 210
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave
I just pm'd you my address I think if you use Priority shipping I should have some by Christmas LOL Good job they look tasty 


I headed to the post office with a bag of cookies for you. On the way, I couldn't resist and figured I would eat just one. Got to the post office, grabbed the bag, it was empty and my wife was licking her lips. Maybe next time ;)

Subject: Black Madeira Christmas Cookies Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 210
 
In the spirit of the holidays, we used some of our Black Madeira figs to make some Christmas cookies! The spices drowned out the Black Madeira flavor, so I would use less next time. They were pretty tasty though!


Subject: Distance between containers-consensus? Replies: 15
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 314
 
One issue I discovered this year with keeping my pots close together, was that it created insect heavy areas.  The trees that were crowded had much worse problems with SWD and rust than those that had good airflow.

Subject: Suspected eBay scammers with F4F ties Replies: 264
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 17,043
 
Esteban those cuttings do not look bad. Did they have a picture of them in their ebay auction? If so, I think the seller was in the right to offer you only a partial refund for the one they forgot.

Subject: 3 Gallon Black Madeira $29.99 Replies: 71
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,246
 
I was thinking the same thing, but the couple of five lobe leaves keep throwing me off. We will see what it looks like and tastes like when it ripens. Pretty easy to tell the taste of a Black Madeira.

Subject: 3 Gallon Black Madeira $29.99 Replies: 71
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,246
 
Quick update, the first fig is ripening and to my surprise it is black!


Subject: Thanksgiving Replies: 21
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 202
 
Happy Thanksgiving Vito and everyone else! May you all have fig side dishes a plenty!

Subject: Fig Jam Color Replies: 16
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 361
 
The Black Madeira jam I made was blood red.



Most of my other jams were a mix of figs and came out an ugly brown.

Subject: Harbor Freight Greenhouse Assembly Replies: 9
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 205
 
About time Tom! :)

I supported mine with a 2x4 frame also. Make sure to silicone all the panels in and add a screw through the center of each panel to connect it to the cross bar. Lastly, replace the doors... I used glass french doors for mine.

Subject: The mist cloner is complete Replies: 124
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,391
 
Are you guys leaving your foggers on 24/7? I'm finding my cuttings to be pretty wet with 24/7.

Subject: Fig Cuttings Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 326
 
Last year I used ziplocs with a slightly damp paper towel. That worked well in the fridge. This year I will likely vaccuum seal all of them.

Subject: Fig Cuttings Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 326
 
Darn was hoping no one noticed the fire haha. I'm not sure why as I have used it several times prior and after. Either way, scared me a bit and I was careful not to set the heat as high afterwards!

Subject: Fig Cuttings Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 326
 
This is how I finalize my fig cuttings for winter storage and sharing.



Curious to hear what others do.

Subject: Has anyone tried this? Replies: 10
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 338
 
I think that is the juice I tried... I really did not care for it.

Subject: Nero 600 M a rain resistant cultivar,Pixies. Replies: 12
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 458
 
Herman I am surprised to hear your VdB splits in the rain.  I've had one in my greenhouse all summer, which has gotten extremely humid lately and it was one of the few figs that didn't split.  The one I have outside in a 5g SWP hasn't split either.  My Negronne (30g swp) on the other hand splits terribly.  My Nero600M has been as you said though and has not split at all. 

Subject: Black Madeira and Fico Preto Comparison Replies: 11
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 550
 
Frank did you just use the machete like a knife sawing through a steak?  For some reason, I have a mental picture of you whacking at the root mass like Rambo going through a forest!

Subject: Martinenca Rimada Replies: 16
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 662
 
Preecha your Martinenca Rimada is beautiful!

Subject: Gallicia Negra on Ebay for identification Replies: 31
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 736
 
I very rarely receive a tree in the mail that looks any better than what you received, especially if shipped from more than a few states away.  After a month of care, the tree will look perfectly fine and sprout new leaves.  In my opinion you jumped the gun and this tree will be fine.  If I'm correct, you really should pay Plant-Creator the money for the tree.

Subject: Vogelzang Barrel Heater for Greenhouse Replies: 23
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 717
 
Is it just me, or is there something that sounds kinda cozy about sitting in your greenhouse in front of a wood fire while it is 20 degrees outside? :)

Subject: Vogelzang Barrel Heater for Greenhouse Replies: 23
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 717
 
That looks great Dennis!  Let me know how it works!  I'm trying to find the time to run natural gas pipe out of my basement and into my greenhouse to put a blue flame heater in, but I wonder if it will be worth the cost.  I'm sure once December gets here and I get bored out of my mind stuck inside, I'll reconsider :)

Subject: greenhouse temp for fig trees ?? Replies: 6
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 165
 
I agree with a lot of what Dennis said.  I kept an electric heater going in my 10x12 last year that would turn on when temps dropped below 50degs.  The daytime temps were dependent on how sunny it was, but my automatic vents opened at 90deg.  That was enough to get ripe figs through most of December.  Were they as good as summer ripened figs?  Of course not.  I also always have a terrible time with splitting due to the humidity in the greenhouse.  But, it allowed me to ripen my Black Madeira, Green Ischia, Sodus Sicilian, Black Ischia and others.  The Green Ischia was a good "greenhouse fig".  It seemed to enjoy the cooler temperatures and gave it a thick jammy consistency.  Black Madeira ripened ok as well surprisingly.

Subject: Black Madeira and Fico Preto Comparison Replies: 11
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 550
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by FiggyFrank
Excellent video, Nick.  Very helpful.  I only have the Preto but I hear all the time that BM may be the same, so I never sought a BM out.  My Pretos love the SIP and produce clusters of figs at the tips just like yours.
How often are you root pruning your 30 gallon pots?


I will probably do some side pruning this fall. I find my 5g SWPs need pruning every other year max and I believe some of my 3yr 30g SWPs showed the need for pruning this year. They are nearly impossible to get the trees out of however, so my sawzall and I have different plans this year!

Subject: Black Madeira and Fico Preto Comparison Replies: 11
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 550
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petechanr
Hi Nick,

When was the ripening date? Was the Preto much earlier or about the same?


The first Black Madeira was a few weeks ahead of the Preto this year. It is also a much larger tree with 3x the figs.

Subject: Black Madeira and Fico Preto Comparison Replies: 11
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 550
 
I took a video last night to compare Black Madeira and Fico Preto.  I am pretty certain they are the same fig, however, for whatever reason they seem to be reacting differently in my greenhouse.  It could be that one is older, larger pot, closed self water pot vs open, not exactly sure.  When ripening outside in full sun, they are indistinguishable. 


Subject: 3 Gallon Black Madeira $29.99 Replies: 71
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,246
 

Subject: Where does Encanto's Black Madeira come from? Replies: 7
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 347
 
Is it just me or is there no Lolita in this thread?

Subject: 3 Gallon Black Madeira $29.99 Replies: 71
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,246
 
I agree Dennis, JF&E has handled this extremely well.  Mistakes happen and they have gone above and beyond to rectify the situation.

Subject: 3 Gallon Black Madeira $29.99 Replies: 71
Posted By: johnnyq627 Views: 4,246
 
Ok I have a follow up on the JF&E Black Madeira.  I received an email from Brandy this morning notifying me that the Black Madeira tree I received the second time was determined not to be Black Madeira.  She was extremely apologetic and said she will notify me when their Black Madeira UCD stock is available.  This caught me off guard and I hadn't really taken a close look at my JF&E BM for a while since the fruit isn't near ripening yet, so I headed out to the greenhouse to take a look.

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the tree appears to be something other than Black Madeira.  The leaves are primarily five lobed now and the figs are not showing the red eye.







Here is the comparison of the JF&E "stagnant stage" fig vs my Black Madeira KK "stagnant stage" fig:

JF&E


Black Madeira KK


I give a huge amount of credit to JF&E for not only notifying me of the error, but also keeping track of this issue and following up.  I will update everyone when/if a replacement tree is provided by JF&E.