Some of these not best example of the cultivar, but what I had today

From 12 O’Clock   (3 Excel)  (2 Sal’s Gene strain) (2 LSU Gold) (3  Kesariani) (2 Unk  Marseillies White) (2 Chicago Hardy) (1 Unk White Italian) (4 Unk Owensboro) (1 Latarolla) (3 Florea) (1 Hollier) and center (5 Takoma Violet)

From 12 O’Clock

(2 Latarolla) (2 Tacoma Violet) (1 Hollier) (2 Florea) (2 Unk White Italian from Saxonfig) (3 RDB) (2 Celeste) (1 Atreano) (2 Kesariani)


 

 

I think I am just about ready for summer.  Last summer became taxing trying to keep my potted figs  upright and watered.  I  had 3 loads of wood chips dumped at one end of my vegetable garden which I downsized this year and tried to spread about a foot deep. My pots are around half buried which should help a lot retain moisture and keep cool and upright. I don’t know how often I had to set up my pots last year due to winds. Frustrating  when rain came in it’s often preceded by strong wind so even when it rained they did not get water as the pots were down.  I should not have to be dealing with weed between the pots so another dreaded task hopefully avoided. I have to tidy up the irrigation line that weaves in between rows and likely bury the small tubing to each pot, to avoid catching them with my feet, but I am hoping the early effort pays off in much less time keeping watered, weeded and vertical.  I expect to have some rooted well into ground come fall, which might not be fun, but this should be last year in pot for many.  Many I had intended to go into ground this spring, but I guess last winter’s rough go made me chicken out. Now I just need to find additional winter inside storage.  After a couple years that foot of mulch I can work into the garden which should greatly improve my heavy clay soil. 

Now Bring on the Figs

I decided to give rooting plugs a try this year. I have been pretty happy with Sphagnum Moss, many seem to like the ease of plugs.   I had picked up a couple Root Riot trays, but I decided to give some larger plugs a try.  I hope to be able to leave in these plugs longer and go straight into 1 gal. The design of these EPS Styrofoam trays are to have elevated with the open bottom and the roots will be air-pruned as they extend out.  The guy I spoke with at IHort who put these out seemed very knowledgeable and makes them sound real good, but that’s his job right.  I imagine I will have to watch moisture even more when potting up with these larger plugs. They are not quite as dense more/larger air pockets that RR it seems, but I know folks using plugs have stated you really have to watch the spongy plug getting wetter than the potting media surrounding.  I plan to leave them until almost root bound in the tray unless the close proximity of the top growth in the tray gives me too much issue.

Larger than standard tray and the plug volume is much larger see compared to RR. It’s hard to find storage bins with clear tops. These are the largest I could find.  106 QT this tray did not have much room to spare. I am thinking of inverting them and setting the tray on the lid and the bin as the dome as it might make tending the cuttings easier always awkward reaching in a bin as I am clumsy and young growth breaks easy.  I have a heat mat with Styrofoam under it and the bin sitting direct on the heat mat,  I had the tray elevated only 1 inch above bin bottom but my temp probe was signaling to high so I elevated to about 3 inches I will need that headroom at some time, but after I remove the heat mat. Right now my temp probe inserted into one of the open holes through and hanging right at base of tray is at 82 F the temp above the tray in bin registers about 73 F.  I am watching the temp closely but the plugs themselves are not as warm as the air below. The insulating foam tray seems to moderate it. I am working keeping the humidity a little lower than the present 90%

Suggestions solicited and appreciated

Best figs to all

 

Plug compared to a Root Riot
 

Bottom of tray
 

 


 

For a moment my heart stopped  all my eyes  read was

(280+ figs) including rares & exclusives. $200

Going to be visiting out of town, so doing my normal check on what plants I might pick up local.

The full tittle reads

Huge Hero Clix lot (280+ figs) including rares & exclusives - $200 (Deltona)

Do not click the link unless prepared for disappointment.

http://daytona.craigslist.org/tag/4197750759.html

 One of my Kids in a sarcastic manner suggested I Christmas up a fig tree. I have never seen a fig ornamented up, but here is the Contest.  Decorate a fig tree up for Christmas and post a picture of  it here and I will award the winner cuttings of six cultivars from the list below. Some will be 3 per cultivar, but several may be a single cutting as many of my plants are 1^st year from cutting. I will likely add to the selection list later when I can get in and assess some young garaged trees.  I will set an end date later and post it here.  I will rely heavily on input on the thread for winner as my decorative tastes I have been told are lacking.

DEADLINE for posting an Entry is Sat. Dec 14th 18:00 ET

Adriatic 
Alma
Atreano
Black Mission
Brown Turkey
Celeste
Chicago Hardy
COL Littman's Black Cross
Dark Portuguese
Dottato
Excel
Golden Celeste
Kadota
LSU Gold
Marseillies VS Blk
O'Rourke
Osborn Prolific
Owensboro
Panachee
Paradiso Nero
Salce
Scott's Black
Smith
Triano/Troiano Calabrese
unk Brogiotto Bianco NOT maybe Nero
unk Celeste
unk Holland shed
unk Marseillies W.
Unk Octopus
Unk White Italian (Mario)
Violette De Bordeaux

I keep finding uses for the mixing tubs found by the concrete supplies in home improvement stores. The smaller size is about 20x27 and about 5 inches deep. I have always used them as a mini potting bench and mix up my potting mix in the tub place the pot in the tub and pot away. Very little mess.  Last winter I was using them as a multi-pot saucer and tote. They hold 9 1 gallon pots and you can water with it acting as a small reservoir for water and you don’t have to be mopping and cleaning up after.  With 9 1 gallon in each tub, made it relatively easy for the shuffle inside and out.  Cups tend to be tippy in them just like as in storage bins, but I found if you get 3 inch diameter PVC pipe and chop saw them into around 3 inch length you can sit them lengthwise and put the cups in them to keep them from falling over, when you remove some of the cups you don’t have worry about the remaining toppling. 

  I use a very light mix up to one gal probably over ½ perlite and right now I have my 1 gals in the 6-pack trays which fit right in one of these tub for plunge bottom watering, which is very good if you let them dry out a little to much, as many mixes are hard to top water if they get a little dry. I have used them when I was away for a day or two as in hot weather I have to water everyday.   I just put an inch or so of water in the tub and they do fine.  If I am away I put them under a shed/carport  roof area that gets good light but protects the tub from filling up if it rains, which would be bad. I could drill some holes in the sides at the max level I want the water to be.   You can wash the dog in them, and they make a pretty damn good snow sled, although I personally need the larger size for that.  They are tough as hell and only about $5 each. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Plasgad-Medium-Mixing-Tub-887101A/202086173#.UjpVIKyW86Q

Obtained this as Brogiotto Bianco. I was not able to locate a fruit  picture of one to compare, did find some leaf photos.  Plant that seems tending  towards horizontal branching, large dark fruit with a void. Immature fruit showing pink eye early on.  Pretty sure what it is, but hoping someone would have a differing opinion. It will for it’s lifetime  however possibly short be an unknown unless someone can convince me this is Brogiotto Bianco. I have 2 of these almost gave one away few weeks ago now I am glad I did not.

I know many of you are using rooting plugs with good results for Figs.  Rafed got a lot of folks interested in the Root Riot plugs and I have seen mention of Rapid Rooter and Quick Start plugs  I Think they are all pretty much the same, but that’s just from my reading.  I have not used rooting plugs for figs myself, but I will be.  I had a chance to purchase some IHORT  Q plugs  or Quick Start plugs at very reasonable cost, they are of different sizes  and are packaged in bulk without the trays, so basically refills.  Hydroponic stores  seem to be selling Root Riot, Rapid Rooter, and these Q plugs pretty much as the same thing.

  I hesitated posting this, but as I am only offering to trade duplicate fig plants or cuttings for the plugs. I hope there is not a problem with this. I don’t view it any different than offering up a fig for trade.  If folks disapprove of offering them for trade I will delete this post.   

  I have more plugs than I will  use in several different sizes. I don’t  know for certain that these Q plugs are the same composition as Root Riot and Rapid Rooter  or the plug  dimensions those similar spongy plugs are,  but I have the following size Quick Start  plugs listed below,  If folks want give them a try and have some interesting fig material  they would rather trade than spending a few dollars on plugs maybe it works out.  If you want to read up on them  go to http://www.ihort.com   and read on the QPlugs. I don’t know what the shelf life of these type pre-moistened spongy type plugs are, but these are not old stock. The mailing boxes direct from IHORT have a Feb 2013 postmark. If you google “ihort plugs”  you can find info on them, There are folks selling them on ebay This place sells all three brands.

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Hydroponic-Source/Seedling-Trays-Domes-/_i.html?_fsub=3680064014&_sid=53124404&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

Q Plugs 30/50     Plug Size: 1.39" TopX 2.2" Deep                  Plug Shape: Square

Q Plug 40/40       Plug Size: 1 1/4" Top x 1 5/8" Deep             Plug Shape: Square

Q Plug 45/45R    Plug Size: 1 5/8 " Top x 1 5/8" Deep             Plug Shape: Round

Q Plug 40/80       Plug Size: 1 5/8 " Top x 3 " Deep                  Plug Shape: Round

Q Plug 35/65       Plug Size: 1 3/8" top x 2 1/2" Deep                Plug Shape: Round

Q Plug45/50        Plug Size: 1 3/4" Top x 2" Deep                     Plug Shape: Square

Q Plug 22/50       Plug Size: 3/4" top x 2" Deep                         Plug Shape: Square

I pulled a few of my figs out of humidity last week, One really took it tough and Friday looked like a goner. I put it back in humidity Friday and today he has risen. The label says Dottato, but I am thinking of labeling it J.C.

I think sometimes we make things a lot more difficult then it needs to be.  This will be the first time I try to start cuttings this early. I know not everybody is sitting in the same climate zone, but when we are trying to start cuttings 5-6 months prior to when they can be moved outside seems like we are fighting Mother Nature.  2 years ago I tried to wait until March to obtain cuttings, but really had no luck as most the cuttings exchanges had already happened. Last year I tried to obtain cuttings earlier and store them through and start in spring, but my results were not that great in that manner either. I know cuttings do store and many do well storing them, but I don’t think a lot of the greener cuttings store that well. I might be trying to rationalize my poor rooting skills however, but I just think the best place to store cuttings is on the tree. I understanding that a outside tree cutting might be dead wood come spring  and that’s  explains much, but I have to think part of it is our impatience  that we have to come up with all the space, lighting, dormancy, etc… issues.  Next year I might go back to my original logic and time starting my cuttings to be ready for potting up on Mother Natures schedule.  I guess when my wife gets feed up with this irrational behavior and throws me out I won’t have to worry about who gets the figs, they will be getting good light laying right there is the street beside me in the gutter.

When starting your cuttings in sphagnum moss have you noticed any difference if they are kept vertical or horizontal?  Last year I had them horizontal and the roots were coming out all over from the very top on some, like in some recent posts where there are roots above soil line when potting up.  If kept vertical while in the sphagnum moss with maybe even the top couple inches exposed I am thinking the cuttings might orient it more readily when moved to potting mix. Experience and opinions appreciated.

Well maybe not fruit rich yet but I am trying a lot of different fruiting plants. Hopefully I successfully attached a PDF of what I am growing and looking to arrange some exchanges later on in the dormant season. This is one of my track sheets and not really a trade sheet. Many of my plants are young and not producing yet and a few things on my list are not doing well like my bunch grapes. Anything with a gone in the title means dead. Some things are still under Plant Patent as well.  If you have interest just ask about it. I am mainly looking for Figs as listed below. My current figs are listed on the PDF as well. I have not traded much on the forum, mostly sending out non-fig material, but I hope those folks are happy with what they received.  I am not a very successful rooter, so if you have a duplicate started small plant that would be a plus for me.  I have gotten a little better success rooting, mostly due to reading this forum, The figs I am looking for in a rough order of desire.  RDB, Adriatic JH, Scott's Black, Stella, Bataglia Green, Hollier,  Florea, Dark Portuguese, Parfum De Cafards. There are others I have interest in as well so not limited to those.

Best Figs to all

Sharing a simple inexpensive critter deterrent I have used this year after last year having squirrel uproot several newly potted up plants. The gray squirrels are attracted to any newly disturbed soil, and I have had them go through a bunch of pots uprooting everything and just pulling up cuttings not even eating anything.  I assume from their view the only reason to dig is to bury a nut or dig one up and they are looking to what I had buried here. They will do the same thing to newly planted in ground.  I am using a 25 foot roll of 2 foot hardware cloth. I think the openings are probably ½ in square I unroll it and place it on edge where it is rigid enough to stand up on its own when curved into a small corral. I shape the 25 foot roll into about a 9 by 3.5 rectangle with round corners then I top it with a 10 foot section of 4 foot chicken wire overlapping the sides by a few inches just pin the top to the sides every couple feet with a small stick weaved in the top through the top hole in the side and through the top again. A clothes pin would work well I believe.  They rarely seem to bother my plants after established, so at that point I will roll both wires up and lay to the side. I had some larger 5 gal pots that  I put along the outside that helped support the sides, but I don’t think it was that important and a smaller corral would be even  more rigid and if you didn’t cut the wire but just continued around it would be even more sturdy.  My setup is in a shaded area, but I could have easily laid some shade cloth over the top if needed.  If 2 feet is too short you may have to add a few stakes to keep 3 or 4 foot width wire from folding over. Quick, Easy, Portable, Inexpensive, and Effective. I sure others have worked similar deterrent, and along with dispatching of every  tree rat  I can get a sight on I think this year the score is about 20 to 0. As in 20 squirrels laid to peaceful rest to 0 plants maimed.

Getting ready to pot up some cutting from small bins of Sphagnum Moss and thinking about potting them straight into 1 Gal pots as opposed to cups placed into a closed larger bin. This is my 1^st time trying the Sphagnum moss and wondering how many of you might be potting up direct in pots and skipping the cups. The Cups I have are only 16 oz. 4 ¾ in. deep, but the 20 oz. I found were not any deeper. I don’t stick the cutting all the way to the bottom and leave some potting mix below and assume others do as well? A good percentage of my cutting will have more cutting above soil then I would like, but I have not found deeper cups. I do have the 3x8 poly bags, but I don’t see that working with the fragile root starts on the cutting. I am curious from out of the Sphagnum what others have found most successful. I have had poor success rooting I have mostly used damp paper towel to cup in bin, with a increasing decrease in humidity leaving the bin on increasing periods, but seem to lose most everything after potting up. I keep blaming moisture control and I use close to 50/50 perlite/Pro-mix or other quality soilless mix but I don’t have much success managing cuttings with roots into plants. I know there is a LOT of threads discussing rooting and I have reviewed many of them, but I didn’t home in on one on after removing from Sphagnum what most folks do. Thanks.

  I received some cutting of a cultivar I really want, but the cuttings came to me moldy. I cleaned them with a 10% bleach allowed to dry and refrigerated them, and they continue to develop mold, and I repeatedly take them out clean with bleach and still mold forms. I am pretty certain if I try rooting them in a humid bin I will never be able to keep the mold in check.  I am thinking to try grafting them as I hoping I might be able salvage them on a host plant and by wrapping the entire scion tightly with Parafilm and being in a the open air environment with no roots forming I might still be able to deal with any mold forming. The buds of most plants will push right through the Parafilm assuming they will with fig as well.  If the graft takes later I could start by cutting or air layer to get the plant on own root. Opinions and suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

Hi,

Been reading this forum for a while, but  my 1^st post. I normally hang out in a general fruit forum, as you Fig people seem a little Cult like to me, but I admit I did taste the Kool-Aid and I like it. I am in North Georgia and have about 6 six Fig cultivars, and quite a lot of other fruits. I started some plants from a Friend’s figs that have been in her family here locally a little NW of Metro Atlanta for a few generations.  I know you figheads probably get tired of identifying posts over and over, but the variation in the leaves of even the same tree seem to confuse me, The dark one they have always called Brown Turkey, but I know how generically that label has been used. It actually looks more similar to Celeste pictures to my novice eye. The light fig is the one I am more curious about. This is not the original plants I have pictured, they have been started from their prior home place, but she actually stated they have been in her family since the late 1800s. The plants do not receive good light, and in my opinion are overgrown and leggy, but are both maturing fruit right now. The dark one is sweeter than the light fig, but I find the both tasty. Thanks for any input, and I hope I am successful attaching the pictures.