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Subject: Forgotten Fig Videos Replies: 26
Posted By: jkuo Views: 358
 
Nick,
I'd give the hummingbird feeders another try. Hummers explore large swaths of the US during their migration. There's a good probability that you'll attract one at some point. Once they know where your feeder is, they are likely to return in future seasons.

Subject: Rosario's Fig Tree - Children's book Replies: 5
Posted By: jkuo Views: 136
 
Thanks for the book suggestion. I just picked up a copy from the library to read with my kids.

Subject: "pennsylvania " fig people Replies: 39
Posted By: jkuo Views: 487
 
I'm in Lancaster. I've seen a good number of PA peeps on the forums, and I'm sure there are lurkers too.

Subject: Rubado 2016 ( domo arigato) Replies: 21
Posted By: jkuo Views: 264
 
You're killing me here. I must not add anything onto my wishlist, but I keep seeing awesome figs to try.

Subject: Three sisters gardening with figs. Replies: 10
Posted By: jkuo Views: 243
 
That's an interesting idea. I partially buried some potted trees and planted sweet potatoes and bush beans around the pots. I had a similar though of the sweet potato vines and bean plants being a living mulch, and I would dig up the tubers and buried pots around the same time. I've always disliked growing pole beans because I'm too lazy to build a support for them. It never dawned on me to use the fig tree as the climbing structure.

Subject: Inground Fig Progression Zone 6/7 Replies: 15
Posted By: jkuo Views: 447
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbadbill
Hi. Are they Celeste? I agree with Johnny Cage ( Kuo)- sorry Johnny, you just bring me back to my mortal kombat days- that they will ripen by the end of the season. In fact, if they are Celeste, they may be ready in 2-3 more weeks.


I'll take Johnny Cage. It beats being short-circuited to Johnny Five.

Subject: Inground Fig Progression Zone 6/7 Replies: 15
Posted By: jkuo Views: 447
 
I would wager that those figs are far enough along that they will likely ripen by the end of the season. What varieties are they? If they are earlier ripening, then you have a good chance of getting a fair number of ripe figs.

Subject: How do you rate this potting mix receipe? Replies: 11
Posted By: jkuo Views: 312
 
I'm going to break ranks and take the opposite opinion on the peat moss. While peat moss may be better, it's not better enough to justify a 7X price difference. Coco coir is a serviceable alternative to peat moss. Coir often needs to have a calcium source added to counteract its high concentration of potassium. Toss in a generous amount of dolomitic lime (which will benefit the figs for almost all mixes), and you should have a workable potting mix.

Young fig trees are sensitive to having too much moisture. More mature trees are more tolerant of the potting mix and should be ok as long as the mix drains well enough to not be waterlogged. The proposed mix looks a little wet for young trees, but is probably fine for a more established tree in a fabric pot. Personally, I use a 5-1-1 mix (Pine bark-peat moss-perlite) for my young trees, and drop it to a 4-1-1 or 3-1-1 as they grow bigger. For a SIP, I alter the mix to a 2-1-1 ratio for better wicking. I substitute calcined clay oil adsorbent from the hardware store for perlite, and I imagine substituting coir for peat moss would also work.

The exact mix you use is dependent on your local climate, how mature your trees are, and how big a fabric pot you're using. I'm just going to guess and say that you could probably increase the composted pine bark content to 50% and still have a good balance of moisture retention and drainage.

Subject: Green Ischia from Walmart breba! Replies: 24
Posted By: jkuo Views: 606
 
I'm guessing it was a tissue-cultured "Ischia" fig you picked up at Wal-Mart. A few members had Ischia figs which turned out like that. The guess was that it was really something more like a White Marseilles.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/white-ischia-turns-out-it-might-be-white-marseilles-7587906?highlight=ischia+marseilles&pid=1289592696

Subject: Sal's Corleone in a sip Replies: 32
Posted By: jkuo Views: 617
 
The fuzz on the top layer of soil sounds like beneficial mycorrhizae growth. Did they look like spiky puff balls? If you added Espoma or similar fertilizer to your potting mix, it would have inoculated the mix with beneficial fungi. The sip cover would have provided the wind-free, damp environment needed for them to grow out of the mix.

I also haven't covered my sips. I don't have any sound reason for not doing it. I'm just too lazy to track down supplies to affix the plastic cover.

Subject: From Twigs to Figs in 120 Days: Rich's Propagation Method Replies: 140
Posted By: jkuo Views: 12,086
 
Using a hydroponics solution is a good idea. The cuttings can only draw on their reserves for so long before they need a source of nutrients. I start my cuttings in coir and use Canna Aqua Vega at half strength when they are newly rooted, and ramp up to full strength as they get more roots and leaves.

Quote:
Originally Posted by E30
I'm going to throw a hail marry and use a light hydroponics solution.

Subject: OT: Sidewalk Flower Bed Ideas Replies: 31
Posted By: jkuo Views: 377
 
I'll put in my vote for zinnias too. I'll add that it might be wise to favor shorter varieties. Not sure if it's generally true, but the taller ones I grew had a tendency to flop over, branch from the flopped stem, and otherwise start growing past the area I intended they occupy.

Other annuals I've found easy to grow and add a splash of color: marigolds, calendula, purple basil. Rudbeckia has been easy, too, though mine have been the perennial rather than annual varieties.

Subject: Mosquitos Replies: 9
Posted By: jkuo Views: 180
 
The mosquitoes have been pretty vicious around here too. Being near woods, a creek, and neighbors who aren't always diligent about removing sources of standing water essentially means we always have mosquitoes. The approach I've decided to try (with a few of my neighbors) is to set out traps: buckets of water with mosquito dunks. I got the idea from here. The premise is to provide lots of convenient BTI-laced breeding pools for the mosquitoes  to lay eggs which never survive into adulthood. I just started trying it last fall, so I'll see how well it succeeds this season (especially if I can get my neighbors to be diligent about it too).

Subject: Show us your setup! Replies: 69
Posted By: jkuo Views: 1,523
 
My winter setup is down in my basement. I've got a mix of t5 and t8 lights on a bar converted into a gardening bench and on some shelves. This setup is supposed to be for starting my seeds, but figs seem to take over a large portion of my space.


SAM_4563.JPG 
SAM_4590.JPG


Subject: OT Recommendations for new camera Replies: 11
Posted By: jkuo Views: 222
 
What type of pictures are you going to take with your camera? And what form factor would you find acceptable (i.e. how big a camera)? Since you prefer to not have interchangeable lenses and are coming from a point and shoot experience, I'm going to assume that you like using the automatic settings on your camera and don't want to futz with the manual controls. If that's true, you can get large[r] sensor cameras in a P&S form factor which will take nicer pictures over a wider variety of shooting conditions than your typical P&S cameras and iphone. The two I'm most familiar with are the Canon S series (S95, S100, S110, S120, etc) and the Sony RX100 series. The Canons can be had well under your $700 budget, and the older RX100 versions can also be under your budget. Both should give you decent pictures in full automatic mode, and they both give you the option of manual control should decide you want to start playing around with those settings.

I'll also second the recommendation about a photography basics online tutorial. Some basic understanding of photography principles can help with your decision and also improve your shooting technique.

Subject: New Member - Saying Hi! :) + NC Swap? Replies: 26
Posted By: jkuo Views: 282
 
I think I can help out with some of those wishlist items. Sent a PM.

I used to be a student in the Triangle area, though at Duke. Mildy amusing anecdote from my days in NC: I once lived with UNC and NCSU housemates. The rival schools were all represented under the same roof, which was kind of funny during basketball season.

Subject: fungus gnat help Replies: 38
Posted By: jkuo Views: 766
 
A multi-prong approach has worked for me. I use sterile media (coir) for rooting, put a small square of yellow sticky paper in each pot, hang a sticky trap near a cluster of plants, use Gnatrol every time I water my indoor plants, and smash every one that I see flying around. I never seem to completely get rid of the buggers, but they also never grow to a significant population size. I might try add the wine vinegar and soap to my control measures as extra insurance.

Subject: Letizia Fig Tree ?? Replies: 43
Posted By: jkuo Views: 3,452
 
I got a Letizia last year. It ripened a few fruit last season. It had a taste profile similar to Hardy Chicago in my opinion.

Subject: Unknown cuttings for postage Replies: 5
Posted By: jkuo Views: 306
 
Almost all of my trees have gone dormant, so the pruners are coming out. I thought I'd offer the pruned cuttings of my [semi-]unknowns to anyone who wants them. Just asking for postage to cover mailing them.
  • Unk Italian 1 - probably a Mt Etna type. Seems to set smaller figs.
  • Unk Italian 2 - almost certainly a Brunswick or variant thereof.
  • Ischia (Not) - got this one as a TC plant and it was obviously not a Green or White Ischia. It's probably a White Marseilles.

Subject: My Persimmons tree Replies: 43
Posted By: jkuo Views: 402
 
Ross,
Do you ever shop at an Asian grocery store? You might have better luck tracking down persimmons at an Asian grocery. I don't think I've ever seen persimmons in the main grocery stores around here. Some things (like persimmons) are much easier to find in ethnic markets.

Subject: Early Breba Figs Replies: 8
Posted By: jkuo Views: 175
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Likeo
Quote:
Originally Posted by tyro
Looks like main that never ripened.
But its on old growth


That's not necessarily old growth. At this point in the season it could easily be this season's growth that has already lignified. Those figs looks like main crop that didn't ripen before the leaves dropped. You can see the spots where the leaf stems were once attached, and they are below the figs. Brebas usually set below the leaves, whereas the main crop usually sets above the leaves.

Subject: Air layer from hell Replies: 42
Posted By: jkuo Views: 605
 
If you had just chosen to space your cups a little differently, you could have fit one more!

Subject: How much can I cut back? Replies: 11
Posted By: jkuo Views: 236
 
I see no reason why you couldn't cut those back to an arbitrary height. You'll just induce branching below the the cut. I plan on cutting my potted trees back to 4-5 feet after they go dormant. I need to stack my pots to store them. I can't store a bunch of 7-8 foot tall potted trees in my garage, so they'll have to be cut back to a reasonable height.

Subject: White Ischia..turns out it might be White Marseilles Replies: 14
Posted By: jkuo Views: 612
 
My tissue culture "Ischia" tree also seems to be a White Marseilles. I was actually looking forward to a Green Ischia.

SAM_4256.JPG  SAM_4257.JPG 


Subject: THANKS BILL!!! Now I need help Replies: 13
Posted By: jkuo Views: 419
 
Bill, where's the story about Teramo? You're keeping me in suspense here!

Subject: Simple Bird Netting Frame Replies: 17
Posted By: jkuo Views: 322
 
That is really convenient to know.  I might actually manage to get up some bird netting next year.

Subject: yet another unknown fig needs an identity Replies: 14
Posted By: jkuo Views: 579
 
Maybe a Sicilian Black or relative?

Subject: Local PA unknown fig id? Replies: 2
Posted By: jkuo Views: 138
 
This one behaves differently than my Hardy Chicago. The fruit are like half the size, and the few fruit it set were all pointing almost straight up. The pictured fig actually ripened still pointing up (no droop). Granted, I've got a pretty small sample size to draw from, so this could all be spurious. The leaf shape, dark fruit and berry interior is consistent with a Mt Etna type. Maybe this is a runt Mt Etna?

Subject: Local PA unknown fig id? Replies: 2
Posted By: jkuo Views: 138
 
I finally got a ripe fig off a local unknown (original post here). Anyone have any ideas what this might be? This one ripened with two days of torrential rain, so I was forced to pick it early since it started cracking open. It had a pleasant mild lingering sweetness and distinct raspberry flavor.

Savo1a.JPG 
Savo1b.JPG 
Savo1c.JPG 
Savo1d.JPG 
Savo1e.jpg 
Savo1f.jpg


Subject: Olympian Replies: 139
Posted By: jkuo Views: 9,882
 
My 2nd year TC Olympian ripened its first fig, with several more coming. Despite having an enormous downpour during ripening, it still had a nice sweetness and dense texture. There was just a touch of syrup in the middle.


Olympian1.JPG 
Olympian2.JPG 


Subject: Transplanted fig survival? (newbie questions) Replies: 22
Posted By: jkuo Views: 962
 
Update on the unknowns:

The long fingered one looks like it's most likely a Brunswick. Photos are from bigbadbill, as the plants I gave him were the only ones that ripened fruit. Mine set late fruit which may not ripen before the frost.

image_4501.jpg  image_4500.jpg 

The other one may be a Mt Etna type? That's my best guess. It's just starting to ripen one of the few figs it set this year.

savo_unk.jpg  savo_unk_b.jpg 


Subject: Who said Organza bags worked? Replies: 48
Posted By: jkuo Views: 1,743
 
I find phasers ineffective against the Birds of Prey. You need more firepower.

Subject: Using Leaf Mold in Potting Mix Replies: 2
Posted By: jkuo Views: 164
 
No personal experience, but I have heard of leaf mold as an ingredient for DIY potting mixes. I see no reason why you couldn't use it for figs, though you might need to experiment a bit to optimize your potting mix recipe.

Subject: Unknown but known cultivar Replies: 9
Posted By: jkuo Views: 313
 
If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say it was a Hardy Chicago. Of course, with my luck, it would probably end up with green fruit. It's tough to identify with just the leaf shape.

Subject: Tissue Culture vs fruiting wood Replies: 8
Posted By: jkuo Views: 304
 
I would probably opt for growing from cuttings since it does seem that TC is slower to bear fruit. That being said, my TC Violette de Bordeaux and Olympian trees are in their second year and setting a modest main crop. My TC Ischia may even be setting some fruit, though I won't know for sure on that one until the buds grow out a bit. Based on my limited experience, it seems that following following certain growing practices can speed up the fruiting process: pruning out the prolific suckers, training as a single (or maybe double) stem tree, fertliizing to establish tree height and trunk girth as soon as possible, and pinching when the tree is of fruiting size.

Subject: Online nursery Replies: 8
Posted By: jkuo Views: 490
 
Edible Landscaping is a reputable nursery. I've bought stuff from them several times, and it's always arrived well packaged with healthy plants. I got my Hardy Chicago and Celeste from EL as 1(?) gallon plants relatively early in the growing season, and they bore some fruit the same season.  I'd think anything smaller than that would most likely start fruiting in the second season.

Depending on how many and what type of plants you're getting, you might want to look around your local nurseries. EL has a $15 minimum shipping and handling fee. If you were just getting 1 or 2 small plants of readily available varieties, s&h costs are going be a big chunk of your cost and you'll have to trust that the plants will survive shipping in the summer heat. In those circumstances, it might make more sense to buy a plant locally.

Subject: Too late to bareroot? Replies: 7
Posted By: jkuo Views: 296
 
Everything I've ever ordered from Burnt Ridge has been bareroot, so I kind of expect everything of theirs to be bareroot. Although I do think it is a little misleading to sell something as 1-gallon and ship as bareroot.

Subject: OT Where to buy an Asian Persimmon Tree in PA??? Replies: 8
Posted By: jkuo Views: 318
 
I vaguely remember seeing an Asian persimmon at Stauffer's of Kissel Hill.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Hachiya though.

Subject: 6th annual Northeast fig gathering. Replies: 72
Posted By: jkuo Views: 2,773
 
I'd be interested.  I'm not sure at the moment if I can convince the rest of the family.

Subject: Transplanted fig survival? (newbie questions) Replies: 22
Posted By: jkuo Views: 962
 
@ChrisK, I'll happily send cuttings in the fall.  If you lived closer, I could just give you a couple of plants.

Supposedly, there were two types of figs amongst the seven trees which were dug up.  From what I can tell, that's probably correct.  There appears to be two dominant mature leaf types corresponding to two different varieties: one with thinner fingers which taper a bit and have a more pronounced thumb, and the other with fatter fingers which don't taper as much and don't have as big a notch at the thumb.  Hopefully, I'll be able to better differentiate the plants as I get more mature leaves and see some fruit.  Then, I can pick the brains of fig experts as to what variety of figs I might have.

Subject: Transplanted fig survival? (newbie questions) Replies: 22
Posted By: jkuo Views: 962
 
5/16/15 Update:

The two unknowns planted in ground appear to have survived last winter and are leafing out nicely.  They were wrapped with some leftover packaging paper and a tarp over the winter.  The one planted near the house had less die-back, but both plants still had some surviving stems so I'm not starting from the soil line.

IMG_3658.JPG 
SAM_3920.JPG 

The tree I had in the 10-gallon grow bag looks in good shape.
SAM_3921.JPG 

And the 4 remaining cuttings I have are also growing nicely.  I had 6 more, but I gave them to a friend.  I overwintered most of the cuttings indoors under grow lights, so they were all about the size of the two plants in back.  The two in front went dormant before I got them indoors, so I let them overwinter in the garage.

SAM_3922.JPG 


Subject: What other kinds of plants are people growing? Replies: 21
Posted By: jkuo Views: 761
 
Most of what I've planted has gone in the last couple of years:

Fruit:
  • Blackberry - 2 types
  • Blueberry - 9 varieties
  • Bush Cherry
  • White Currant
  • Elderberry
  • Goosberry - 2 types
  • Jostaberry
  • Goumi
  • Jujube - 2 varieties
  • Arctic Kiwi (kolomikta)
  • Mulberry
  • Paw Paw - 3 varieties, soon to be 4
  • Pears - 2 trees
  • Asian Persimmon - to be planted as soon as I get my tree
  • Raspberries - 16 varieties
  • Juneberries
  • Strawberry - 7 varieties
Veggies:
  • Asparagus
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Zucchini
  • Cucumbers
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Peas
  • Bush beans
  • Kale
  • Swiss chard
I want a greenhouse, but the boss shot down that idea. Something about the kids still needing a yard to play in. 

Subject: 2015 Season - Douglassville,PA Replies: 114
Posted By: jkuo Views: 5,045
 
You've still got a front yard to fill...

Subject: 2015 gardening preseason Replies: 25
Posted By: jkuo Views: 1,466
 
It's past the last frost date around here, and the forecast is looking pretty good.  I'm calling it an end to the pre-season and a start to the fig growing in-season.  My two in-ground trees are budding out.  The potted plants have been outside for a couple of weeks already and are leafing out nicely.  As of now, many of my cuttings are now graduates and will have to earn their keep in the real world outside.

The cuttings which have yet to be potted and are still being acclimated to outdoor sun:
SAM_3849.JPG 

The potted new trees which have been acclimated to outdoor sun via the shuffle to/from shady locations and progressive exposure to longer periods of direct sun:
SAM_3852.JPG 

Of course, now that I see all my new and old trees arranged outdoors (and accounting for the cuttings still inside), I can fully comprehend the degree to which I went overboard with my winter rooting.  Some of the trees are destined to be gifted, but that still leaves me with more trees than I had planned for.  Figs are too addicting a hobby.


Subject: 2015 Season - Douglassville,PA Replies: 114
Posted By: jkuo Views: 5,045
 
Wow, how big are those pots?  It looks like you got your workout for the day moving those bad boys outside.

Subject: 115 + Replies: 63
Posted By: jkuo Views: 2,003
 
I just started growing figs last year.  My original plan was a fig tree or two.  That quickly became 12 by the end of the summer.  Over the winter, I rooted another 20 varieties.  I think I'm at 50 something trees at the moment, which is more than I can technically overwinter in my garage.  Oops.

Subject: 2015 gardening preseason Replies: 25
Posted By: jkuo Views: 1,466
 
At the advice of fellow f4f members, I put some of my summer-started unknown cuttings under grow lights for the winter.  Two of the cuttings went dormant before I had a chance, so I stuck them in the garage to overwinter and they are just budding out now.  The grow lights appears to have been a good idea.  The cuttings that were under lights for a few months have a sizable head start.

SAM_3828.JPG 


Subject: 2015 Season - Douglassville,PA Replies: 114
Posted By: jkuo Views: 5,045
 
Thanks for the fig tour!  Have you found coir to be any better/worse than sphagnum moss?  I've had pretty good luck with coir, but this is my first winter rooting cuttings so I've got nothing to compare against.

Subject: 2015 gardening preseason Replies: 25
Posted By: jkuo Views: 1,466
 
Austin,
With 5 pots, the shuffle should be pretty manageable.  Sounds like you'll be getting a good jump start on your season!  What varieties are you growing?

I just moved my awakening potted figs from the garage to the patio today.  I'll be starting the shuffle with the winter rooted trees tomorrow.

Subject: 2015 gardening preseason Replies: 25
Posted By: jkuo Views: 1,466
 
I'm currently using Frey Brothers Pro Potting Mix that I picked up at the nursery down the street from me.  It's the only stuff around that I could find that wasn't Miracle Gro.  I plan to eventually pot up to a 5-gal sip.  I'll probably need to mix up my own using a recipe out of the potting mix thread.