Register  |   | 
 
 
 


The search returned 124 posts

Only find topics started by Ben_in_SoFla
   
Topics  |  Posts
Subject: Mediterranean orchard Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 388
 
Thanks fignutty and  Chris, however the problem is we do not have enough people to
connect a chain from florida to california to pass buckets of water so the plants can survive.

No water drought here.... 60 inches a year on average....

and the orchard is mediterranean in scope and plants, humidity not withstanding...



Subject: Mediterranean orchard Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 388
 
Vito,  glad the ficazzana figs are growing and doing well for you. So far they are the biggest figs I have ripened outside of Sicily.
Ficazzana should do really well in a very hot dry climate as in SouthWest or Calfornia.
The plant originated from Palermo Sicily

Next year will shed light on all the varieties that I planted and should be an interesting comparison. 
My plan is to fertilize all my trees regularly and push growth on the first year. Second year cut back on feeding and push for fruit production.
I look forward to a diminished work load on the orchard and just walking through it and picking and eating ripe fruits with my Grandson.



Subject: Mediterranean orchard Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 388
 
To JDSFrance, I did have a great citrus tree orchard in South Florida, all mature trees that produced heavily every year. The state of Florida decided that it was more important to remove all citrus in backyards to protect commercial growers from citrus canker. That was a very sore time in my life. My family used to pick citrus (Dancy tangerines, minneola tangelo, valencia orange navel orange, persian limes, murcott tangerines....) with a wheel barrow and I would send my son with his red wagon full of fruits to the neighbors to distribute the fruits.

Until University of Florida and or the citrus industry in this state figure out what to do about citrus greening, I will not commit much land and resources in my orchard to citrus...

Subject: Mediterranean orchard Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 388
 
Thank you all... some answers...
the top picture shows the 3 rows of figs, only, 17 trees per row. To the left of the pictures are 6 rows fully planted (minus 2 empty spots)of all other types of fruits listed on my original post.
All rows are 15 feet apart, first 6 rows I spaced fruit trees at 15 feet also. Figs get 12 feet spacing and rows 15 feet apart. I believe that would be plenty of space. Only 70 figs left to plant....

Also have several more asian pear trees and chestnut trees to put in the ground. Trees are clustered if they need cross pollination such as apples, pears, plums, asian pears, olives, chestnuts, blueberries... otherwise they go in on straight rows (peaches, persimmons, loquat, pomegranate, mulberry, etc)

As far as citrus, I have a few waiting to go in the ground as well, however due to citrus greening disease prevalent in the state, I do not hold a high hope. Someday the University of Florida (just a few minutes away from my place) will come up with a solution, meanwhile the florida citrus industry is definitely dying a slow death. I left out a few pineapple plants and and many different varieties of blueberries, southern high bush and rabbit eye varieties I also did not mention that I have a whole fence line of seedling loquat trees and prickly pear cactus. The loquat planted in the row are 14 grafted varieties of large and sweet fruit varieties. The seedling trees are a third generation of a really sweet fruited tree from my Wife's grandpa's tree.

My handle should change to Ben_in_NorthCentral_FL but I don't believe it can be changed. I will have to create a new one and the climate zone here is 8B-9 depending on which site you refer to. 

Most of the trees are listed on a spreadsheet and on a pad as backup. They have been in pots for a couple of years and will all get new tags as I record and inventory all. 

At some point I will contact UF to see if there is any interest in doing a test plot for different varieties of figs that are resistant to rust, nematodes, humidity, etc...

I fully plan on sharing fruits with some wildlife. Deer have already been picking at some fruit tree foliage. Hopefully the first cold front will knock foliage down. I have removed some foliage on some trees to remove the deer temptation. All these fruit will be for personal, friends, neighbors, relatives consumption and no business interest. No farmers market interest at this time. Would much rather be fishng on Saturday morning....


Subject: Mediterranean orchard Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 388
 
Sometimes dreams do come true... I have been planning and working on this project for about 5 years.
Finally, ,I live in area that can support such an orchard (North Central Florida) with enough chilling hours to accomodate my plant's needs, with enough sunny, unobstructed pasture land that I can spread my plants out and see how things go. It is a ton of work and a one man operation. Soil is a sandy clay that drains fairly well and I have close to 3 acres to work with.
So far I have planted many persimmons, loquat fig_rows.jpg 
, peaches, nectarines, plums, apples, pears, asian pears, mulberry, chestnuts, olives, pomegranate, and to date 51 fig trees (70 more waiting to go in the ground).

I will probably be done sometime in early spring with irrigation to supplement rain if needed. More to come as I get better pictures. I have been quiet on this forum as I did not have much to contribute... this is about to change. SOme of my plants are duplicates and a few had the tags removed by wildlife, but I will retag them when they produce and I recognize the fruits... it will be an exciting spring once I am done. Will provide details and more pictures as time allows
fig_plant.jpg


Subject: Look What The Birds Made Me Do Replies: 24
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,674
 
Frank.. in one word "YES"....

Subject: Lunch Replies: 28
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,481
 
Frank, that looks outstanding!!!
May I suggest you try adding a single (very thin) slice of Parma prosciutto on one of next fig sandwiches and let see how much it adds....?

BTW
Most publix's that carry Boars head brands will carry the Parma prosciutto...

Subject: beautiful sight - off topic Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,281
 
And the winner winner chicken dinner is...... Ed.... within 10.

My Nam Doc Mai put out about 225 and the Carrie about 45.

The carrie is shaded by Nam Doc Mai and has no room to spread it's wings as it were.

The wildlife attacks have been minimum  this spring and so far some of these mangoes have traveled to several cities up and down the East Coast.

Ed, pls PM me you address and I'll put the box in the mail next Tuesday

Subject: Celeste too big this year! Replies: 17
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,187
 
You're all wrong... fruit is larger cause it was grown in Texas... and you know what they say about everything from Texas....

Subject: Fig earings Replies: 7
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 652
 
Awww!... come on Gina... who's gona change that diaper...?

Subject: Damn Effin Grasshoppers Replies: 22
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,380
 
They're small plants, why not cover them with fiberglass screening material to give them a chance to recover... sorry for your loss,  for a plant that is supposed to not have many problems, I'm finding that figs CAN have MAJOR problems....

Subject: Mission fig cuttings available...for postage only Replies: 38
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,555
 
Gina, if your cuttings don't pan out...let me know... I can fix this fairly easily.

Subject: What is your biggest growing season problem in your area of the country? Replies: 30
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,549
 
South East Florida, roughly from West Palm Beach to points south, I live about ten miles inland from the beach and  my climate is substantially wetter than that close to the beach. I have a friend that lives with 1 mile of the water and they get substantially less rain and substantially less problem with rust, they also get more trade winds which keeps fungus problems down a bit... its all about micro climates....

My issues are:
Fig rust
Fig rust
Fig rust
not enough chilling hours
high humidity
too much rain
lots of bad nematodes in soil
poor quality (sandy, rocky) soil
caterpillars
fig beetles

Other than that its a great place to grow mangoes....

Subject: Tallahassee Fig Orchard Video Replies: 17
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,543
 
Frank, that was a great video..... tks for posting, maybe someday I'll get a personal tour. The orchard looks great.
Questions for you, did any of the figs that you planted in SeptemberNOT have any dieback?  and did any that you planted in spring have any dieback?
I suspect that there was not enough time for the September figs to establish a solid root mass and may have suffered because of it, versus the spring planted trees had plenty of time to establish roots and suffered much less..?

Subject: Mission fig cuttings available...for postage only Replies: 38
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,555
 
Ruben...that looks awesome, I had a few fruit on my plants and the birds/squirrels/raccoon/opossum/etc.. beat me to them....
That was a major unloading of cuttings last year. I believe I shipped boxes throughout the US except for CA and AZ.... I'm thinking they'll do much better in drier climate. Texas should definitely be within that range...Enjoy and thanks for posting the pics. Black mission is an excellent fig, especially if grown in the right climate.

Subject: Hedging My Bets Replies: 47
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,586
 
Frank... that looks very promising, you can train them a la 'espalier'.

Subject: Rafed In Hospital Replies: 110
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 5,194
 
Rafed, hope you heal quickly....  Get some rest....

Subject: hello from a new member Replies: 22
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,180
 
Great to see a fig and orchid grower here.... welcome Dennis, I also share the fig world with orchids. In South Florida's sub-tropical climate it is fairly easy....This is a great forum to learn about fig..... Thanks to Jon..

Subject: The Alma Sisters Replies: 45
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,720
 
Great looking ladies Frank....  I can see you floating on a chase lounge with a long handle picker-grabber so you can pick and eat fruit while floating around the pool...

or hire a kid to pick them and toss them to you as (again) you float around....

Enjoy....

Subject: Radical Repotting...Root-Pruning Replies: 28
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,246
 
Good information, thanks Al...

Subject: think UC Davis cuttings will come earller this year? Replies: 90
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 5,865
 
Finally received my UC Davis order.... I was worried for a while that it wasn't in the cards,. Last years order arrived very early March.  Many single cuttings, and I received almost all I asked for. It is  great day for my inner fig loving child.

Some mold spores arrived with the cuttings, will need to soak them in an my anti fungal solution of diluted pool algaecide for a few minutes and lots of work this coming weekend.  


Subject: lots of brebas on ficazzana fig Replies: 10
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,509
 
Good to know... BTW I have a couple available for trade if anyone is interested. I will be using one of the mother plants for  surrogate graft mom and will air layer just below the graft. Will take some pics.. It should interesting..

Subject: One spot for a tree...what should it be Replies: 5
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 761
 
How about putting the ficazzana in the ground and grafting all your dark favorites on it, leave at least one branch for the ficazzana figs. The ficazzana is a strong grower and will establish quickly. You can keep the dark plants in the pots as well for backup, just need a cutting to graft.

Subject: think UC Davis cuttings will come earller this year? Replies: 90
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 5,865
 
Tks Ruben... could not find my glasses....looks like west coast crew has a lot shorter trip than mine... can't hardly wait....

Subject: think UC Davis cuttings will come earller this year? Replies: 90
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 5,865
 
Has anyone received any fig cutting from UC Davis yet this spring?
Last year, they arrived very early March...

Subject: "Italian Fig Cuttings" eBay seller wonders what it is. Replies: 7
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,599
 
What Jon said...

Subject: Its On - The Fig Shuffle Replies: 36
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,881
 
Martin, as I was watching the weather report and saw 80 degrees for Chicago, I thought of you doing the fig shuffle.....At least it will be a good exercise.

It has been a very warm winter, even by South Florida standards, it really has affected the migratory pattern of coastal fishes and it has been very poor fishing for the local areas.... 

Hope it stays mild for you'all...

Subject: beautiful sight - off topic Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,281
 
Terowan,  there are many thousands of flowers as each cluster has a few hundreds, there is just no way all those flowers can become fruits. The fruits will weight 1.5 to 2 lbs each and the weight would easily break all the branches. The bees have to pollinate first and then from those, the tree will drop many of the small fruits and hang on to as many as it can handle. 

Interesting point, I will count how many mango's I pick and or share with local wildlife.

My guess would be 175...? Should we start a pool?
The winner gets a flat rate box full of mangoes from both trees mailed at no cost...?

Subject: beautiful sight - off topic Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,281
 
Not sure how many other trees put on a blooming show like a well grown mango tree. They are in bloom all over South Florida and can be spotted a long distance away.
I wish I had room for more of them, but I'm happy with my two.... just had to share..
tks for indulging....

Attached Images
jpeg IMG_4048.JPG (307265, 125 views)
jpeg IMG_4049.JPG (249839, 77 views)


Subject: Why do you like figs? Replies: 27
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,712
 
Interesting story Christy, looks like many of us are trying to recapture some part of our youth through fig tree memories tied with family....
Why not post as much info as you can remember from your family fig tree such, single crop or dual, skin color, flesh color, time of year that fruits ripened, size of fruit, location of origin in Italy(some Italian fig sites may also have some details) etc...
Some one in this forum may just surprise you...

Why do I like figs?
I've always had a sweet tooth and the only sweets available were fruits.
I grew up eating as many figs as I could stuff... whether they were white,yellow,green or dark. A sweet ripe fig was as close to a trip to a "candy store" as I had in Sicily in the early sixties.... Most of my family had fig trees and yet my friends and Myself went rampaging through the countryside picking figs from any tree that had ripe ones... If you envision the scene from Godfather movie where Michael and Apollonia are walking on a country dirt road in front of a horde of chaparones, that is the countryside that I explored on a regular basis.... lots of memories....

Subject: Sporotrichosis Replies: 18
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,438
 
As a long time orchid grower, I always soak  moss in diluted pool algaecide to disinfect it from such concerns. I occasionally hear about such infections by orchid growers who use moss. Pool agaecide is  found in garden centers and does the trick....
You can also use RD20 or Physan in lieu of pool algaecide. they're all pretty much the same chemical, although they are more expensive and not as easy to find.
Will post a link soon as I find it online somewhere.
Ben

Subject: Suggestions please Replies: 11
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 775
 
Visit some nurseries in your area and speak with them about the fig varieties they grow and sell. Gives extra credence to the nurseries that produce their own stock, meaning they have mature trees and propagate their own cuttings.  Usually this translates into more reliable information about varieties and whether those varieties do well in that area. They may also have a larger size tree. Cuttings galore right now on ebay from good sellers (members of this forum). but getting a large tree may be a challenge.

See if any forum member is within driving range that may have what you're looking for... you never know...
best of luck finding your fig tree


Subject: You are probably a "fignut" if........ Replies: 72
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 3,768
 
If you research a fig tree location posted on line, and drill google earth down to street level and look for an advertising sign for a business near the tree and contact that business, look for the owner, call repeatedly until you speak to that owner and send him a prepaid package to just throw a few cuttings in and ship them back to you and the whole process takes a couple of months and eventually you get your cuttings.....
you may be a fig nut

P.S. guilty on on 99 pct of all crazyness posted so far...

Subject: Dried figs? Replies: 25
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,673
 
Good research.... The "cucidata" cookies can be made with figs and or dates and or a mix, plus candied fruit (melon, orange rind) toasted almonds and or walnuts and chocolate, plus a white frosting and or sprinkles on top of frosting. There are probably as many varied recipes as there are cooks of these sweets and recipes are always modified to include or exclude some items. We skip the candied fruit and go heavy on chocolate. These cookies have a substantial shelf life, no refrigeration needed. Outside of chocolate and sugar, all ingredients were from local production.

No surprise on the history of these sweets. Sicily has been influence by many people from all over the Mediterranean basin over the centuries.

Subject: Dried figs? Replies: 25
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,673
 
My family has been using dried figs for Christmas cookies for many years and when we were in Sicily we dried our own figs in the sun and strung them up or bartered with friends & neighbors who did the drying the same way.... Outside of Southern California, I don't think there is a climate close enough (to the southern Mediterranean) in the US to do sun drying the old fashioned way.
I have tried many varieties of dried figs. The newer stuff from CA still has a lot of moisture in them. Some from Spain were poor quality and had a crystallized  white stuff on the outside.

My favorite is the Greek Kalamata dried figs sold under the Jenny brand. They are great for any baking/cooking  use and they are awesome for general snacking. Lots of fiber in them....

They are sold seasonally (now is the season) and I see them for 2.99 for a 14oz package. I will be stocking my cabinet before the end of the year.

Enjoy, I'll ask my MIL to make some more cookies and post some pics of process and figs and cookies when she does.


Subject: Fig Orchard -Updated Replies: 48
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 6,456
 
Frank, that is just positively AWESOME....I know what I want to do when I grow up....

Ben

Subject: Tallahassee visit, trip to Just Fruits? Replies: 6
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 827
 
Looks like I will have to play bocce by myself....

Subject: Tallahassee visit, trip to Just Fruits? Replies: 6
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 827
 
Will be visiting Tallahassee this Wed through Saturday and wondering if there is any interest in a visit to Just Fruits and Exotics in Crawfordsville this coming Saturday, and OR possibly a lunch at a local BBQ spot...? It'd be fun to meet the person behind the avatar and shoot the fig breeze, etc...  I'll bring the Sicilian Christmas fig cookies... and LSU purple cuttings and Ficazzana white cuttings fig if anyone wants any

Hex, JD, Frank... and other Tallahassee fig people...?

Subject: Cuttings to trade Replies: 12
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,744
 
Thank you Jason, you should receive my envelope in the next couple of days

Subject: Can I air layer main trunk ? Replies: 43
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 3,590
 
Am sure the stump, will explode with new growth in the spring, providing the cold doesn't kill it. Looks to be big enough that it will sprout from roots even is stump dies.

Excellent work, if the only goal was to shorten the tree, you also could have just topped it and forced it to branch in lower trunk. I guess one is as good as the other. Thanks for showing the re-attachment of the bucket around the tree, good to know.
Just goes to show that where there is a will there is a way...


Subject: Marius thank you!!!! Replies: 15
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,186
 
Marius, you turned a regular day into an early Christmas... Thank you for for the cuttings, very generous of you and please post what you're looking for....
Ben

Subject: Cuttings to trade Replies: 12
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 1,744
 
Very nice list Jason, sent you a PM as well
Thanks

Subject: What Is Your Fastest Growing Fig Tree Replies: 6
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,276
 
LSU purple has pretty much EXPLODED after it settled into a good spot and my Ficazzana from Sicily also is a fast grower and generates early brebas and continues to produce through the summer. I have used several ficazzana plants to graft cuttings onto.

 The grafted plants are much less risky for me in this subtropical climate. My cuttings have not rooted at the rate I hoped and I can do 100 pct on the grafts. The fact that the ficazzana iis a fast grower will help with slow growers. time will tell. Nothing grafted on LSU purple yet, but I'll compare the two next spring. Fig taste is relative to rain amount week before fruit ripens.

Subject: Looking for Battaglia in CA Replies: 6
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 957
 
well...here is one option from a forum member, it has 1 bid already...

Subject: Bulk New Zealand Sphagnum Moss Replies: 10
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,914
 
Dennis, quality sphagnum moss (New Zealand) is very expensive and if you just see it called "long fibered sphagnum moss" it is likely the stuff from Chile. New Zealand has the best stuff and it is very expensive, most of it goes to Japan and Taiwan for orchid culture. For cold frame use you should have no problem with Chilean moss. There are a couple of good sources in Florida, OFE Int'l in Miami and Tropical plant products in Orlando area. When buying moss always note the dry (compressed) weight as this is how it is sold, not in the expanded volume.

Subject: Irrigation tutorials Replies: 2
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 578
 
Bump up for visibility...

Subject: Today's lunch Replies: 5
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 620
 
That looks great Marius......

Subject: Irrigation tutorials Replies: 2
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 578
 
Looks like an interesting site for irrigation information.

Subject: Napolitana Replies: 11
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 3,177
 
Navid, this is why you need to send a piece of each hard to find fig tree to a grower in South Florida as insurance in case they freeze/die... so you can get a plant back....  no charge for this service..LOL  and of course I volunteer to be a caretaker... I've done similar task very successfully with high end orchids for similar reasons...

Subject: LSU Purple 2011 & 2012 Replies: 34
Posted By: Ben_in_SoFla Views: 2,891
 
Those look downright yummy JD...  I have high hopes for LSU purple to do some heavy fig production in the next couple of years... removed and potted up  5 4ft long air layers about an inch thick from my Gainesville plant.... can't wait for the fruit orchard to materialize...
 Thanks for posting.

Ben