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Subject: Don't give up hope! or an exercise in patience. Replies: 9
Posted By: seven Views: 549
 
All my potted figs that over-wintered in my garage leafed out a month or 2 ago except for 1. I kept it on the driveway intending on throwing it out but just this week it started budding. My 5 year old protected in-ground tree seemingly died back to the roots but at least 2 of the 5 main trunks are budding about a foot off the ground and there are probably another 4 or 5 new trunks growing from the roots. I'll probably lose 3-4 feet of top growth but at least it's not a complete loss!

Subject: Looking for varieties from Abruzzo region Replies: 13
Posted By: seven Views: 1,214
 
Both of my parents and family friends are from Abruzzo but this winter completely decimated all in ground trees. My protected fig is finally sprouting from the roots so no cuttings appear viable. There are a lot of unhappy Italian Americans in Philly right now.

Subject: FIG TREES NOT BUDDING - WHATS HAPPENING? Replies: 24
Posted By: seven Views: 2,150
 
My protected, in-ground tree only recently sent up 2 shoots from the roots. Only 1 of the main trunks has a bud so far, and it was a section of trunk that was buried in mulch over winter. I'm still hopeful the tree needs more time to wake up.

Subject: No-Fuss Simple Fig Propagation Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,191
 
Best of luck, Tim. I'm not far from you and I have some cuttings in the fridge that I need to send out shortly. If I have any extra, you are more than welcome to them. The parent tree went unprotected in NE Philly without damage and produced a lot of fruit. I haven't had much luck with mine yet, nor have I had the courage to not protect it over winter.

Subject: World's Hottest Pepper - OT Replies: 76
Posted By: seven Views: 2,640
 
I've had a piece the size of dime of both the ghost pepper and a scorpion pepper, the latter of which is supposedly hotter. Both were insanely, ridiculously hot, immediate pain followed by a numbness that lingered. The heat is like being punched in the throat. My stomach felt odd for hours afterwards. There's also a pepper called the Carolina reaper that tops them both. Once you get above a certain number of Scoville units, I can't imagine out matters.

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Untied the tree yesterday and got rid of several suckers. Attached are a couple pictures from different angles of how the tree looks now. What do you think? I will need to prune the tops to get rid of dead wood but should I prune more heavily to encourage branching? I'm willing to give up the breba crop for a better main crop. Given that there are 5 mains, could I heavily prune a couple and leave the rest as is? The tree is still fully dormant. Thanks!

P.S. why are the pictures coming up sideways???

Attached Images
jpeg 20140406_101604.jpg (699597, 38 views)
jpeg 20140406_101620.jpg (592834, 36 views)

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Thanks, Pete. I have some dolomitic lime in my shed that I'll sprinkle around the root zone. My Ca:Mg ratio is pretty good and I don't want to skew it over the whole lawn since too much magnesium leads to a tight soil and dolomitic lime heavily favors magnesium over calcium (and is much, much slower acting than calcitic lime which isn't a good thing when dealing with a highly acidic soil).

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Yes, Pete, it is. My lot was a former wooded area and had pretty crappy soil when I first built the house, with a ph of 5.0, primarily influenced by a lack of calcium. I've made several calcitic lime applications and I'm going to guess that my ph is now in the upper 5s or low 6s (this year's test is pending). I've also boosted magnesium (via epsom salts), phosphorus and potassium, as well as nudged the boron. I typically only use synthetic fertilizers on the lawn (and therefore the tree) in the fall, although I have used organic ferts in the spring and summer previously. This year's regimen is almost guaranteed to include more calcitic lime.

What ph is ideal for figs? I could, perhaps, amend the soil in the immediate vicinity of the fig tree differently than the rest of the lawn.

Thanks!

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
I've never had to and it's never shown signs of wilting, at least not since its 1st year. My area typically gets 3-4 inches of rain per month but we have gone almost a month with no rain in the recent past. The tree looked perfectly fine. Should I be watering even if the tree isn't showing any stress?

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Thank again, everyone. Lots of options for me to consider, including my dad's opinion of paring down the trunks to only 2-4. I am willing to sacrifice the breba crop for a more productive main crop, so would I accomplish this by cutting away the majority of last year's growth? And it sounds like I'd be better off pruning the suckers rather than air layering them, correct? I could always root the cuttings afterwards.

jdsfrance - I honestly don't know how long our tomato growing season is. Regarding watering, I've not had to water this tree for several years, even during droughts severe enough to put my lawn into dormancy. The tree itself appears very healthy and put on a lot of limb growth last season. The leaves are huge, probably 8-10 inches from top to bottom. I'll try to attach pictures of the leaves and the fruit from the mother tree.

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
A quick update...I removed the bucket from the top of the tree and will unwrap the rest of it later in the week. I only had a few minutes to examine but there appears to be pretty heavy dieback of the extremities from this brutal winter, so a heavy pruning may be necessary. We had sustained temps in the teens and lower this winter so this isn't unexpected. I'll be able to determine the extent of the damage shortly. Hopefully the potted trees in my unheated garage fared better.

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Wow, great advice from everyone and a lot to take in. My dad was (and still is) a natural at this, old world knowledge I suppose, but it seems to have skipped me. I'm on my phone right now but I'll try to answer some questions and give a little more info until I can get on an actual computer.

Aaron, the picture was taken last fall to give everyone an idea of the trunk structure. The figs on the tree never reached maturity unfortunately. O also had a couple breba fruit that I think were stolen by animals.

Pete, thanks for the diagram. I will print it out at work tomorrow and study it. Would calcitic lime work as well? My soil has adequate magnesium levels (I'm a bit of a grass nerd and get my soil tested at Logan Labs every year or so). Calcitic lime also raises ph quicker and my soil is calcium deficient. I have some miracle grow with Micros that I will use at bud break.

ADelmonto, the main crop ripened too late last year but there were only 2 or 3. In contrast, the potted tree from the same mother tree produced around 20 figs. The potted fig had similar sun.

BronxFigs, I see a lot of air layering in my future! I'm on a big lot and have lots of room for fig trees, including a few spots with southern exposure that should be perfect. I have several pots that I plan on putting on ground this year, including a dark fig that my dad says is the best he's had in his 80+ years eating figs! I'm excited about that one.

One question...what is a good ph for growing figs? My native soil is really acidic and lacking just about every macro and micro.

Thanks everyone!

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertDance
Is this tree in shade or sun?  Figs like sun.  They are plants.  They WANT to bear fruit.  This is an unknown tree, right?  I hope it's not one that needs the wasp.

My grandpa had a lemon tree that bore no fruit for many years.  Grandpa never got mad, but this ordeal was hard on him.  He read that if the tree thinks it's dying, it will bear.  So, he scored a band of 3/4 of the bark off the tree.  Waited.  That lemon is still bearing fruit.

Tricks do work sometimes.

Suzi


Hi, Suzi. The tree gets mainly morning and evening sun. The southern exposure is covered by 50-60 foot trees. I've considered this as a possible cause of no fruiting but the tree itself grows very well so I didn't think that sunlight was a limiting factor. The tree is an unknown but bore fruit (and a LOT of it) some 50 miles away in Philadelphia. My climate is definitely colder but would 3-5 degrees F make that much of a difference? I also have a potted version of this tree that has bore fruit, so I think it's something else. My soil ph is low, 5.9 or so at my last soil test...it started off at 5.0 but I've been amending it to be more grass-friendly, mainly through calcitic lime and NPK additions. I dont fertilize my lawn until the fall so maybe I should give the tree some fert this spring and summer to see if it helps it produce fruit.

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gorgi
First I would turn the tree 90 deg clockwise [pic :-) ].

Growing a fig tree as a bush has it own benefits up in cold north.
Just top trim to size and thin out some suckers.

If you want a tree-shape fig, I see a thick twig as a good candidate.
However, sooner or later, expect a cold winter kill that may revert it again to a bush form.

As to why it has not produced fruit yet, I have no clue;
maybe you should just let it be itself as-is for a while...


Thanks, George! LOL, not sure why the picture showed up that way...it looks upright in my photo gallery :)

I will definitely thin out some suckers and possibly air layer a few. I think the lack of figs may be explained by lack of lateral growth but hopefully I changed that last year by trimming the main trunk tips and also pinching. The tree was literally just vertical limbs a couple years ago. It's a breba variety but I've not gotten any of them either.

Subject: Pruning Advice Replies: 25
Posted By: seven Views: 1,115
 
Attached is a picture of my "main" fig tree that has gotten a little out of control sucker-wise. This was once a single-trunk tree but died back to the ground a few years ago and started suckering like crazy (I even air-layered four inch-wide trunks in fall 2012). This tree was started from a cutting of my dad's tree that produces some of the best figs I've ever tasted. His former tree (he moved) survived Philadelphia winters unprotected and was a transplant from his hometown in the Abruzzo region.

Unfortunately, this tree hasn't ripened a single fig for me in 4 years. I just learned about pinching last year and that did produce more lateral growth but still no figs. I think it needs a heavy pruning but I'm just not sure what to prune away. Ideally, I would take it down to only 1 or 2 main trunks but I realize that pruning that heavily at once may be detrimental. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! Now that my dad has sold his house, my fig supply is gone and I'd love to repay his fig generosity over the years with some figs of my own!

P.S. - The tree is still covered but I plan on checking on it this week. After this brutal winter, I'm expecting a lot of die back but hopefully the mains are intact. My father-in-law left his 2 big trees unprotected this past winter and I'm fearful that his trees didn't survive.

Thanks!

Attached Images
jpeg 20131109_142143.jpg (854187, 162 views)

Subject: Air Layer removal Replies: 3
Posted By: seven Views: 589
 
Thank you! Our nights are getting into the upper 30s or low 40s so I may have another few weeks before a hard freeze comes. If I keep the plants active during the winter, will they bear fruit next year? Can I keep them active indoors for a couple months then force them into dormancy in my attached garage for a month? It doesn't (or shouldn't) get below freezing in there. Ideally, I'd like to get fruit from them but if it's not in the tree's best interest, I won't let them go dormant. I'm just not sure how my wife will feel about 4 five foot trees in the house! These are big air layers taken from the 8 or so suckers that the mother tree put out. I've not gotten any ripe fruit from the mother tree yet...it's in its 3rd year but died to the ground the first winter and had some tip death last year. I've also not pinched to encourage lateral growth.

Subject: Air Layer removal Replies: 3
Posted By: seven Views: 589
 
I started 4 air layers on my 1 in-ground tree on September 3rd. All 4 are showing decent root development and are probably ready for removal and potting. Given how late in the season it is, should I remove the air layers now or allow the tree to go dormant? My fear is that a frost will damage the tender roots if I keep the layers attached to the tree until dormancy. I've already lost a few leaves to a frost last week. If I remove the layers now, should they be potted and brought inside to continue growth or should they be potted and allowed to go dormant? I plan on planting all 4 trees in the ground next spring, although I may give 1 or 2 away, depending on how greedy I feel next spring ;)
Thanks!

Subject: Espalier, sort of Replies: 36
Posted By: seven Views: 3,656
 
Jon, if the branch in your picture was actually in contact with the soil, would it root at the nodes? I'm thinking like a ground-level espalier of sorts? I have a few trees in 1 gallon pots that I just put into the ground (after like 3 years in the same pot...don't ask) that I wouldn't mind experimenting with. They are quite small and whippy, maybe 18-24 inches tall. They would be very easy to protect in the winter too if grown in this fashion. Thanks!

Subject: Tastey Pawpaws Replies: 58
Posted By: seven Views: 3,389
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bass
I go pick from certain farmers and backyard of people I know. However there is a public place in the woods near the susquehana river that has pawpaw patches. Near the town of Holtwood.


Bass, do you think the Holtwood patch is maturing earlier than normal too? I planned on going on the 16th with the group but do you think that's too late?

Subject: Too late to air-layer? Replies: 9
Posted By: seven Views: 781
 
Beautiful pics, SH! Do you girdle the branch before layering? Do you simply have a hole in the bag that you secure top and bottom? I'm going to try this!

Also, thanks for the link! Can't watch it at work but will forward it to my phone to watch in "the office" ;)

Subject: Too late to air-layer? Replies: 9
Posted By: seven Views: 781
 
Thanks, everyone! I'll run out and get some moss ASAP. Any advice on how to remove the suckers? Do I just dig down with a shovel and try to extract as many roots as possible? Is there any danger of harming the rest of the tree or are figs that hardy?

Subject: Too late to air-layer? Replies: 9
Posted By: seven Views: 781
 

Time has gotten away from me and it's almost September. I have an in-ground tree that died back to the ground last winter (odd considering the warm winter we had) and has sprouted probably 10 "trunks". I'd like to propogate the trunks into new trees and leave 1 or 2 of the strongest growths in their existing spot. Am I better off air-layering or just digging out the suckers? I have a nice SW facing corner of my house that is perfect for a tree! I've relied on my dad's extremely bountiful fig crops to satisfy my cravings but he recently sold his house and my main fig supply is now gone :(
Fortunately, my tree was propogated from his tree...now I just need it to survive a winter!!! Thanks!

Subject: Winter protection questions Replies: 7
Posted By: seven Views: 866
 
Thanks! Italiangirl74, I'm located in SE PA, about 50 miles west of Philadelphia. The black plastic isn't in contact with the tree so I thought it would be OK since there is an air layer between the tree and the pipe. Maybe I should reconsider that approach. I'm a bit worried about mice now too, although I haven't seen any rodents in the area...we have a neighborhood fox who takes care of them (and squirrel and rabbits).

OttawanZ5 - thanks for the link...looks like I have lots of reading to do over lunch now!

Subject: Winter protection questions Replies: 7
Posted By: seven Views: 866
 
This year is the 1st that I've had fig trees in the ground and just finished covering them up for winter. Hopefully I didn't wait too long since it's been unseasonably cold here. Anyway, I wrapped the trees losely with burlap then covered with a PVC tube. The tube was then wrapped with black plastic vinyl flashing and a black trash bag. I composted the root area outside the tubing pretty high to try to protect the roots. Here are my questions:

My dad and father-in-law (both off the boat Italians) advised me to provide some kind of ventilation. Is this necessary? Can I just vent the top somehow or do I need top and bottom ventilation?

My dad also advised me, after I wrapped everything up, to provide some kind of rodent barrier. Any thoughts on how this can be accomplished?

Finally, I considered filling the PVC tube with some kind of insulation. Can I fill the tube with compost or something similar or would the added moisture just lead to rot? I'm pretty confident that the setup is wind proof so I gain some comfort from that.

Thanks in advance!