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Subject: Mulching practices & benefits for figs Replies: 15
Posted By: timclymer Views: 2,645
 
Eric,

Sorry for the late reply. Things are still busy here around the farm. As for the size of the mulch, I wouldn't worry so much in terms of moisture. The time of year that you'd spread mulch isn't too conducive to rot happening and the worst that'd happen is that the trunks would start to send roots off into the mulch. I used shredded hardwood bark mulch (most prevalent around here and least expensive) but any mulch would probably work. In our area I spread it around Thanksgiving and pull it back around the end of March. As a rule I'd say to spread it when the night temps dip into the low 20s and pull it back when the night temps are done dipping into the low 20s. It accomplishes several things if you pursue that method: weed suppression, moderating soil temps, and some nutrients for the figs (which don't tend to be heavy feeders anyways).

I'd encourage you to give it a try. The only drawback I've seen with it was one year when we had a really hard winter. The mulch seemed to provide a habitat for voles or mice and they girdled several of the trees. I do notice that it really only truly protects the buried portion of the tree.

Good luck, hope it works well for you!

Tim

Subject: Pots?... Soil?... Starting media??? Replies: 29
Posted By: timclymer Views: 708
 
When starting figs in my basement in the winter (January/February), they're usually ready to be repotted in June. I pot up from a 4x4x9 treepot directly to a 3 gallon.

Subject: Pots?... Soil?... Starting media??? Replies: 29
Posted By: timclymer Views: 708
 
I saw this thread mentions the method I use so I thought I'd chime in (thanks @drivewayfarmer). I don't sanitize my cuttings in bleach and don't have any mold/fungus problems. I use ProMix BX because it's the most readily available here, drains well (but still holds some moisture), and is inexpensive. I can fill about 120 4x4x9" pots will a 3.8cu ft bale, costing me less than $25. I use the pots from Stuewe as they seem to be durable and I like that they're deep. Only downside with them is the shipping fees that seem to amount to an extra 1/3rd of the overall cost.

When potting up I use Root Pouch 3 gallon pots. I'm really liking the rootballs they produce and they're fairly economical, though the kind I get is only good for about 1 growing season. They do dry out quickly though and need more watering when in storage. Not sure about using Root Pouches long term as I've been having some troubles with the handles on the larger pots (15 gallon and up).

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Sorry, for some reason I'm just now seeing replies to this.

@sbmohan, as I understand it, ProMix BX and HP both have a little fertilizer charge, just enough to get things going. There aren't any hard and fast rules I follow for fertilizing and I've changed up the way I do things from year to year. If I had to give a rule, I'd say I start fertilizing once the plant has at least three healthy leaves and is holding them. I've often done a water soluble fertilizer but also like the time-release top dress fertilizer. Both seem to work well.

Rather than do it at each watering, I'll typically wait until the leaves aren't looking quite as green as I think they should (I know that's vague and subjective). That's probably not ideal though. So I'd value input from others here. A weak feeding at each watering might be best.

@Smyfigs: Those bags aren't my photos. I do not use bags, but rather direct-pot them into 4x4x9 treepots. Bags just add an extra step (and extra material) that I'm not interested in doing. However, if it works well for you, more power to you :-)

Subject: 6th annual Northeast fig gathering. Replies: 72
Posted By: timclymer Views: 2,773
 
Just wanted to echo everyone else here in saying what a nice time my wife and I had. Sorry we had to skip out early, I think the heat was a bit much for her (being pregnant). I am excited about the plants I received, even if I don't know much about them! Vito, any information about the Croatian fig? Anyone else have experience with GM #25?

Barry, I'm excited to try Noire de Caromb. Have you found it to be the same as Kathleen's Black?

Tim

Subject: OT - anyone need a jujube or persimmon? Replies: 8
Posted By: timclymer Views: 489
 
For what it's worth, I've found "Great Wall" Asian persimmon to be perfectly hardy here the past two winters (-5F, -3F). No damage at all and it's flowering like crazy this year.

Tim

Subject: Vista Breba Replies: 7
Posted By: timclymer Views: 355
 
Looks good to me. Will be interested to see how they turn out up here. I've been looking for a good, reliable two-crop fig.

Subject: 6th annual Northeast fig gathering. Replies: 72
Posted By: timclymer Views: 2,773
 
I'd be interested in coming. Will have to check my schedule to see if it's possible. Always good to see folks and pick up a few figs (not that I need more!). Plus I'd love to see your new place, Bass!

Would also be happy to chip in some money to cover pizza and/or other food costs if you go that route.

Tim

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
They're just about ready for sale and potting up! This was a good year with an overall take rate of 89%. I had some varieties root at 100% but others were complete failures. Varieties that rooted poorly last year did fine this year (Florea being one). I'm thinking the difference was in the quality of the cuttings. ProMix BX versus HP seemed to make no difference, so I'm going to stick with BX most likely as it's cheaper for me.

PS - Sorry for the sideways photo. On another note, the figs seemed to sunburn less this year when transitioning them out. Not sure why.

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Subject: Setting up your own drip irrigation system Replies: 15
Posted By: timclymer Views: 812
 
I used an automated injector unit last year when I got tired of fertilizing by top-dressing. It's certainly not organic (yet) but I hope to head that way. Here's the product I used and found worked well for last season. Time will tell how it performs over a longer haul: http://www.dripworks.com/product/IEZ1GUP

In the long run a commercial unit would probably work better and (I would think) last longer.

And thanks Jack, glad it was helpful!

Tim

Subject: I just got back from Bill's Replies: 10
Posted By: timclymer Views: 458
 
I was wondering about Melanzana from last summer as none of the figs ripened. @johnnyq627, are the brebas any good? Guess I should find out next year!

Subject: What's with Florea? Replies: 1
Posted By: timclymer Views: 338
 
It's fairly rare but not overly so. We'll probably have a few available in the spring and I'm thinking they'll go quickly. Probably should have propagated more! I've heard it has a tendency to split but it's been okay for me (not as bad as some others). The eye is a little more open than some but the flavor is very good for me.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
I've been using a small watering can that just has a spout instead of the "rain" pattern of most. It serves me pretty well, isn't too heavy, and maybe takes an hour to water them all. On the established cuttings I water all I want. I'm much more cautious with the ones just starting out and let them dry out a little more. I don't weigh them individually but I do lift them to see if they feel light.

One thing I've noticed is that many of them will lose a leaf or two when they just start out but seem to stop by about the third leaf. I expect this is due either to overwatering or lack of roots to support the top growth. This may be less of a factor with a more humid environment (my basement is still around 35% humidity). Loss percentage has been pretty good but I won't do any final calculations until they're transitioned out into the sun. Some won't lose any leaves at all and take right off. These seem to have the most robust growth and largest leaves.

One other tricky thing is balancing those plants that really take off with those that aren't as quick. If I see plants shading others out, I'll move and make room for the small one elsewhere so it can get its share of the lights. This could be avoided if I didn't fill up my frames completely but I'm trying to get as many plants going as I can this spring.

One other thing, don't give up on plants that either just sit there or where the top seems to shrivel up a bit. I've had several plants push out buds from below the soil surface after the top was seemingly dead. If I see a plant that looks dead or there are no signs of life, I'll set it off to the side of the frames and still water it occasionally in case it's in the process of pushing growth from a lower bud. Maybe 10-25% of "failures" recover this way.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Thought I'd update with a few pics. The oldest cuttings are coming along nicely. It's hard to believe, but we're only about a month to a month and a half from taking these outside.

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Subject: PA Grafting Class Replies: 8
Posted By: timclymer Views: 355
 
By the way, this is a good class to attend. I went last year, joined BYFG, and had good success. They have TONS of varieties available to choose from as well as other scion from what I remember.

Subject: PA Grafting Class Replies: 8
Posted By: timclymer Views: 355
 
Thanks Johnny, I appreciate the link. I replied to your message, KK4FDU.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Fiona, thank you for the kind words. As for the two cuttings, it doesn't do anything magical other than increase the odds of at least one being successful (which is all I need). Think of it like flipping a coin for heads. The more times you flip, the more likely you are to get heads at least once (unless it's rigged!). If more than one "take" then I'll simply have several branches starting at or near ground level, which is how i grow my trees anyways (bush vs tree form). I try to orient the buds when sticking the cuttings so that if more than one does take, the branches won't head in the same direction. Hope that makes sense!

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Kelby,

I'm unable to see which of mine do this (due to black pots), but I imagine some of those that die are doing this. There's really no way of controlling which comes first (roots vs shoots) that I know of (maybe rooting hormone? I don't use it), so you're probably best off handling it the way you are.

I've had several cuttings put off an initial leaf only to have it fall off. Some of the cuttings will recover by presumably photosynthesizing enough with the green tip or stem to put out roots and eventually push out new leaves. I've seen some where the initial bud will die but one below it (even below the potting mix surface) will push out. So, don't give up too early!

That said, I imagine this shouldn't happen to a large percentage of your cuttings. Even with this happening I still had a very high success rate (90+%) and I did nothing to temporarily increase humidity. And that's with an ambient humidity in the 30-40% range.

I'd love to do some good stats on this method to determine best chances for success but there are just too many variables in my mind: diameter of cutting, health of parent plant, differences between cultivars, age of parent plant, chilling hours elapsed, potential tissue damage due to cold, viability of dormant buds, pot type, buried depth, watering technique, etc etc. The best we can do is to offer anecdotal evidence as to what works best and experiment from there.

Subject: OT: Mysterious 'Pawpaw' Fruit in High Demand Across Japan Replies: 24
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,219
 
Nice idea Kelby, I'll have to remember that.

I've got about 10 grafted varieties in ground and am hoping to get my first fruits this year. Went to a tasting last year and the cultivated ones were delicious (wild ones are good too). We're looking to put in about a half acre of them at the new place, so I'm hoping to develop a local market for them. No one really knows what they are (including me until a few years ago), so it's neat to re-introduce them to a native fruit.

Subject: Buddy Tape Replies: 16
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,185
 
FWIW, I've only used parafilm (1") but have liked it. I pre-stretch sections of mine before wrapping. Would be nice to have a more pliable version (like buddy tape I'm guessing) but for the cost it's hard to beat! Let us know how you like it James.

I prefer the 1" because it means less wraps around the cutting.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
ProMix HP is what I use now, so it would be a good choice. ProMix BX is what I've used in the past and it's worked well too. I've found it at local Agways.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Dmiller, my success rate last year was with primarily single-stuck plants (there were a few where I had extras and put in two per pot, but not a large percentage), so it's per cutting. I've experimented with a few methods and this has given me the best success rate by far. Good luck with your own rooting!

Would be happy to have you stop by the farm this spring. We'll have plants available around mid-May timeframe (though I certainly wish you luck with your own cuttings!).

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Bill, I'm not familiar with gulf wax but anything that's breathable but prevents desiccation should work. Parafilm is a wax-like product. It does take a bit of time to wrap the ends of each one. Anyone on the forum experiement with it that you know?

Steve, I have no fungus gnats. Since using ProMix HP or BX in the larger bales I haven't seen any. I do not overwinter any other plants next to the figs which can be sources of bugs (last year spider mites were really bad due to a houseplant under the lights alongside the figs until I was able to get the plants outdoors).

In past years when I did have fungus gnats I used a pond mosquito control product that contained a bacterium to take care of them. Seemed to work pretty well.

Interesting note about the PBF. My only concern with them (maybe unfounded) would be bring in overwintering insects. I use it in my potting mixes and it is a nice and inexpensive product.

Calvin, interesting idea on bottom watering. My only concern (again, maybe unfounded) would be that it'd draw up too much moisture and lead to rot. Once the plants are rooted it would be a great quick option for watering.

Thanks for some great ideas, all. I can always stand to improve and cut down on time.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Thanks for all of the comments. About 150-200 of these plants will become producing plants in our orchard, and the remaining ones I hope to sell.

Thanks as well for some of the ideas for making watering easier: tables on casters, a more flexible rigging system with some extra hooks perhaps

Sounds like others are using ProMix HP with some success but have similar issues with keeping the medium moist on top. In a greenhouse I don't think this would be as much of an issue. Hopefully within a month or so the cuttings will be really going and I won't have to "baby" them this way. Once they're really going it seems really hard to overwater them.

For those using pine bark fines mixed with the ProMix, what was your reasoning behind it? Better aeration?

Kelby, I used to have issues with fungus gnats but haven't had any since switching to promix bales. I used to use miracle grow and some other stuff and was always fighting them. I don't know if their QC is better or the packaging of the stuff limits the gnats from laying eggs in the medium.That's just my 0.02. When I did have issues with fungus gnats I would stick one of those mosquito dunks (you can find at walmart) in my watering can. It contains Bt and seemed to take care of them.

One important thing I did change this year: I hardly ever root tip cuttings, and if I do, I'll remove the terminal bud. With wrapping with parafilm I think it's difficult for the topmost bud to break when it's wrapped like that. Most of the lateral buds seem to push through the parafilm just fine.

Subject: Expanded rooting setup Replies: 39
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,931
 
Been busy the past few weeks working on a rooting setup that will support a larger number of figs. We went from around 150 last year to almost 450 this year, so some changes were definitely needed. Each set of tables holds 150 figs, and I have 3 sets of tables. I root everything in my basement currently but will hopefully root in a greenhouse eventually. The basement is kinda nice though because the temperatures don't swing greatly and it's relatively cool (around 66-68) so the rooting process is somewhat slow and steady. My method of rooting is pretty much the same as last year's with a few differences:

- Using the same 4x4x9" Stuewe pots but made my own frames (see pic) after finding that their carriers didn't really hold up. The new ones should work for years and carry more pots (25 vs 12), but boy they're pretty heavy!
- Switched to ProMix HP from BX after finding that the BX seemed to retain too much water after initially wetting the medium. A bale fills approximately 120 pots.
- Began wrapping all cuttings to approx. 1" below the soil medium to help further prevent cuttings from drying out
- Began double-sticking some cuttings to help ensure very close to 100% success (two cuttings per pot). Hoping this will also help with even more first year growth to help get the plants established and producing early.
- Went from a setup that was 6 figs wide to 5 figs to allow for easier watering, seems to be working better
 
Some of my pain points with the setup so far:
- Raising and lowering lights to water (not sure how to get around this)
- Filling 450 pots by hand is, well, quite a few pots (again, not sure how to get around this other than a commercial machine)
- Since humidity is so low (below 40%, see pic below), the top layer of medium gets dry quickly, I've been misting/spraying the soil with a bottle every other day to help. Not sure if I could do anything to avoid this or if this is fully necessary. Anyone else do this?
 
Is anyone else using this system (or something similar) and found any tips/tricks that are helpful to them and save time?
 
Enjoy some of the pics below!

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Subject: Congratulations Tim on Your New Farm Replies: 27
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,325
 
Steve, sounds good, please do!

Rewton, the orchard I worked for over the past growing system grew apples on a trellis with good results. We'll likely plant apples, but only on a trial basis. We plan to focus on low to no spray fruits so apples and stone fruits are out on the east coast.

I'll certainly be experimenting with some in-ground figs and may try some sort of stepover espalier with winter row cover system. We'll see! Main product for figs will be via pots though unless I can get solid production out of in-ground figs.

Subject: Starting figs in ProMix Replies: 120
Posted By: timclymer Views: 7,016
 
Malcolm, I can attempt to answer some of your questions though I'd like to hear Harvey's take on it as well.

As for terminal bud cuttings I'll either loosely wrap the bud with parafilm or cut it off. Haven't done any experiments or have enough experience to know what roots better. I will say that terminal cuttings haven't stood out as doing a whole lot better than any others.

In terms of watering, I intially don't add any water until the mix feels a little dry a couple inches down. Since my rooting area stays around 68 degree, my figs don't seem to start to push out for 3-4 weeks and the soil remains damp enough during that time that I don't add water. When first adding any water, I'll simply spray a little water with a water bottle to keep the top of the mix damp, then later will water very lightly (again with the goal of just keeping the mix damp). Once vigorous growth has started or I see decent roots coming out the base of the pot I think it's fairly difficult to water too much. By the time the figs are ready to be moved outside (I grow indoors as opposed to a greenhouse), I seem to need to water them almost daily (or every other day). There's a bit of an art to keeping the soil damp but not soggy, perhaps Harvey has some tips that I don't.

One other thing: I don't expose the cuttings to any grow lights until I can see the buds start to swell. Don't know if that makes a difference but at least I don't have to run the lights for 3-4 weeks :-)

Subject: Starting figs in ProMix Replies: 120
Posted By: timclymer Views: 7,016
 
Jeff, I'm with ya on those Stuewe pots. I only wish ordering from Stuewe didn't cost so much shipping-wise. I think shipping for me was half the cost of the pots, and that's with ordering 4 cases! Hopefully I have enough now to last a number of seasons.

I also messed around quite a lot with different methods and needed something that required less babysitting. Like you said, the only drawback of this method is overwatering during the early stages, but that's a challenge with nearly any other method as well (unless you're rooting in water I suppose).

I also broke down and ordered a few bales of promix HP today to hopefully cut down or eliminate losses due to too soggy of a potting mix. They also had Promix HP-CC, which has coir chips in it. Anyone have experience with it?

Subject: Starting figs in ProMix Replies: 120
Posted By: timclymer Views: 7,016
 
Malcolm, if you've wrapped the tips of your cuttings in parafilm/buddy tape, then no, keeping up humidity isn't necessary. Mine sit in my basement that runs 35-40% humidity in the winter (really dry). Mine are also slow to bud due to lack of bottom heat but I really don't mind the slower process and all show good progress and growth by the time I can transition them to outdoors (mid-May to be safe here). I could keep them in the 4x4x9 pots for 5-6 months. You're likely fine to check on root growth after a few (4-5) good months of growing as the roots will be well established enough not to harm the plant.

Thanks for the info on ProMix Harvey. I've noticed that the BX does stay rather soggy so I've been mixing additional perlite in with later batches. I don't remember it getting quite as soggy last year but perhaps I was a bit more careful in wetting it. Hopefully the first batch of cuttings in the soggier mix will be okay. I think for future batches I may go with HP (if I can find it locally, may go with a greenhouse supply place near here). I'd rather just be able to drench the mix and have the excess water drain out before sticking the cuttings.

Edit: I see I am late to the game in replying (should have refreshed my browser). Glad to see my sentiments echo Harvey's.

Subject: Starting figs in ProMix Replies: 120
Posted By: timclymer Views: 7,016
 
This is pretty interesting. Do you get as high a take rate with 5-1-1-1 versus promix (bx or hp)? Just started some cuttings in promix bx and I'm a little concerned that it's holding too much water (though last year it worked out just fine). I'm thinking of putting a bit of extra perlite in the mix just to lighten it a bit.

Subject: Congratulations Tim on Your New Farm Replies: 27
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,325
 
Thanks all, your posts are really encouraging. Hope to see y'all through the coming year.

Bill, yep, u-pick figs will be tough with you! Maybe we'll have to restrict you to those already picked ;-)

Will likely have some sort of open house next summer so I'll be sure to put it on the forum when we do!

Subject: Building another pit greenhouse Replies: 36
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,719
 
Thanks for the replies. Did you dig everything by hand? If so, my hat goes off to you! I am considering a small tractor with a backhoe attachment that would hopefully make digging a lot easier. Sounds like some sort of cooling system (mist or otherwise) would be a good idea if the extra cost is feasible. I'm thinking it'd cost anywhere from a few hundred to $1k for the tubing plus fan.

Neat stuff. I'm following this topic so I'll be interested to see how it ends up for you.

Subject: Sticky Gnat-Light Trap Experiment Replies: 11
Posted By: timclymer Views: 545
 
For what it's worth, I didn't have trouble with gnats at all last year (when starting cuttings) since I switched to a dry potting medium (promix bx) and away from miracle gro and other mixes that seem to come pre-dampened. Spider mites were a problem but only (I think) because I brought some already-growing potted plants and set them beside the figs. Not saying that's your problem, just sharing what worked for me (prevention versus curing the problem).

Subject: Successful Potting Mix Recipes_Peat, Bark and Mineral Based Ingredients Replies: 66
Posted By: timclymer Views: 4,540
 
Thanks Pete. We're very excited about the farm. Would love to have ya come down to talk soils and figs sometime!

This whole thread has me thinking about potting soils and the desired characteristics for trees. Here are the characteristics I could think of that are important to me, not necessarily in order of importance. I wonder if some of these characteristics might have to come at the expensive of another (ie - highly organic vs. longevity).

Inexpensive - Locally-available ingredients in large quantities
Long-lasting - Ideally 3ish years
Aerated and porous
Water-retention - High but without compromising aeration and porousity
Heavy - For stability, but not overly heavy (ability to move 15-25 gallon pot with just 1 person)
Highly organic
pH - 6.5-7

Ideally also:
Simple to mix - 5 or less ingredients in easy-to-mix proportions
Fungally dominated (been reading a lot about this lately...not sure if this is ideal or realistic though in a container environment)

Sand/gravel mixes are interesting to me for the fact that you can get them in such large quantities very inexpensively (which probably explains their use at larger nurseries). Will be excited to see how your experiments pan out. I appreciate your analytical nature, Pete.

Some of these like aeration and stability could also likely be influenced by the container as well.

Subject: Building another pit greenhouse Replies: 36
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,719
 
This is really interesting. The price tag on the "greenhouse in the snow" greenhouse I was looking at was around $17,000, but that included a manufactured frame, lots of corrugated tubing, and very nice covering (designed to last for 20+ years). I think it was 17'x96'.

I think a less complex structure would be a lot less expensive and perhaps just as good. It's really interesting to me that you're only going down 3' but are getting such a great moderation in temperatures. We rarely get below zero here and I'd be interested in a structure that stayed above freezing (for citrus growing). Does it also stay cooler in the summer or do you vent it or take off the plastic?

Just thinking out loud here, but having a "backup" of some buried tubing with a fan attached might be nice as it'd serve to heat in the winter and cool in the summer (making it okay if I would forget to vent the thing).

Subject: Successful Potting Mix Recipes_Peat, Bark and Mineral Based Ingredients Replies: 66
Posted By: timclymer Views: 4,540
 
I use a modified version of Al's 5-1-1 and wrote an article on it a while back:

http://www.threefoldfarm.org/blog/making-your-own-potting-mix

I've seen tremendous results with this used in conjunction with a drip irrigation system and a bit of fertigation. I've also really liked using Root Pouch pots, though I haven't done real serious comparisons in terms of the results achieved versus plastic pots. I'll have to keep an eye on this thread as I've been looking for a mix that has the qualities of my current one but can be made even more inexpensively (ideally with locally sourced ingredients).

Interesting that Bill's Figs uses 100% mushroom soil. We've used 100% mushroom soil in our vegetable beds and have seen great results with it, but I wasn't sure whether it would drain well enough in pots. I imagine it holds up pretty well if he's been using it.

Subject: Congratulations Tim on Your New Farm Replies: 27
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,325
 
Thanks y'all! We're really excited about it.

We'll be starting about 400 trees this winter (mostly figs) for selling and our production plants. We plan to use about an acre for fig production (still finalizing which cultivars we'll be using). Would love to see some of you folks this coming spring and summer.

Stay tuned to our blog or Facebook page if you'd like to keep track of the progress on the farm.

Subject: Building another pit greenhouse Replies: 36
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,719
 
Nice setup. I've considered the design shown here but the cost has me hesitating to pull the trigger: http://www.greenhouseinthesnow.com

How did you go about designing these? Did you find plans somewhere?

Subject: Mountain Figs - cold hardy early ripening Replies: 85
Posted By: timclymer Views: 8,701
 
Off-hand my list of died-back-but-fruited:

Sal's EL
Hardy Chicago EL
Enola Italian (local unknown)
Local Unknown (Mt Etna or Malta Black type)
Latarolla (just this past week and just 1 fig)
LSU Improved Celeste (fruited way back in August)
Marseilles Black VS
Gino's
Florea

I don't think there's too much hope for my Nero 600m this year. It's in a good location in my yard but may do better it hadn't died back fully. The one I had in a pot was excellent. It may end up being one of my main cultivar selections at our new farm: nice sized, beautiful tasty figs that ripen late August in a pot (in a cool summer and only its second year of life).

I like your thoughts on the Mt Etna types. I haven't yet figured out my favorite and Malta Black may end up trumping them all if it's earlier, larger, and consistently darker-skinned (important for u-pick or selling fresh).

Subject: Mountain Figs - cold hardy early ripening Replies: 85
Posted By: timclymer Views: 8,701
 
Malta Black should be added to the list in my opinion. It's a "Mt Etna" type but seems different in that it's earlier and perhaps larger. Mine's in a poor location in the orchard but still ripened fruit pretty early (maybe within a few days to a week of Marseilles Black VS). Like most all of my figs it died to the ground. Location in a yard can have a lot to do with ripening dates if one tree happens to get a bit more shade than another.

I wish someone would do some genetic testing on these Mt Etna types, it seems there are a lot floating around. Three out of four of my collected figs seem to be Mt Etna types and it may not be worth keeping all three if they prove to be essentially the same.

Subject: Fig article-featuring oneof our members Replies: 10
Posted By: timclymer Views: 644
 
Thanks all! I was honored to have George Weigel (the writer) stop by and ask some questions and for our farm to be featured online. Glad everyone enjoyed it.

And yep, an acre of figs... (eventually)

I wrote a companion article of sorts on growing figs as a sort of brain dump of everything I've learned through here on the forum and my own experience. I'm hoping it to be part of a series on growing "unusual" edibles. Here's a link: http://www.threefoldfarm.org/blog/low-maintenance-fruits-figs

Subject: Ronde de Bordeaux in NH Replies: 29
Posted By: timclymer Views: 1,328
 
I've had some issues with RdB splitting this year. Anyone else have that issue? Quite a few in pots are splitting for me so perhaps I'm overwatering.

Subject: Earliest In-Ground Fig Fruit, No Protection, Zone 6b Replies: 80
Posted By: timclymer Views: 3,414
 
Tony, Interesting thread. We've gotten a few ripe main crop figs off of what I think is LSU Improved Celeste (was sold as LSU O'Rourke from Petals from the Past) about 2 weeks ago, which I considered really early. Some Florea were ripening around the same time on a tree at my Grandma's place. Both of these died back to ground level.

Just today we had our first ripe fig off of Marseilles Black VS. So Florea and Improved Celeste do seem REALLY early (as Herman's observations have shown).

Regarding your thought on wrapping the tree with something like parafilm, it might be worth an experiment. There are also spray-on antitranspirants which might do something similar, though I might be a little cautious about spraying it on a fruit tree and I'm not sure how long they last.

Subject: My stepover fig project Replies: 91
Posted By: timclymer Views: 5,350
 
Any chance for a mid-summer update on this? Thanks!

Subject: Setting up your own drip irrigation system Replies: 15
Posted By: timclymer Views: 812
 
Kelby, I believe they may make systems to utilize rain barrels for drip irrigation. Not sure how they work with the lower pressure or what kind of emitters you'd have to use...

V, 1/2" main line is the way to go for a home system, unless you can get away with something bigger (I just don't have the pressure). You're right, once you know the basics it's easy to add on

Bill, glad to hear you got one setup! We'll have to compare notes as you add on or expand

Thanks for all of the kind comments, glad to see this was of use!

Subject: Setting up your own drip irrigation system Replies: 15
Posted By: timclymer Views: 812
 
I probably should've included a cost estimate in all of this for getting a system setup, but it would vary wildly depending on how many beds or pots or plants are being irrigated. I'm betting you could setup a non-automated system for less than $50 if the runs of tubing weren't too long.

Thanks for the feedback on the article and advice on Rainbird. We had an irrigation controller from them at our home in Texas and liked it very much but the couplings could be junk. :-)

Tim

Subject: Setting up your own drip irrigation system Replies: 15
Posted By: timclymer Views: 812
 
Just finished up this article today and I thought I'd pass it along. It's especially helpful to those growing in pots although I find my in-ground trees respond well as well. It saves us so very much time here and the trees respond really well.

http://www.threefoldfarm.org/blog/setting-up-your-own-drip-irrigation-system

If you already have drip irrigation setup, do you have any advice on the emitters you like for potted and in-ground plants?

Subject: Petals from the Past fig tour Replies: 2
Posted By: timclymer Views: 340
 
Beautiful place to visit, if you get the chance. I had a chance to stop by on the way up from Texas and it was a very good visit. I picked up a Papa John fig to replace the one I lost due to girdling. He grows very nice figs at very reasonable prices.

Tim

Subject: On the hunt for Hunt and Smith Replies: 0
Posted By: timclymer Views: 223
 
I'm looking for starter plants of Hunt and Smith. Would be willing to trade figs locally or cuttings in the fall. PM me if interested.

Thanks!

Subject: Kathleen Black Issues too! Replies: 6
Posted By: timclymer Views: 245
 
Kathleen Black was one of my most vigorous cuttings to root this year. Perhaps I was just lucky but it also rooted and grew really well last year. Don't give up hope!