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Subject: Pinching to get a branch to fruit: What varieties does this work for and what varieties don't respond with fruits. Replies: 12
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 356
 
The 2 trees in the photos I posted are the same age, planted in ground in the spring of 2009 all at the same time. I described our 'fig forest' in detail in this post:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/factors-that-end-winter-dormancy-7925109?highlight=fig+forest+baumgrenze&pid=1290936153

In this post there is an after pruning image of 4 trees on 6' centers, planted in a 12' x 14' strip between two driveways. The trees are kept small by pruning for main-crop figs only each spring.

I confess, I do not meticulously count leaf nodes and pinch out the terminal bud. I wait until much of the new growth has passed 6-8 leaf nodes and then cut off the excess, but both cultivars were treated alike. On one or two of these grafted branches I see tentative regrowth. These may have been cases where there was not much growth below the terminal bud when it was removed.

Because I like Lampeira, because I was 'pinch/pruning' for yield, in 2014 I began learning about fig grafting. I grafted both the Osborne and the Panache over to Lampeira using the 'bark graft' Joe Real taught us for citrus and deciduous stone and pome trees. These grafts were by-and-large successful. Some even produced nice fruit in 2015.

That said, limiting new wood to 6-8 leaf nodes reliably results in a good fruit set with Lampeira. With Jurupa (the cultivar that shows regrowth and new figlets) the results are less reliable.

Later in the summer of 2014, and also in 2015, I did further topworking of the Osborne and Panache with varieties from friends and neighbors. Some respond with figlets at many of the leaf nodes, others only occasionally.

I will do my best to remember to report again later in the 2016 season.

There are other anecdotal observations I believe have some validity. I took to heart Axier's observation regarding fig chip grafting, that new wood on new wood worked best. Also, if the scion is placed on a particularly vigorous, apically dominant branch, the growth of the graft seems to respond to the placement. A graft made at the end of an otherwise similar horizontal branch is slower to take and slower to grow.

Added in an edit ~15 hours later.

In gathering some images for a talk about fig grafting at our local CRFG meeting I found a photo of 2 2014  Lampeira grafts taken in January 2016 before I pruned. I estimate from the photo that I made a pinch/prune cut at 8 nodes and each grew 2 new branches of 6-8 buds that I failed to remove later in the season. The first of the 2 photos below shows the branches. I added the second to show how 'drastic' pruning for tree size and main-crop figs only can be.

IMG_2637_Sel_LampeiraGrafts1&2_011716.jpg 

IMG_2637_Sel_LampeiraGrafts1&2_011716_Detail.jpg 

Enough for now.

thanks

baumgrenze

Subject: Pinching to get a branch to fruit: What varieties does this work for and what varieties don't respond with fruits. Replies: 12
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 356
 
In 2016, 2 mature, in-ground trees respond differently to shears pinching at leaf node 6-8. The trees in the images are on the SF Peninsula in Palo Alto not far from the Bay. Both were 'pinched' around 6/1/16. The Jurupa has produced new growth and more figlets. I will cut these off sometime in the next 7 days. The Lampeira is producing nice figs and no new growth.

IMG_4317_Sel_JurupaRegrowth080516_A.jpg 

IMG_4321_Sel_LampieraNoRegrowth.jpg 

Has anyone else seen this dramatic a difference between cultivars?

These 2 trees are single variety trees on 6' centers, pruned for main-crop figs.

I have 2 more trees that are multi-grafted, (Osborne Prolific (lives up to its name but flavor is so-so) and Panache (a wonderful tasting fig that needs more heat than we now get.) I have not had time to document which grafts from 2014 and 2015 are producing figs this year and how they are responding to 'pinching' with a shears.

thanks,

baumgrenze

Subject: Factors That End Winter Dormancy Replies: 23
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 541
 
To communicate as clearly as I can, I am attaching 2 photos to this reply. Both are of the same part of our Lampeira tree, just from different perspectives. On one I added some 'red lines' denoting points where I pruned away last year's growth a few weeks ago. I left a few very small twigs with terminal buds. As you can see, these buds are breaking as of the last few (very warm, nearly 80 degree) days. None of the buds between the pruning cuts and the cuts of previous years are breaking at all. They must need more stimulation to break and start growing a new branch, the very growth that will yield main-crop 2016 figs.

IMG_2811_Sel_LampeiraBudTypeAtBreak021716.jpg  IMG_2810_Sel_LampeiraBudTypesAtBreak021716.jpg 

This tree is less complex in that I've not grafted any other varieties to it. I want all the figs it wants to set and ripen. The orange tag indicates that in the past this part of the tree yielded figs with pale yellow skin, different from the more typical green skin.

thanks

baumgrenze

Subject: Factors That End Winter Dormancy Replies: 23
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 541
 
This afternoon I noticed that two small seedling figs next door, both are 3+ years old, have put out leaves. I made grafts of these in 2014 just to see if they would fruit more quickly (if at all) on Osborne as a rootstock. I pruned both back to 1-2 adventitious buds. These are still tight.

Could it be the case that last years terminal buds break more readily than adventitious buds at the 'tree end' of last year's growth? That is pretty much all I have left on my 4 trees.

I regret my use of the adjective "adventitious" now that I've taken time to better understand the meaning of the term.

Here are some definitions from the wikipedia entry on plant morphology:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_plant_morphology#Stems

           Accessory buds – an embryonic shoot occurring above or to the side of an axillary bud;also known as supernumerary bud.

           Adventitious buds – a bud that arises at points on the plant other than at the stem apex or a leaf axil.

           Bud – an immature stem tip, typically an embryonic shoot, ether producing a stem, leaves or flowers.

           Dormant – a state of no growth or reduced growth

           Lateral buds —A bud located on the side of the stem, usually in a leaf axil.

Buds
  • Accessory bud – an embryonic shoot occurring above or to the side of an axillary bud;also known as supernumerary bud.
  • Adventitious bud – a bud that arises at points on the plant other than at the stem apex or a leaf axil.
  • Axillary – an embryonic shoot which lies at the junction of the stem and petiole of a plant.
  • Dormant – see Latent bud
  • Epicormic – vegetative buds that lie dormant beneath the bark, shooting after crown disturbance[11]
  • Flower bud –
  • Lateral –
  • Latent bud – An axillary bud whose development is inhibited, sometimes for many years, due to the influence of apical and other buds. Also known as dormant bud
  • Leaf bud – A bud that produces a leafy shoot.
  • Mixed – buds that have both embryonic flowers and leaves.
  • Naked –
  • Pseudoterminal –
  • Reproductive – buds with embryonic flowers.
  • Scaly –
  • Terminal – bud at the tip or end of the stem.
  • Vegetative – buds containing embryonic leaves.
I believe I should have used the term 'Latent bud' or 'Dormant bud.'

Thanks,

baumgrenze

Subject: Factors That End Winter Dormancy Replies: 23
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 541
 
Thanks, padsfan!

Our original soil is bay-fill adobe clay.

From a quick look around, bone meal at 1-13-0, should promote fruit formation, no? Nitrogen, I gather, can promote leaves and no fruit. From other posts, some dolomite might also be in order.

thanks

baumgrenze

Subject: Factors That End Winter Dormancy Replies: 23
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 541
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by joann1536
I'm right across the bay from Baumgrenze.  I'm at about 80' above sea level, and I am in a cold sink, too.  I learned that the major factor is day length that starts and ends the dormancy.  A couple of my figs appeared to be starting to break dormancy about a week or so ago.  Then, we had our warmer than usual Super Bowl weekend.  I noticed today that all 3 of the Atreanos and the LSU Purple are breaking buds.  This might imply that heat is, at least, a secondary factor.


It got too late last night for me to remember that one reason I included the new photo of the 2014 Lampeira graft is that it shows just how dormant our trees still are. Thus far this year we have only had a few days of above 70° F temperature, and that is only 1-2° over. With an 80' elevation, cold air must eventually find a path to some place lower down to spill. We are 1.5 -  2 miles from open water on the Bay, so it does not moderate temperatures significantly. At 10' up it does not take much cold air to form a cold layer 20' thick with no where to go.

I've reviewed old digital photos. In 2012 and in 2014 and 2015 it was not until the first week of March that the first leaves emerged on any of our fig trees. If you see leaves a month earlier that certainly make temperature far more significant than photoperiod since that is the same for both of us. Just for the record, here are 2 shots of the same graft taken 11 months apart.

Sel_IMG_2746_DanasFig1_021216.jpg  Sel_IMG_0959_DanaFig1_GoodOppositeBud_030815.jpg 

The photo on the left was just taken, 02/12/16, and the one on the right, on 03/08/15, 11 months earlier. The graft was made on 08/13/14,so it was 7 months to the 2015 photo and 18 months to the 2016 photo. Notice the increase in the diameter of the engrafted branch and also the healing of the graft wound. 

I forgot to mention it, but I believe it is also prudent to split the bark on the accepting branch so that there is a bud opposite the scion. This draws nutrients into the bark across from the scion. In the absence of such a bud the bark dries up and the scion is not as well supported. I have photos to support this hypothesis if others think I should edit and post them.

The fig I am calling Dana's Fig is a neighborhood seedling about 5-6" in diameter at 5' from the ground. I first noticed it 2 years ago. It produced figs a good month earlier than any on our trees. This year I will make note whether they form this early on last year's growth (breba crop) or on new wood. There will even be new branches to watch grow. I got permission to cut scions for the 2016 CRFG scion exchange at Prusch Park. I even managed to send a rooted, potted cutting to Harvey C. with a friend of his who came to help prepare scions the week before the exchange, so, with luck we should learn how this fig does in the Delta.

DanasFigStemWholeWithQuarterDollar080715.jpg  DanasFigSlices080515.jpg

thanks

baumgrenze

Subject: Factors That End Winter Dormancy Replies: 23
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 541
 
Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions.

Except for its tendency to rust (which can be kept under control with Serenade fungicide (OMRI)) I would never remove Lampeira. I am nearly as fond of Jurupa. That leaves the Panache and the Osborne. I've reached the age where I don't think I would get enough enjoyment out of starting with a new tree. It is easier and quicker to graft in new varieties, I have 20-25 cultivars that should grow out more or less during the 2016 season. Some are named. I want to add some more from the orchard at Prusch Park in San Jose (CRFG Heritage Orchard) once growth starts again.
IMG_2744_Sel_LampeiraGraft021116.jpg 

I've included this less than perfectly focused image of a Lampeira on Osborne graft made on 6/8/14 using a 'pinched' terminal bud from the Lampiera tree 6 feet away. Once it grew to 4 feet long I removed the growing tip to keep from endangering the healing graft union. It produced fruit last year. The very healthy union is less than 2 years old. In 2014 I made my last grafts on 8/29/14. Some Flanders grafts made with large terminal buds from a friend's tree, produced figs in 2015. This leads me to keep my eye out for seedling figs growing in the neighborhood. The buds are a bit smaller, but in a year or two I should know if the new variety is fruitful and tasty. If it isn't, I will replace it with something else. It beats waiting for years.

Years ago we toured the Frank Lloyd Wright Hanna House on the Stanford campus. My eye noticed an old fig tree espaliered on a brick wall no more than 4 feet high. That was the first inspiration to prune our trees. More recently I saw Ken Love's photos of figs in Japan, and I staked branches on our trees to the ground to keep them low. I no longer want to climb a ladder to pick fruit and to prune. I also read that in some Italian areas the trees are cut to the ground each year to create a thicket of new growth. That seemed a bit too extreme. We get enough fruit each day during the season for breakfast and dinner dessert and have spare fruit to share and to dry for use in the winter.

I use the bark graft that Joe Real taught the local CRFG chapter. You can find the principles here:

http://citrus.forumup.org/about1762-citrus.html

TucsonKen describes it on F4F:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5830743

I would add a few wrinkles. I mix a bit of Actinovate fungicide (OMRI) and Rootone into some water and put some in a small jar and some in a 2 oz travel spray bottle. I store the prepared scion in this solution while I ready the accepting branch. I use a home-made hook knife/chisel to flatten the accepting branch to stabilize the forming graft. Before I wrap the graft with Parafilm I spray it with the Actinovate/Rootone solution. I almost lost some grafts to mold in 2014. A fungicide spray and rewrapping rescued them. In the future I intend to bind on an external splint (I save the steel bristles from the street sweeper when I see them, but split bamboo would also work) since I've lost a few grafts to birds and climbing critters. It also helps to rig a sheet of shade cloth over the grafted area for about a month while the grafts get established. I started some Osborne cuttings late last fall. I hope they will grow big enough in a year or two for me to establish whether or not root-stock can change when fruit forms and ripens. In 2015 some of my Lampeira grafts yielded fruit about 4 weeks earlier than the parent donor tree that provided the scions.

Figs for fun pretty much says it all.....

baumgrenze

Subject: Factors That End Winter Dormancy Replies: 23
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 541
 
I am in Palo Alto, CA, halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, not to far from San Francisco Bay, in a 'frost trap' area at about 10' (3m) above mean sea level. I do not have a lot of space, so I've elected to grow my trees for main crop figs only. I am still trying to understand what factors are involved in triggering the new growth that will produce this year's crop of figs. I can imagine that factors like average daily temperature, hours of daylight, and when I prune off last year's growth might all trigger the formation of new growth. Has anyone worked out what the important factors are?

I've attached a couple of photos of our 'Fig Forest,' the upper taken in late January just after I pruned off last year's bearing branches; the one below is from late September 2015 at full growth during harvest season. The plot is 12 ft x 14 ft between our drive way (right) and the neighbor's. The fence is 6' tall. The 'forest' was planted in 2009 using rooted cutting from the 2004 scion exchange of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers. If you look carefully at the Panache and Osborne you will see dark brown copper tags denoting grafts of other varieties. I learned how to graft figs in the spring of 2014 and was delighted to harvest interesting fruit from some of the grafts last summer. We do not get enough heat to reliably ripen Panache. The Osborne, while prolific as its name suggests, produces fruit that is not as tasty as that of the Lampeira and Jurupa.

IMG_2646_Sel_FigForest012816.jpg 
IMG_6666_Sel_FigForest0922915_Sm.jpg 
I am interested in what I can do to maximize my cropping season. It seems that this might involve getting new growth started as early as frost allows, so that leaf nodes with the new figs can form as early as possible. I have also started 'pinching' or pruning once 8 - 10 leaf nodes have formed so that I'm not left with a tree full of fruit that will never ripen in the late fall.

I am open to advice and suggestions.

baumgrenze

Subject: fig rootstock Replies: 10
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 762
 
Steve,

Contrary to what I heard before I tried, fig grafting is easier than any for any other species I've tried. I wish I had tried 10 years ago.

Figs can be grafted any time the tree is growing fairly rapidly. The bark needs to be 'slipping' or easy to lift. You need some remaining growing season for a callus to form and for the wound to start healing.

My pruning protocol (remove all of last year's growth each February) is dictated by the space I have, `12' X 14'. The fence is 6' tall. Here is our 'fig forest' just greening up on 3/28/15.

FigForestO32815_LoRes.jpg 

By June the new growth had reached 8-10 nodes and I was going to prune the tips of the Lampeira to maximize the ripening of the figs that had set. I just made sure I had at least 2 buds leafing out below an unfurling terminal bud. This became my scion material for my first Lampeira to Osborne grafts. I kept the scions short. I didn't want a lot of first year growth whose weight might break the union in the wind. I didn't mention it, but I trimmed any leaves back to the node. As I began gathering scion from friends and neighbors, sometimes what I got was a single new branch with perhaps 6 nodes. I cut away all the leaves, cut 2 node scions, capped the upper cut with Parafilm, and grafted them all.

Here's what the nicest Lampeira to Osborne grafts look like now. Below them are what the new Lampeira figs on the parent look like

Sel_062415_1 009_LampeiraOnOsborne2015CropOn062415.jpg.jpg     Sel_2015-06-24 062415_2 004_ParentLampeira2015CropOn062415.jpg     

You can see the maturity difference in the figs.

baumgrenze

Subject: any info on Lampeira? Replies: 82
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 3,226
 
The 'Lampeira' in our 'fig forest' clearly came from the tree in the Prusch Heritage Orchard. It is tree # E 31. It is next to the sidewalk just where it begins to run to the west. The tree just before it is Panache, E 30. The trees are unmistakable given Panache's striped fruit and abundant FMV and Lampeira's leaves which have a peculiar odor and are their susceptibility to fig rust. Here's a link to a collection of local CRFG documents including orchard inventories.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/scv_crfg/files/Pruich%20Park%20/

https://xa.yimg.com/df/scv_crfg/Prusch+Orchard+Inventory+7_23_14.doc?token=8CWJnBfwOMRnuA0y4cDqfz01nrNqg9QNAIjjlzzs47sJAEhyHrwXsbCImtjlH5qgbq9Zb3WOSyxSmUxRUMI-AA3ggyoZZBkkwI9Ml4y0_N1KIJIg6zi8mpM5rRm8JrbDRhfXONK-qZtLEe9YWvuG-lNBsxTOi7W_Ers&type=download

The image below is an annotated Google Earth screen-dump.

PruschFigsJune2013.jpg 

I want to be sure that others are aware of the distinctive leaf odor of this tree, and of its leaf rust susceptibility. I've seen the threads about fig plants and odor. To my nose the odor suggests C-4 and higher even nimbered carbon fatty acids and perhaps their simple esters (methyl, ethyl.) The smell is sweeter and more complex than just that of the acids (rancid butter and goats.) I gather from other threads that this narrows down the field a bit, especially to figs that are jammy tasting. I just checked and it alone is easy to detect among the 17 cultivars on our 4 trees.

baumgrenze

Subject: fig rootstock Replies: 10
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 762
 
I hesitate to post a reply 11 years after the last post in this thread.  I hope it is found.

If I am a bit terse, forgive me. My 'dominant right wing" is in a sling for 6 weeks, bound there as my rotator cuff mends, slowly under the influence of 75 years.

My experience is counter to dogma.

I am a CRFG member located halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, in Palo Alto, a comfortable place most summer days, but too cool for a decent crop of a late fig like Panache. Our current favorite for crop, color, and flavor is Lampeira, with Jurupa, Panache, and Osborne's Prolific to choose among, all ~ 10 years old, itinerant plants until 2009 when they were planted on 5' centers between two driveways 12' apart. Every year they are pruned back to 1 node and we harvest the main crop figs on the new  growth.

In 2014 I began grafting whatever came to hand. I also began tip pruning at ~8 nodes on new growth. I started wih these 2 links (thanks to TucsonKen and Joe Real):

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5830743

http://citrus.forumup.org/about1762-citrus.html

I do not use rubbing alcohol. It is phytotoxic. I also make these modifications:

1) I flatten the accepting face of the graft to get a better fit between the parent and scion.
2) Before wrapping the graft I spray with a dilute solution of Actinovate (or Serenade) and rooting hormone. This is to promote callus formation and to avoid the mold that infested some of the first grafts I made last summer.
3) I rig shade cloth over the grafts until they have clearly taken and are budding out.
4) Based on 2014 observations, in 2015 all my grafts were made opposite to a bud, i.e., I cut the accepting branch ~1/4" above the bud. This should keep the bark 'fresh' all around the cut end of the accepting branch. Last year I saw dead bark opposite the scion.
5) To be clear, both the accepting branch and the scion are preferably 'new growth. Perhaps older wood would work. Axier had better luck with new wood.
6) Given a choice I will use the first ~3 buds (terminal + enough for a scion) freshly cut from the scion source. I grafted all within 24 hours of cutting them. Clearly none were dormant. This is a 'green wood bark graft' to use Joe Real's terminology.

On 8-9 June 2014 I began grafting over the Osborne and Panache with Lampeira for lack of flavor and crop respectively. This year the first grafted Lampeira scions (Osborne) bear figs that look as though they will be ready a month ahead of the parent tree. I do  not know if this is to be attributed to the vigor with which Osborne grows or some other factor. All the new growth on all 4 trees was cut back to 1 node in very early April. I made my last grafts on 8/29/14. The 'yield' was 62 of 65 grafts growing in 2015. I grafted as long as the bark slipped and I could find interesting scions.

For 'fun' I grafted scions from some 1-year-old seedling figs. The grafts show signs of main crop figs. There are no figs on the seedlings. This technique works for figs just as it has for apples for centuries.

I thought I should share what I've learned thus far. Let me know what you think.

baumgrenze

Subject: any info on Lampeira? Replies: 82
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 3,226
 

This thread started as a commentary on the Lampeira  (Lampiera) fig variety. Thanks for the spelling lesson. Unfortunately, now I have a lot of files to correct.

We rooted three fig scions, Lampeira, Jurupa, and Osborne's Prolific, from the 2004 CRFG scion exchange (Santa Clara Valley Section.) I believe that the scions were cut from the Heritage Orchard at Prusch Park in San Jose.

The figs are now growing in the warmest, sunniest part of our yard in Palo Alto, CA. The Osborne lives up to its name. It is prolific, it is sweet but bland by comparison to the other two. The Lampeira is the more reliable of these. The fruit is prettier, jammier, and richer tasting. In most years the skin has been streaked with purple or red over a green background. The only downside to the Lampeira is that the leaves develop rust which I've not been able to control using Serenade fungicide (bacillus subtilis strain QST 713. We have a fourth tree, a Panache, the sometimes offers us a few small main crop fruits. I don't think we get enough heat for this fig to set and mature properly in Palo Alto. FWIW, the Panache is only slightly richer tasting than the others. Otherwise they are quite similar in flavor.

Because we have limited space, 4 trees planted on 5.5 - 6 foot centers in a 13 x 20 foot plot between two driveways, each year I've elected to prune off all but a bud of last year's growth. I've also started pruning off the tips on new growth at 6-8 nodes. That means that we usually forgo any breba crop. I've not seen fig wasps but that certainly does not mean that our figs do not get caprified.

Do I understand that earlier replies in this thread call into question the naming of the cultivar growing at Prusch Park? It probably came from Wolfskill (UC Davis.) As I give cuttings and starts to friends I'd like to give as accurate a name as I can.

The larger fig in the photo below fits nicely into a large soup or serving spoon.

Lampiera&JurupaPost.jpg 
Thank you for any clarifications, observations or comments.

baumgrenze

Subject: Is There a List of Figs By Main Crop Ripening Date Replies: 1
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 280
 
Doe anyone know of a list of figs that is sorted by their main crop ripening date?

Here in Palo Alto, CA, clearly late figs like Panache are less likely to set fruit and ripen. Others in my area say the same of the Col de Dame figs.

My limited experience leads me to recommend Lampiera as a good tasting fig that will produce a decent main crop by September. Condit's Jurupa as almost as good and as reliable.

(I've not tried oleification; does it alter the flavor of the figs that ripen more rapidly?)

I have limited space. I've mastered grafting and want to rework an established Osborne's Prolific to produce good tasting figs that will ripen here. This year I also realized that it is a quicker way to check out seedlings that pop up from time to time.

A list that characterizes figs as early, mid-season, and late would be a big help.

thanks,

baumgrenze

Subject: simple step-by-step grafting Replies: 26
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 2,910
 
Ken,

Thank you for the full set of photos and detailed description of the process.

You talk about Joe Real describing the technique you are using as a technique for persimmons. I am only aware of the tutorials he has posted on the Citrus Growers Forum. I had the good fortune to see the seminar he gave on 4/14/07 in San Jose. See:

http://citrus.forumup.org/viewtopic.php?t=1762&mforum=citrus

and also this earlier one on grafting deciduous trees

http://citrus.forumup.org/viewtopic.php?t=500&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15&mforum=citrus

I think you need to register to see the images, but it is worth the bother.

I've used the technique for the last 6 years for many citrus grafts. I see one key difference that may help with the 'wind damage' problem mentioned in the thread. Joe recommended a scion with 2-3 buds; I think yours are longer. I think the shorter scion helps prevent drying out and it should help with wind damage. I often make the slanting cut behind a bud. Such buds often open.

See also this forum entry on tools:

http://citrus.forumup.org/viewtopic.php?t=7114&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=baumgrenze&start=15&mforum=citrus

There I posted photos of my tools, including a hooked knife I made from a broken drill bit. I believe that flattening the accepting branch between the two bark flaps helps the scion to sit more snugly and leads to a stronger graft.

In citrus, the technique can only be used during periods of active new growth. At other times, the bark on the accepting branch will not 'slip' or lift up. Can any readers comment on the length of the season when fig bark will lift readily, allowing this technique.

Perhaps it is too late this year for me to try this. If so, I'll give it a go next spring. Since I have confidence in it, it seems more straightforward to me than the chip bud technique in Axier's tutorial.

Thanks for any insights from others.

baumgrenze

Subject: Do you have main crop embryos ,visible at this time? Replies: 80
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 4,094
 
At this time, we have 4 fruiting figs in Palo Alto, CA. All are pruned severely to keep them 'in check' so the main crop is our crop. As expected Osborne's Prolific (the least tasty of them) has the most embryos. They are also larger than those on Lampiera and Jurupa. Our Panache (needs more heat than it gets) will probably produce a few figs again this year. They are tasty, but they are small in size and number.

baumgrenze

Subject: Rooting in a bag, NEW Style Replies: 109
Posted By: baumgrenze Views: 11,417
 
Back when I was still a wage slave I intercepted a box of these sample bags (4" x 8" flat) on their way to the dumpster. As you can see, my cuttings do not always fit completely. Otherwise they seem pretty much the right size.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I don't have a greenhouse. I do have a 14" x 24" x 5" stainless heated water bath that I have filled with sand and used as bottom heat. I can set the 1 gallon pots in the sand. I'd like advice as to how warm the sand should be and about the tops of the bags. Should I just pull the twist-tie strips so that the bags more or less close and wrap the exposed wood in Parafilm, or would it be better to put a plastic shopping bag over each pot and call it good? What are the best conditions for the tops, ambient temperature and lighting?

I am eager to get these rooted and in gallon pots so I can cut buds to chip-bud top-work my existing trees in June, once they have leafed out (thank you, Axier,) especially the Osborne and Panache, the Osborne fruit is bland compared to Lampiera and Jurupa and the Panache needs more heat than our climate currently provides.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Thanks,

baumgrenze