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Subject: Ebay seller: dera5524 Replies: 3
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 400
 
Anyone familiar with this seller?  Good or scammer?

Thanks,
John

Subject: Christmas Replies: 38
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 395
 
Great post, Vito, thanks!  Merry Christmas & a happy & healthy new year to all!

John

Subject: Shipping Cuttings Replies: 17
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 375
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie
Quote:
Originally Posted by HIfarm
I wouldn't stake my life on that.  I had some cuttings shipped to me just about a year ago from a forum member, sold on ebay.  I am trusting that they did not knowingly send me "bad", dried out cuttings (give the benefit of the doubt to a forum member) but the cuttings I got were very dried out.  They were just thrown in a Priority Mail box with no saran, no baggie, nothing.  They were extremely dry & never showed any signs of budding or rooting -- they just eventually rotted.  I am thinking that it was cold in route.  When that cold dry air warms up, it sucks the moisture out of things because its relative humidity would be quite low at room temperature.  That seems to be the only reasonable explanation if I was not sent garbage initially ...

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie
Never send cuttings with wet anything.  They have enough moisture in themselves to make it, especially this time of year.  Rooted cuttings are a different matter though, that the root ball be wrapped with damp material so the roots don't dry out.



When I was new to the forum I sent some persimmon scion to a member in a shipping box, unwrapped or anything.  They didn't arrive in good shape and since then I know better.  

Should have been more clear I guess.  Assuming at the very least, people know to use a ziplock.  Every cutting I've ever received wrapped in moist paper towel were moldy. 


Charlie, I just wanted to point out that cuttings need something to protect the moisture that they do have, in case someone took your original post to mean that just throwing cuttings in a box or envelope would work ok.  Just so readers do not misinterpret, Charlie is not the guy I had a problem with.

John

Subject: Shipping Cuttings Replies: 17
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 375
 
I wouldn't stake my life on that.  I had some cuttings shipped to me just about a year ago from a forum member, sold on ebay.  I am trusting that they did not knowingly send me "bad", dried out cuttings (give the benefit of the doubt to a forum member) but the cuttings I got were very dried out.  They were just thrown in a Priority Mail box with no saran, no baggie, nothing.  They were extremely dry & never showed any signs of budding or rooting -- they just eventually rotted.  I am thinking that it was cold in route.  When that cold dry air warms up, it sucks the moisture out of things because its relative humidity would be quite low at room temperature.  That seems to be the only reasonable explanation if I was not sent garbage initially ...

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie
Never send cuttings with wet anything.  They have enough moisture in themselves to make it, especially this time of year.  Rooted cuttings are a different matter though, that the root ball be wrapped with damp material so the roots don't dry out.

Subject: Ebay seller Replies: 14
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 738
 
Thanks Don.  I had sent you an email (via eBay) to confirm Brent's suspicion that you were Seadreamn but my email is down for some reason this am.  Thanks for clearing this up.  Can't be too careful with some of the low life that now post on ebay.

John

Subject: Ebay seller Replies: 14
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 738
 
Thanks, Brent.  I appreciate the help!

John

Subject: Ebay seller Replies: 14
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 738
 
Anyone know anything about seadreamn on ebay? They referenced this forum in their posting but it could be that the crooks are trying new angles to try to fool us.  I hope someone knows something about this seller.

John

Subject: St Gabriel (wtb) Replies: 7
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 282
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys.  At least I have a lead now of where to check.

John

Subject: St Gabriel (wtb) Replies: 7
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 282
 
I am wondering if any forum members might have St Gabriel cuttings that they would be willing to sell at a reasonable price & be willing to send to HI?  I bought some last year from an e-bayer but they arrived horribly dried out.  Not sure if they were old cuttings to start or if they dried out in route.  My cutting hit rate is still not great so I am hesitant to spend a lot for the cuttings.  LSU clones sounds like a good choice for my area (humid & rainy) so I am looking to some of them as my best shot here.

John

Subject: I need help deciding on varieties.Can anyone share some advice? Replies: 17
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 458
 
Be advised that most of the work reported on figs in Hawaii is from the dry side of the big island.  If you look around, you can probably find more detailed reports on the study.

I suspect that your climate would match more closely with the other side of the island.  Figs are grown & successfully fruited on the wet side of the island however I don't think that there has been much documented on this.  If you search this site, there are lists of figs moisture resistance -- with closed eyes, eyes sealed with resin, and those with solid interiors.  Those are probably the best candidates to try.  Figs developed by LSU are generally very good at dealing with rain and high humidity.

By the way, temperatures in Hawaii are generally moderate -- we do not see extreme heat here so that can explain why a fig that does not do well in high heat may do fine here.

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tropicalgrower


don_sanders,thanks for the link to the Hawaiian trials.Very interesting.One thing I did notice tho,was that the variety info on this site states that Osborne Prolific does not do well in heat..but on that Hawaiian trial site,it says that the Osborn is recommended for Hawaii locations.Our climate pretty much parallels that of Hawaii,so that information is very helpful to me...Thank You.

Subject: My espalier project... Replies: 30
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,260
 
Sounds like a great opportunity for those who don't have Black Jack.  

Glad you posted to this thread as it is getting me to reconsider espaliering some of my figs -- might work well to plant them along some of my hogwire fence.

Happy Thanksgiving!
John

Subject: Large fig tree found (Hawaii) Replies: 18
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 344
 
Probably a good idea to give Ken a heads up then -- I am sure that there are a lot of people hoping to get some figs at this event so we need to have this so it is fair to all attendees.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Figgysid1
I think it would be nice to warn him of my plans of coming. I am not a regular person obviously. And it is likely that I will buy everything that he brings. To be fair to others I think I should warn him that I plan to buy a truck full of fig trees if I can and if he could bring extras for others.

Subject: Large fig tree found (Hawaii) Replies: 18
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 344
 
I had earlier gotten the impression that Ken will be bringing a fair number of fig plants when we have the event in Honomu in Jan.

John

Subject: fig member map Replies: 35
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 666
 
Ok, I'm stumped.  This worked fine on the old map that supposedly is not being used (worked exactly as described). However, I couldn't get the same top bar with the paint drop to appear on the new map no matter what I tried.  Any idea of what is going on?

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by Smyfigs

TO ADD TO THE MAP DO THIS:
1) Click on the paint drop on the top bar
2) A cross will show so move the mouse to your location & click there
3) When the window pops open & highlights the field in blue, enter your name/F4f ID (the number will go away & your name will show) then click okay
4) Now, find your name/ID on the left side list & click on it, go to the bottom right side of the list & find the paint bucket to choose the color blue for your name.

You are done!

If I missed a step, please excuse or edit this list.

Also, are all the green fig trees just trees people found? I suppose I can add a few.

Subject: Great Grandpa's Fig Tree & Thank You to member BronxFigs Replies: 26
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 367
 
That's a great story, Danny.  I'm sure it really strikes a chord with many of us -- regardless of our ethnic backgrounds --  with our immigrant backgrounds we share a lot.  It is wonderful that you were able to grab something tangible from back in those days to share with your kids and hopefully future generations.

John

Subject: ouch! gas line to greenhouse $$$ Replies: 8
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 536
 
Just use propane, it will be a lot simpler for you & probably cheaper than electric.  If you want to be extra safe, get one with a regulator where you can hook up two tanks & just switch when one goes dry (that way, if you lose track of how much you have used or fail to tighten the pigtail sufficiently, you'll have a fresh tank, ready to go).  For some reason, I was advised to use regular black iron pipe as opposed to galvanized for the piping -- not sure what the reasoning is but told not to use galvanized (but galvanized sure sounds better).

Someone mentioned solar.  You may want to take advantage of passive solar heating with some thermal mass to store heat.  Water is ideal for this -- it has a high specific heat so it will store heat produced during the day & slowly release it after sundown.  I know people who built plant benches on top of 55 gallon drums of water for this purpose.  That wouldn't be practical for figs but you may be able to work water in somehow for heat storage.

You should also make sure to invest in some type of temperature alarm if you run out of fuel or the heater fails for some other reason.

John

Subject: Grafting rubbers rubber bands? Replies: 6
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 511
 
Your posting prompted me to start looking for grafting rubbers.  I haven't bought them in many years & the prices I am seeing so far are obscene -- this is going to take some research...

Subject: Grafting rubbers rubber bands? Replies: 6
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 511
 
I have been using rubber bands of the size Paul suggested because I was stuck for some & could not locate the grafting rubbers locally.  Rubber bands will work but the grafting rubbers work better.  The rubber bands I bought are thicker than the grafting rubbers (so a little harder to stretch) and seem to have a rougher surface texture so it is harder to pull them tight.  Fortunately, figs seem pretty easy to work with so they are not finicky about the rubber bands being less than optimum for the task.

I do need to find a source for the grafting rubbers as I have other things to graft that are not as forgiving but haven't gotten around to it yet.

John

Subject: Free cuttings! Replies: 48
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 3,906
 
That would work -- hopefully Allen numbered them the same for everyone ...

John


Quote:
Originally Posted by smatthew
I labeled them Allen1, Allen2, Allen3, and Allen4 ;-}

Subject: Free cuttings! Replies: 48
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 3,906
 

Allen,


Thanks for the generous assortment of cuttings!  I am sure that these will be propagated & distributed to many forum members in coming years.  To avoid ID problems in the future, maybe "official" designations should be applied to these.  Your notes referred to:
"Family Favorite"
"Garden Tree"
"tree in the field"
"other two trees"

I can see first two names possibly "sticking" but I suspect that the last two are a little unwieldy to be used.  Any thoughts on how you would like these figs referred to, Allen?

John

Subject: Free cuttings! Replies: 48
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 3,906
 
Hi Allen,

Don't take this the wrong way -- I am not trying to be pushy or ungrateful for your offer -- but just trying to find out if things are on track.  I sent an email, PM, and payment by Paypal fairly quickly after you made the offer & I have not heard anything back.  Just trying to be sure I have not somehow slipped through the cracks.  it sounded like things were hectic for you & I imagine that it might not be difficult to get missed under those circumstances.

Thanks,
John

Subject: Introduction of newbie Replies: 15
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 499
 
Hi Jhoni,

You live in a beautiful country!  In saying west Java, are you located near Jakarta?

John

Subject: Introduction of newbie Replies: 15
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 499
 
Welcome Jhoni!  I am sure you will find this forum very helpful.  What part of Indonesia are you from?

John
Hilo, HI

Subject: Hello I'm a new member. Replies: 39
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 763
 
Welcome to the group, Allen.  I'm sure you will get a lot of useful info from the forum.

John
Hilo, HI

Subject: New member from Malaysia Replies: 7
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 325
 

Welcome Maznah!  I hope you enjoy the forum; I'm sure you will find it very informative.  Where in Malaysia are you located?


John
Hilo, HI

Subject: Root grafting Replies: 60
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,819
 
Unlike most knives, grafting knives only have an edge on one side of the blade -- so there are left handed and right handed grafting knives so that the sharp edge is on the proper side for how you would cut.  However, many people use exacto knives or even single edge razors and claim good results.  Personally, I prefer a grafting knife, especially if you are trying to cleft graft onto bigger branches -- it is nice to have a beefier blade to make that split for the cleft.  Might not be such a big deal if grafting roots onto a scion though ...

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by nycfig
Very interesting stuff.  Going to do some root pruning in a few days.  I think I'll try some of this.  Don't you need a special knife?

Subject: New member from Maryland Replies: 22
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 628
 
Welcome to the group, Kane!

John

Subject: Root grafting Replies: 60
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,819
 
Pino, 

I'd like to hear Troy's thoughts on this (why he grafted so far from the node) but I have found from grafting other fruit trees that if you are trying to do a cleft graft and graft too close to the bud / node, the grains of the wood start to curve around the bud and it is harder to get a nice straight run to match up the cambium layers.  I haven't tried grafting figs yet but wouldn't imagine that they would be any different.  I don't know if I explained that well, hopefully you followed my description.

John

Subject: Root grafting Replies: 60
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,819
 
Troy, there is a reason you didn't mention that I thought would be the main "driver" for you trying this -- it sounds like some cultivars are cantankerous rooters, this could be a good way to get some solid roots on them & improve your hit rate with these cultivars.

John

Subject: Root grafting Replies: 60
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,819
 
Interesting idea, thanks for posting.  Please be sure to let us know how it turns out.

John

Subject: Lsu thibodaux Replies: 32
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,090
 
Thanks for the background on this, Dr. Daigle.  Always good to know the history behind these clones.

John

Subject: Fig breeding steps Replies: 95
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 6,785
 
Sounds like some interesting ideas, congatom.  Do you mind giving us your name so that those of us who are interested can look into some of your writings?

Subject: Warning re: karub2556 (Precha) Replies: 26
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,409
 
Thanks for the heads up on this clown, Harvey.  It is really depressing how this sort of scum keeps popping up on ebay & FB to prey on the trusting and/or ignorant (unfortunately, I fall into both those categories in the fig-world so I am now using this forum to help keep me safe).

John

Subject: R.I.P. Death List by Fungus Gnat, 2012 Replies: 17
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 603
 
You have my condolences, Suzi.  It sounds devastating.  Years ago, I had a large number of phal orchids in grower's mix & had constant issues with fungus gnats (until I got them out of it).  B.t. did the trick to control it -- I don't think I even used a specialized one like gnatrol.  Just water with it periodically if you see any signs.

John

Subject: Chill requirements for different fig varieties Replies: 7
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 440
 
It will be interesting what you find on this regarding figs.  It is certainly true for many fruits (apples, stone fruits, etc) that chilling is required.  I am in Hawaii and at the place we rented from a few years ago, our landlady had a fig that bore pretty well and if it even reached 55F on a couple of occasions, it would be doing good for a "chill".  Figs have been trialed here (mostly on the drier part of the island) and they have done well.  Some locations were higher altitudes where they probably got the chill but some were closer to sea level and would not have gotten it.  I am just starting my collection now so I have nothing to contribute but it would be worthwhile to get a list of those that do not do well because of a lack of chill, just as it is useful to know which do not do well in humid / damp areas.

John

Subject: Introduction from Manila, Philippines Replies: 34
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 987
 
Welcome, Nina!  I am also a newbie to the group & I think we'll find many of the same problems; I am in Hawaii outside of Hilo so we both have a hot, humid, rainy climate to contend with.  This doesn't agree with all figs but I am sure that you will find some good advice, I suspect especially from growers in the SE US.  

John

Subject: Buddy Tape Replies: 16
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,185
 
AM - the guys who are really good with buddy tape can tape some grafts with pretty large scions with one 2" section of tape -- the stuff will stretch incredibly.

John

Subject: --- Really cheap plant tags Replies: 37
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,569
 
Looks like they are ripping them off in Aus.  It goes for $140 on Amazon w/ free shipping.  When I bought mine, I got it from B&H Photo, they were marginally cheaper on the unit but WAY cheaper on the metal ribbon cartridges.

A computer input would be nice but you'll be paying a lot more than $473 for something that will imprint metal (I looked before ordering this one).  Plastic labels will not work out, that's why I recommended this one.

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by rcantor
For $473 it should accept computer input rather than having to dial each letter individually.  The plastic labels get brittle and crack after 1 - 3 years.

Subject: --- Really cheap plant tags Replies: 37
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,569
 
It is not cheap but a Dymo Rhino M1011 does a nice job.  It actually embosses metal ribbon (stainless steel or aluminum).  I've been using one for probably about a year & am very happy with it.  

I tried some laminated metal tags like cyberfarmer mentioned & I agree they are garbage.  Pencil on plastic is much better than sharpie.  I think wax pencil also would work very well but the tip is kind of broad & it is difficult to record much info on a reasonable size tag.

John

Subject: Saratoga/Chico Strawberry fig Replies: 70
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 3,023
 
I suspect you are right, Sue.  Ebay is full of thieves and weasels.  I do not doubt that they check forums for unusual clones and look for what is a hot item in bidding and then claim that the cuttings they are offering are one of the desirables.  (Ever notice that something that just went for a lot of money often just pops up from another supplier a few days later?)  Unless the clone is unusual vegetatively in some way, no one would suspect until they grow it big enough to get representative leaves and/or fruit.  By then, it is way too late to file a grievance with ebay.  There is a guy doing the same thing with rare tropical fruits out of Singapore -- everyone knows he is a thief and he has been booted from ebay repeatedly but he keeps coming back somehow...

Ebay is really a buyer beware zone.  If I can't find a recommendation for the seller on this forum, I am no longer bidding on cuttings.

John

Quote:
Originally Posted by svanessa
Unfortunately I do not believe 77peony is flipping/reselling cuttings! These are from some arbitrary fig tree s/he's fraudulently claiming as 'whatever' the current fad fig is. 77peony does NOT have Chico Strawberry.

Alma, I have 3 baggies stuffed with tip cuttings in the refer so there's still plenty left...tempt, tempt, tempt... :-) I have no idea what I'm going to do with them all. Somebody help me. ;-)

Subject: Bourjassote Gris 2015 Updated 2/25/15 Replies: 25
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 1,102
 
That sounds like a great tip, Kerry.  They have done some work with mesh bags on the other side of the island but the plastic cup would have an added benefit for us here on the wet side.  
Thanks,
John

Quote:
Originally Posted by drivewayfarmer
Suzi ,
It might be worth trying what Bob Harper suggested I try last year to keep birds off ripening fruit.
He slices large clear plastic cups on both sides down to about an inch from the bottom, then slips those over the branch to cover the figs.
Worked like a charm for me for birds and just about everything else , even to keep excess rain off .
Faster to apply than the mesh bags or clamshell containers, but some areas on the tree with lots of branching were hard to get them to fit the space.
Might confuse the possums , but raccoons may just get a good chuckle.

Subject: Saratoga/Chico Strawberry fig Replies: 70
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 3,023
 
Dennis - does splitting tend to be a problem in general (not just this fig) in your area?  My area (outside of Hilo, HI) is humid and can be pretty wet at times but I am thinking of trying it anyway.  Worst case, I can always graft something else onto it & give away the cuttings to growers on the dry side of the island.  Does this fig have an open eye?

Thanks,
John

Quote:
Originally Posted by snaglpus
It is real hardy fomy climate. Mine is in a large 15g pot. The figs are great tasting. It does split a litttle but not much. Mine stays outside every year.

Subject: Intro Replies: 11
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 364
 
Thanks for the welcome, guys.  Jesse- I would not suggest trying to bring plants in to your brother -- better to send him cuttings in the mail.  It is not a "given" that figs will all do well on this side of the island.  We generally have lots of rain and high humidity here; as a result, I am mainly trying to get clones with closed eyes.  Also, no wasps here for fertilization so that eliminates a few varieties as well.  Where is your brother building?

John

Subject: Intro Replies: 11
Posted By: HIfarm Views: 364
 
I am new to the group and just wanted to introduce myself.  My wife Pat and I live just outside of Hilo on the big island of Hawaii.  I like figs but my wife was really hooked on them when a lady we were renting from had a tree.  Our collection is currently quite small -- Kadota, Black Jack, Saint Anthony, a couple of others I don't recall offhand.  I have a couple of St. Gabriel cuttings as well but I am not optimistic about them (packed poorly, arrived in dried out condition).  I have also requested some cuttings from the USDA, hopefully they will honor it and my collection will expand greatly soon.

John
Paukaa, HI