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FROMTWIGSTOFIGS
OriginallybasedonaCRFG2007FestivalofFruitpresentation,andsinceupdatedandexpanded.

Introduction.

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Briefly,IhavebeengardeningsinceIwasindiapers.

SomepeoplearguethatIamgettingclosetowearingthem,again.IjoinedCRFGnearly20
yearsago,andhavebeengrowingfigsformorethan20years.

IoperateanonlinenurserynamedEncantoFarmsNursery.Ihavemanyfigvarieties
availableforsaleasplants,andascuttings,alongwithnearly100bananavarietiesthatI
grow.

Understand,however,thatIamahobbyistlikeyou.Iamnotabiologist,notabotanistand
Ihavenoformaleducationorbackgroundinbotanyoragriculture.Sowhenitcomesto
growingthings,Iamnotdoinganythingthatyouwouldntbeabletodo.Ikeep
experimenting,andIhopethatIcanshortenyourlearningcurvebysharingwhatIhave
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experienced.AlongthewayIhavebenefitedgreatlyfromtheexperienceofCRFGs
RichardWatts,andmanycollectorsIvemetontheFigs4FunFigForum.

Igrowabout300varietiesoffigsand,althougheachhasitsownsetofcharacteristics,the
similaritiesfaroutweighthedifferences.

Mygoalhere,asithasbeenclassicallyexpressed,isnottogiveyouafish,sothatyou
caneatforaday...

...buttoteachyoutopowerfishsothatyoucaneatforalifetime.Ihopetointroduceyou
tothebasicsoffigs,tohelpyouunderstandtheprinciplesunderlyingsuccessfulfig
cultivationandtomakeyouawareofinformationresourcesavailablesoyoucan
successfullygrowanyfig.

SoImnotgoingtodevotemuchspaceheretothedetailsofbotany,exceptwhereitis
importanttosuccessfulgrowingoffigs.Eachvarietyhasmanysimilaritiesaswellas
differences,sobeforewegettotheendtherewillbeseveralremindersurgingyouto
becomefamiliarwithyourvariety,itsspecificcharacteristicsanditshabits.

Iambiased.Idonotgroworganically.ThisdoesntmeanImopposedtothatphilosophy
andformofplantcare,onlythatIamnotqualifiedtoaddressfigcultivationintermsof
organicgardening.Soifyougroworganically,youwillhavetoadaptmyremarkstoyour
situation.

Anoteaboutfertilizing:ifyouhaveatreethatisapoorgrower,tryreallyoverfertilizingit
forayearandseeifitdoesn'tbreakoutthefollowingyear.

2.
Let'sbeginwithtaste.
InmyexperienceIhavedevelopedapersonaltheoryaboutfigtaste.Ihavelearnedthat
mywifeandIhaveverydifferenttastesinfigs.
Manypeoplelikedarkcoloredfigs.Thiswasmyoriginalplaceonthespectrum.

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Manypeoplelikelightcoloredfigs,Idiscoveredthesefigslaterinmyexperience.

Somepeoplewilleatanyandeveryfig.Iamalmosthere,now,butthereisoneremaining
obstacle.

ThedividinglineseemstobebetweenpeoplewholoveBrownTurkeyfigs...

...andpeople,likeme,whohateBrownTurkeyfigs.Ihavetwofigtrees,grownfrom
cuttingssentbypeoplewhowereconvincedthatifIate"their"BrownTurkey,Iwouldbe
persuaded.WhatIdiscoveredwasthatoneofthesewasaCelesteandtheother
somethingakintoMarseilles:bothverynicefigs,anddoubtlesswhythesepeopleliked
"BrownTurkey"figs.
Anoteaboutfignames:mislabelingisanalltoocommonproblemwhentryingtoidentify
figs.

Thepointisthattastecanvaryconsiderablyfromoneindividualtoanother.Sowhenyou
asksomeonewhatisagoodtastingfig,makesureyouareaskingsomeonewhoshares
yourtasteprofile.Forexample,ifyoulikeBrownTurkeyfigs,youwillwanttoconsider
thesenamedvarieties:BlueGiant,BlackSpanish,BlackJackorWalker.Ifyoudontcare
forBrownTurkeys,chancesareyouwouldntlikeanyoftheabovevarietieseither.

Anoteaboutfirstfruits:neverjudgeafig'stastebythefruityougetinthefirstcouple
years.Itmaybecompletelydelicious,butitmaynotbeasgoodasyouexpected.Oftenit
willimprovesignificantlywithalittleage.

3.
Availablevarieties.
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FigsarethoughttohaveoriginatedsomewhereintheMiddleEastorCentralAsia,and
havebeentransportedallovertheMediterraneanregion,mostnotablytoTurkey,Italy,
Greece,FranceandSpain.FromtheretheymadetherewaytotheUnitedStatesbymany
routes.Originallytheywerebroughtbyconquistadors,missionariesandtheearlysettlers
oftheAmericas.

Morerecentlyawidevarietyarrivedwithwavesofimmigrantsneartheturnofthe20th
century.Thismigrationhasgivenusatremendousheritageanddiversityoffigvarieties
fromwhichtochoose.

BreedingprogramsattheUniversityofCalifornia(UC)atRiversideandLouisianaState
Universityhavealsoaddedtothatdiversity.

Manynurseriessellfigs,butonlyaverylimitednumberofvarietiesareavailable.Most
commonlyyouwillseesuchvarietiesasBlackMission,BrownTurkey,WhiteKadotaand
DesertKing.Twowellknownnurseries,ParadiseandBelleclare,closedin2007
decreasingavailabilityevenmore.

Sothequestionwefaceissimple:howdoweaccessthewidediversityoffigsin
existencewhensofewarecommerciallypropagated?Thesimpleansweristobuythem
fromme(grin).

However,youcanpropagateyourowntreesbygrowingthemfromscionwood,whichis
availablefromavarietyofsources.So,accesstoawidediversityoffigvarietiesrequires
understandinghowtosuccessfullypropagatefigsfromcuttings.

ScionisavailablefromtheUSDAcollectionatUCDavis,internationalcollectionsand
germplasmrepositories,...

...throughEncantoFarmsNursery,Seedsavers,CRFGscionexchanges,collectorsacross
thecountrywhomeetinplacessuchastheFigs4FunForum,neighbors,andfrom
nurseriesaroundtheworld.

4.
Propagating.
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Therearemanywaystopropagatefigs.Theymaybeairlayered,grownfromrooted
cuttings,grownfromsuckersorsproutedfromseed.Airlayeringrequiresaccesstoatree
foralongperiodoftime,andthevarietyyouwantcanoftenbeinadifferentpartofthe
countryortheglobesuckersarenotalwayshandywhenyouwantthemandseedsdo
notproducetreesthataretruetotype,plustheyareoftensterileorfunctionallymale
caprifigs.

Thatleavespropagationfromcuttingsasthemostpracticalmethod.Cuttingscanbe
rootedinwater,inpottingsoil,directlyintheground,inavarietyofrootingmedia(such
assand,vermiculiteorPerlite)orinabag.

5.
Principlesofrooting.
IamgoingtowalkyouthroughthemethodIusetorootmycuttings,whichwill
demonstrateoneofmanypossibleapproachestorooting,andillustratetheprinciples
whichareimportant.Ivetriedmanytechniques,allofwhichresultedinsomesuccess,
buttwothingsgreatlyimprovedmysuccess:prerootinginabag,andtransplantingtoa
clearplasticcupcontainingspecificmedia.Thecuttingsinoneofthe"greenhouses"in
thispicturewillbeshownrootedalittlelater.

ANoteaboutgreenhouses:anythingcanmakeagreenhouse.Forourpurposes,agreen
houseisnotaboutheat:onlyaboutcontrollinghumidity.Soaplasticbag,plasticstorage
box,etc.canbeagreenhouse.

Theuseofarootinghormoneisnotnecessary.Powderedhormoneseemstoactually
encouragerottingofthecutting.Usealiquidhormone,ifyouuseany,atall.

ThemostimportantelementofsuccessfulrootingisillustratedbythestoryofGoldilocks.
Shewaslookingforporridgethatwasnottoohotandnottoocold,butjustright.
Similarly,rootingcuttingsisaboutgettingthemoisturelevelnottoowet,andnottoodry,
butjustright.Ifyoulearnnothingelsehere,andenduprememberingonlythisone
point,youwillhavegottenyourmoneysworth:controllingmoistureiseverything.

Rootingsuccessisalmostentirelydependentoncontrollingmoisture,bothinthepotting
mediaandintheatmospherearoundyourcuttings.Soilmoistureandhumidityarecrucial.
Thecuttingswillrotiftheirsoilistoowet.Ifitistoodry,thenewrootswilldesiccateand
die.Ifthehumidityistoohigh,moldisalikelyoutcome,andifitistoolow,thecuttings
areatriskofdesiccationbeforerootingoccurs.Usingarootingmediathatmaintains
properlevelsofairandmoistureincreasessuccessgreatly.
Humiditycanbecontrolledinagreenhouse,orusingsomethingsimplelikeaplastic
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storageboxwiththelidsubstantiallyclosed.HereIusedaplasticbagoverablack
nurserypot,intheshadeofatree.Itdoesn'tneedtobeexpensiveorfancy,only
functional.

InthedryclimateofSanDiego,humidityinyourcuttingsrootingenvironmentmustbe
providedartificially.InthemuggySoutheast,however,cuttingscanbeplacedoutdoors
withlittlerisk.HereImadeaframe(unglued)ofPVCpipe,coveredwithaplasticdrop
cloth,apieceofshadeclothforshade,anda2x4toholdtheshadeclothinplace.LaterI
substitutedapieceofcardboardfortheshadecloth.
Theotherfactorisheat.Rootingisgreatlyspeededupwhentempsare70Forhigher.
Providingawarmenvironmentcanbeassimpleasplacingyourcuttingsinabagontop
oftherefrigerator,orashelfabovethestove.LastwinterIhelpedafriendrootcuttings
fromherneighborstreeusingthebagmethod.Shehadnevergrownafigtreebefore.
NowshegrowsnewtreesforChristmaspresents.
IlearnedrootinginabagfromCRFGmemberRichardWatts.IamsurethatIdontdoit
quitethewayhedoes,becauseheputshiscuttingsinhisvan,inhisdriveway,which
providessolarheatingtoobtainwarmtempsforrooting.

Idontownavan,soIcantfollowhistechniquestepbystep.Thepointisnottheexact
technique,however,itissatisfyingtheprinciplesinvolved:controllingmoistureinthe
scionandprovidingpropertemperaturetostimulaterootgrowth.

Forme,theprocedureissimple:

First,itisimportanttoidentifythetopandbottomendsofyourscion.Tipcuttingsare
easy,butotherstakecloserinspection.MORE

Iwrapscionsinlightlydampenedpapertowelsornewspapertheessentialhereis
maintainingmoisture,notaparticularpapertypethenIplacetheminasealedplastic
bagandputtheminawarmplace.

SometimesIputthemonmydesk,wereIcanwatchthem.UsuallyIputthemsomewhere
upstairsbecauseheatrises.

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Bepatienteachvarietyisdifferentandeachcutting,evenwhenfromthesametree,can
differinitsresponse.

Inafewweeks,youwillseerootinitialsbegintoform,andthenroots.

OnceIseerootsItransferthescionsfrombagsto26oz.clearplasticcupscontaininga
rootingmediumandwithholesdrilledintheirbottomsandrememberthatdeepercups
arebetter.MORE

Ideally,thiswillbetheresultinafewweeks."Yourresultsmayvary."Ihavethe
advantageofhavingdonethismanytimes,andthenusingthepictureswhichshowthe
bestresults.

Somecuttingswillalsosproutinthebag.ThatisOK.Somewillwanttogrowleaves
beforeroots.Moreaboutthatlater.

Closeupofrootformation,inthebag,

Nowthecuttingsareremovedfromthebag,fortransfertoaclearcup.Don'tforgetto
label.

Closeupofthesamecuttingsandroots.

Rootsonadifferentbatchofcuttings.

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Samemethod,differentcuttings.Therecuttingsareupto11/4"indiameterand16"long.
Theywerewrappedindampnewspaperandplacedinabiggerbag.

Hereisacloseupofanotherbundlefromthesamebag.This"bag"techniquecanbeused
onallsizesofcuttings.Ihavedonesomeaslargeas2"indiameter.

Onelastpictureofnicerootdevelopment.

Anothernicefeatureofthebagmethodistheefficiency.Youarenotusingtimeandspace
andpottingsoiloncuttingswhicharenotinclinedtoroot.Theyonlygetpottedwhenthey
haveshownrootdevelopment.Inabag,theycanbeontopoftherefrigerator,onyour
desk,etc.

Theseprerootedcuttingsareplacedinclearplasticcups,onwireracks,inplasticstorage
boxes.Theseboxeswere$5,hold20cuttings,arewaterproofandcanbeusedtocontrol
humidity.

ThesearethepiecesIuse

Thescreen"racks"areusedtokeepthecupsabovethewaterthatcollectsatthebottom
ofthestoragebox.Ifthecupssitinwater,therootingmediawicksupthewaterrottingthe
cuttings.Butthewaterunderneaththescreenprovideshumiditytomaintainmoisturein
thecutting.MORE

Theseprerootedcuttingsarethenplacedintheseclearcupsforfurtherroot
development.Thesecupsmosthavedrainholestoallowexcessmoisturetopass
through.MORE

Ihaveusedavarietyofrootingmedia.Pottingsoilsholdtoomuchmoisture.Coarse
vermiculiteproducesverygoodresults.Thecoarsetextureallowsforgoodairpenetration
inthemedia,whilethevermiculiteholdsthemoisturewell.WhenIcouldntgetthecoarse
vermiculiteanymore,Iswitchedtoamixof60%Perliteand40%finervermiculite.This
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mediumalsoworkswell.MORE
Ihavefoundthatcondensationontheinsideofthecupisagoodindicationofsufficient
moisture,perhapsborderingontoowet.

Ifyouopenthelidsalittlebit,thisallowsfreshairtoenter,whichisimportantin
controllingmold.Ifthelidsarewideopen,youlosetoomuchhumidity.Thewateratthe
bottomofthecrate,underthescreen,replenishesthehumiditylostbyhavingthelids
openalittlebit.

Youcanseethateachcuttingprogressesonitowntimeline.

Eventually,youshoulddeveloprootssuchasthese,but,again,eachcuttingisdifferent.

Thesecondimportantprincipletorememberisthis:rootsandleaveshavenorelationship
toeachother.Ifyoutakeadozencuttingsfromthesametreeandgrowtheminthesame
rootingmediainthesamepotasclosetoidenticalnatureandnurtureasyoucanget
somecuttingswillgrowroots,somewillgrowleaves,andsomewillgrowboth.

Youcannotpresumerootdevelopmentfromobservingleafdevelopment.ThisiswhyIuse
clearcupstheyallowmetoactuallyseewhetherrootsaredeveloping.

45"ofstemgrowthandstillverylittlerootstosupportaviableplant.

Hereiswhatthatcuttinglookedlikeintheclearcup.Strongandhealthy.Butwiththe
clearcupitiseasytoseethattherewaslittleornorootdevelopment.Notagood
candidatefortransplanting,yet,unlessmovedtoaveryhighhumidityenvironment.

Again,theclearcuprevelsthatthiscuttinghasveryvigorousrootdevelopment.
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Removedfromthecupandreadyforrepottingina1gallonpot.

Goodrootdevelopmentseenthroughthecup...

...aswellasgoodleafdevelopment.Theideal.

AnotheradvantageofvermiculiteandPerliteasarootingmediumistheeaseofremoving
therootedcuttingforrepotting.Mixesthatcontainorganicmaterialstendtosticktothe
sidesofthecups,whichleadstorootdamage.

Completelyremovedwithease.Iftherootssticktothesidesofthecup,squeezeandflex
thecup.Thesidesofthecupcanbendatsharpangles,andtherootswillnot.Thecup
maycrack,butevencrackedcupscanbereusedbecausetheydon'tneedtoholdwater.

Readyforpotting.Thehappenedtobe"Cucumber"whichrootedvigorouslyandvery
quickly.

Closeupoftheroots.

IfoundthatwhenIblewupthebagsofcuttings,Ihadmoreairinside,whichreduced
molding.Bagswithanactualzippermadeblowingthemupalittleeasierthantheregular
Ziplocbags.

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NowforgeteverythingthatIjusttaughtyou.Youdon'tneedtogotoallthattrouble.

Thesecuttingssatoutsidefor6months,inablacktrashbag,through38Fweather,80+F
weather,rain,etc.Theygotwaterloggedwhenthebucketfilledwithrain.Theywerenot
refrigerated,andhadnomoistpaperinwiththem.Inshort,Idideverythingwrong,andyet
theycontinuedtorootundertheseconditions.Thisismucheasier.

Myilltreatedbagofcuttings.

Asyoucansee,theyarerooting.

Closeupoftherootedcuttings.

Thesecuttingswereplacedincups,thenintoaplasticbox,andsealedtight.Theywere
outsideincoldandwarmweather,withnochangeofairformonths.Theyreceivedlate
afternoonsun.Withoutfreshair,insomesun,theyrootedjustfine.Somesolarization
mayhavecounterbalancedthelackoffreshairandkeptthemfrommolding.

Iamnotsuggestingthesemethods,buttheyillustratesomethingimportant:whenthe
principlesaresatisfied,rootingwilloccur,andthereismorethanonewaytoachieve
success.Satisfytheprinciples,andyouwon'tneeda"recipe"forsuccess.

WhenIseegoodrootdevelopment,Itransferthecuttingsto1gallonpotscontaininga
pottingmixof60%Perliteand40%compost,andthenacclimatethemtotheoutdoors,
usuallyputtingtheminshadewithaugmentedhumidityforafewdays,andgradually
introducingthemtomoresunlightoveraperiodofweeks.Atthisstage,pottingmix
moisturecontrolisstillcritical.Toomuchmoisturewillstillcauserotandfailure.
Aftertheplantsaresuccessfullytransitionedandevidencingnewgrowth,Iwater
appropriately.OnceaweekafterIwaterthem,IletthemstandforanhourandthenIre
waterthemwithahalfstrengthsolutionofMiracleGro.Inmanyinstances,thiswill
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producea6foottreebythebeginningofautumn.

WhenIseerootsinthedrainholes,Itransferthetreesto2gallonpotswhilereversingmy
mixto40%Perliteand60%compost.

Whenrepottingagainbecomesnecessary,Itransferthetreesto5gallonpots,using100%
compost.Oncetheybegintooutgrowthe5gallonpots,theyarelargeenoughforplanting
intheground,andwillnolongerrequireconstantcarealthoughtheywillneedmore
frequentwateringthananestablishedtree.

6.
Issuesandproblems.
Iwillleaveyoutoresearchappropriatefigsforyourclimate,butIwillgiveyousomebroad
guidelinestohelpyou.
Theeyeistheopeningattheendofthefigoppositethestem.Someareopen,someless
openthanothersandsomeareclosed.Closedeyefigsarecrucialinhumidclimatesto
preventspoilage.Aclosedeyeisalsogoodforkeepingoutantsandotherinsects.

IfavarietyripensveryquicklyonesuchasBrunswick,forexampletheopennessofthe
eyeisnotsomuchaproblem.Slowripeningfigs,suchasWhiteorOsbornarevulnerable
overalongerperiod.

RustisadiseaseproblemusuallyassociatedwiththehumidSoutheastitaffectsthe
leavesandcanleadtodefoliationofatree.ThisisnotreportedasaprobleminCalifornia
andtheSouthwest.Othercommonpestsincludeants,beetles(MexicanfruitbeetleinSan
Diego),squirrels,rats,opossums,deer,dogsandbirds.

Themosteffectivebirddeterrentsarenets...MORE

...ornewspaperanothertechniqueIlearnedfromRichardWatts:protectingnearripe
figsbyfasteningoldnewspaper...
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...aroundthemusingclothespins,movingtheprotectivecoverasyouharvestyourfruit.
Thisworksquitewellonsmallertrees.

Moldisaproblemformanyvarietieswhenconditionsincludehighhumidityorfrequent
rainduringtheharvestseason.MORE

MexicanFruitBeetles,orFigBeetlesandaproblematleastasseriousasbirds,inSan
Diego.MORE

Antsarealsoaproblem.

Theywilleatanentirefigfromtheoutside,in.Theydonotneedabirdpecktoallowthem
topenetratethefruit.Oh,andtheyeattheirfavoritefigsandignoreothers.

ThisisCapelas.ThispastseasonPortland1wasoneoftheonesthattheyjustcouldn't
resist.

Splittingoccursinsomevarieties,whichusuallyruinsthefruit.Inmyorchardtheguilty
varietiesarePanache,BlackMadeira,Conadria,RattlesnakeIsland,andsomeBrown
TurkeyorBrownTurkeylikefigs.MORE

FMV,orfigmosaicvirus,whilewidelydebated,willbeafactoflifeifyoucollectmany
varieties.PlantsfromvenerablenurseriessuchasBelleclareonLongIsland,NewYork,
wereinfectedaswellaslocallygrowntreessoldatHomeDepot.USDA/UCDavistreesare
allinfected,orpotentiallyso.
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Thebottomlineisthis:thevirusmanifestsitselfinmisshapenleaves...

...andsplotchycoloredleaves,perhapsstuntedgrowthinsomevarietiesandperhaps
resultsinlesserfruitproduction.

Rootknotnematode(Meloidogynesp.)affectstherootsofthetreeandcanstuntgrowth,
sometimesseverely.

ThereisextensiveliteratureaboutitontheInternet.

7.
RipeningandHarvest.
Manysignsindicatethatafigisripening.Gettingtoknowyourvarietyiscritical,because
eachvarietyhasdifferentcharacteristicsand,moreimportant,progressesthroughthe
ripeningprocessatadifferentrate.DarkPortuguesewillneedatleastsevendaysafter
showingacolorchange,butBrunswickcompletestheprocessinabout36hours.
Generally,mostoftheflavorandsugarsaredevelopedinthelastdayortwoofripening,
sojustpickingadayearlycanhaveasignificantlynegativeimpactontheenjoymentof
thefruit.
Figsexhibitasignificantsizeincreasewhentheybegintoripen.

Thisusuallyhappensconcurrentlywithamarkedcolorchange.Thecolorchangeismost
noticeableindarkcoloredfigs...

...andleastnoticeableinfigs,suchastheWhites,whichonlyexhibitachangetoalighter
shadeofgreenorturnayellowishgreen.

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Asafigripensandincreasesinsizeandweight,itwillusuallysoften,whichwillcauseit
todrooporsag.

Theskinofsomefigswillsplitastheyincreaseinsize.Thisisperhapsthemostnotable
attributeoftheBlackMissionfig.

Celesteisanotherexampleofavarietythatshowsskincracking,butnotalways.

ThisexampleofcrackingisSultane.

Somevarietieswillalmostdehydrateonthetree,especiallyinhotter,dryerclimatesand
willlookvisiblyshriveled...andwrinklywhentheyarereadytoeat.CelesteandVistaare
twogoodexamples.ThisisFlanders.

Somevarietieswhenripewillexudeadropofhoneylikenectarfromtheeye.Thisis
HoneyEncanto.

Anoteaboutripening:acoolperiodduringripeningwilldelayripening,andinsome
varieties,interrupttheirmaturationprocess,sothattheywill"ripen",buttheywillnot
developthefullsugarsandflavorsthattheywouldhavehadiftheyripenedinwarm
weather.BlackMadeiraisagoodexampleofonethatripenswithoutflavorafteracool
spell.

8.
GrowthhabitsandPruning.
Aswecometothesubjectofpruning,weneedtomakeashortdigressionintothearcane
worldofbotany.
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Brebafigsformonwoodthatgrewlastseasonandhasbeendormantthroughthewinter.

ThisshowsVistaBlackMissionwiththebrebacropripeningandthemaincropstillgreen.
Youcanseethebrowncolorofthepreviousyearsgrowthandthestillgreenishcolorof
thecurrentyearsgrowth.

Maincropfigsformonthenewgrowththatappearsthisseason.Somevarietiesproduce
onlyabrebacropsomehavebothbrebaandmaincropfigs,andmanyhaveonlymain
cropfigs.Ifyoupruneabrebaonlyvariety,youreduceoreliminateyourfruitforthatyear.
Ifyoupruneavarietywithbrebaandmaincropfigs,yousacrificethebrebacrop.Ifyou
pruneamaincroponlyvariety,youlosenothing.Inmyopinion,brebacropfigsarenot
numerous,andmostlyofinferiortaste,sweetnessandquality.MORE
Thesefactorsareimportantindecidinghowtopruneyourtree.SinceIamwillingto
sacrificethebrebacropfigs,Icantakea10foottalltreeandpruneitto18inches,andbe
quitehappywithmymainfigcrop.Beforepicture:thisBlackMissiontreeisnearly20'tall
attheendoftheseason.

SinceIplantedmyorchardonahill,severepruningofmytreesintoamorebushlike
shapeallowsmetoreachmyfigcropwithoutusingaladder.Afterpicture:onceagainat
about10'atthebeginningoftheseason.Sizecontrolisverydependentonpruning.

ThesepixoffiggrowinginJapanarecourtesyofKenLove.Thisillustratessomeextreme
formsofpruningdesignedforveryintensivefiggrowing.

Thesetechniquescanbeadaptedforgrowingfigsinthehomegarden,aswell,where
spacemaybeaconsideration.IpruneminethisshortwhereIhavethemplantedonahill,
butnotintheespalierform.

Figscanbegrowninpotsquitesuccessfully.Infact,manyfigsintheeastaregrownin
pots,sothattheycanbestoredinshedsandgaragesforthewinter,sothattheyarenot
damagedbyfreezingweather.ThesepotsliveintheMediteraneanclimateofSpain,
courtesyofanother"figgie".MORE
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Ididn'tgrowfigsinpots,butIreceivedthesephotosonlyhoursafterpostingarequestfor
picturesofpottedfigsattheFigs4FunForum.Thiskindofcommunityispartofthefun
ofgrowingfigs.

ThesepotsliveinOrangeCounty,CAatthehomeofanother"figgie",whoopenedhis
entirecollectionforphotosinthesummerof2008.

Therearedwarfvarieties,orperhapsmoreaccurately,somelessvigorousvarietiesthat
seldomrequirepruning.However,formostvarietiessizecontrolmustusuallybe
accomplishedbypruning.Thisisa10yearoldVistaBlackMissionwillbeprunedtoabout
41/2feet.Theparenttree,at20yearsold,ismaintainedatabout10',butcouldhavebeen
maintainedatamuchshorterheightwithmoreaggressivepruningintheearlyyears.

VarietiessuchasBlackMissionandPanachecangrowmorethan10feetinasingle
year.Thefinishedproductofaggressivepruning.

Inmanylocations,figtreesmustbeprotectedfromthecoldwinters.Thiswasone
"figgie's"solutiontoprotectinghistree.Theycanalsobewinterizedbywrappingthemin
carpetswithtarps...

...buryingthemunderpilesofleaves,andevenburyingthemintheground.

Thankfully,weCaliforniansdonotneedtogototheseextremes.

Identifyinganunknownvarietyisusuallydifficult,andoftenimpossible.Theonlyvivid
memoryofaseminaronfigsbyRichardWattsmanyyearsagowasthisstatement,
paraphrasedhere:thesize,shape,andcolorofafigcanbedramaticallydifferent
dependingonsoil,climate,fertilization,wateringandanyotherfactor.

Ihaveexperiencedthismanytimessince.IpurchasedaSultanefigtreefromParadise
Nursery,inVirginiaBeach,Virginia(thenurserycloseditsdoorsthisspringbutisstill
operatingitswebsiteforalimitedtime,toofferfiggrowinginformation).Isentapictureof
ittonurseryownerSybilMaystoseeifshewouldrecognizeit,andshedidnotrecognize
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INTRODUCTION TO FIGS

afigvarietywhichshehadsoldtome.
WhengrowninVirginia,Sultaneslookverydifferent.

Oftenleafshapeisusedtoclassifyandidentifyfigvarieties,butfigleavesareextremely
variable,evenfromthesametree.Generallytheycanbeusedmosteffectivelytoruleout
varieties,ratherthantomakeadefinitiveidentification.

But,thistree,RaspberryLatte,hastwodifferenttypesofleaves:onekindonsome
branches,andadifferentkindonothers.Manyvarietiesexhibitawidevarietyofleaveson
agiventreethoughonestyleusuallypredominates.Thismakesidentificationbyleaves
difficult.

9.
Resources.
Figs4Fun

Figs4FunForum

AgriculturalResearchService
USDA
UCDavis

NAFEX

Seedsavers

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INTRODUCTION TO FIGS

Adriano

CRFGFruitFact

TheFigbyIraCondit

FriendsofFigs

CRFGFigSpecialist

_________________________________
NURSERYLIST
BayLaurel
Belleclareclosed2007
BurntRidge
Clifton's
CloudMountain
DaveWilson
Dinter
Ebay
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INTRODUCTION TO FIGS

EdibleLandscaping
EncantoFarmsNursery
Fannick's
GrimoNut
HiddenSprings
ItalianFigTrees
Johnson
JustFruitsandExoticsnoshippingtoCalifornia
LaVerne
OneGreenWorld
ParadiseNurseryclosed2007
Parks
Perry's
Raintree
RollingRiver
Sanhedrin
TerritorialSeed
TyTyAvoid,period.
Wentowrth
Whitman
HowtoRootFigCuttingsinaBag
Home|MoreGrowingInfo| FigVarietalInfo|Contact

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