Forgot to mention VERMIN (eg., birds, squirrels, deer!).
So far my local 'big vermin' have not acquired a taste
for figs; but stupid little ANTS did!

George,
For my figs, squirrels are nemesis #1, followed by birds.

Birds here; so far the squirrels are content with acorns.

There is a 300-pound black bear hanging around my neighborhood for the past two years. II have not had any visits yet but he or she has hit all the neighbors growing fruit trees so far. There are no fences in our development. I don't know if bears like ripe figs but I worry every time mine start to ripen especially when my dog kept inside starts barking in the middle of the night. Anyone ever hear of bear eating figs?
Lou NE., PA

Condit mentions that California coyotes relish figs! Our coyotes are gorgeous here- big fluffy and healthy! I am most concerned with gophers and voles though.... and I don't even have any of my 50 varieties planted in the field yet!!!!
Christy

Lou,

From what I've read bears will eat about anything they can get but apparently they are more likely to come into developed areas when food is in short supply elsewhere.

Another insignificant problem for mature figs, but
very significant for indoor/GH fig NEW rootings is
Fungus Gnats! Right now I have a heavy infestation!
The larvae feed mainly on decaying material, but are
also known to go for new roots. This may explain why
some of my newly rooted figs suddenly died? May have
to use some chemicals to control...

George (NJ).

I use this but there are several brands. 1 teas per gallon, every time you water, works good. Gnatrol is another.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=1962

Number 1 nemesis: SQUIRRELS I had netting that kept the birds under control, but the squirrels just went underneath it and helped themselves.

That is funny, I have never had the squirrel problem. Maybe it is the very large cats and dogs we have around?

RE: big vermin,
I have said this before. Figs are not a natural American
fruit (like e.g., grapes), and most animals are not yet
familiar with it. The trick is NOT to let them acquire
any good TASTE for them, otherwise they will back with
their many offsprings forever. So let's keep it that way.
Pick all fruit (figs) and do not let any drop on the
ground, not even rotten ones. The latex in the unripe
figs probably helps too. Heard that birds are known to
go for the darker figs (easier to know when ripe).

Figs not ripening! Over 60% of my 2006 crop failed to ripen, and I have not FIGured it out yet. I have eleven varieties, all but Marseilles had the not ripening problem.....Elder

DonÂt forget the night raiders. Last year there was a 3-4 week span where I would lose a big juicy fig or 2 every night. They would climb the tree and take their pick. As far as I know all we have that roams at night are skunks, opossums and raccoons. Only the skunk doesnÂt climb trees. I figured it was raccoons so I baited the traps with chicken but was catching too many stray cats. Switched to bread smeared with peanut butter, the same thing that works so well for squirrels. Last couple weeks of the season caught and released 4 raccoons and 7 opossums. So far this spring 3 opossums, 2 raccoons and 3 groundhogs. Did you know groundhogs climb trees, but only in the daytime? I probably would have a squirrel problem too but I started trapping those bushy tailed tree rats 5 years ago and have relocated hundreds and hundreds. Have to save some figs for the birds which really havenÂt figured out the green figs yet.

Birds around here have unfortunately wised up about how good green figs taste, they decimated my Paradiso crop last year. I'm going to try using the muslin drawstring bags that I used on one of my black figs last year. I was surprised how well they worked (too small tho for the extra large fig varieties). I assumed that the nasty squirrels at least would just rip them off either way -- but I didn't lose a one.

Here is a link that might be useful: muslin drawstring bags

Bird-x birdnet is very effective against birds.

Yes, I've used nets on fig and cherry trees. They work mostly, but on larger trees it's more difficult to put them on, and birds can still peck through, and some become entangled.

I had never heard of squirrels eating figs until I read it here, so it's good to know. Birds are a problem I guess everywhere there might be a fig.
I have decided to use a close spacing when planting my fig trees, rows 12' apart and trees spaced 12' on the row. I have room for four rows, ten trees each developed right now. This spring I will have three rows almost filled, and eventually all four. In a couple of years my plan is to build a framework to support wire netting 12' high over the entire area and down to the ground on all sides, with entrance doors at two locations. It will be relatively expensive but should save all the figs from vermin and the wire will last for years. Much less labor intensive than trying to net individual trees.

I'm in the city, and sometimes I see squirrels in my yard. All I do is trap them with peanut butter on a slice of apple, and release them elsewhere so they aren't a problem. Works like a charm.

For one thing, I really have a problem with the birds. They don't even wait for the fig to become entirely ripe. Then they start pecking! After pecking a few times, then they realize it isn't ripe yet, and leave it alone. Now, I'm left with all these figs with peck marks all over. So I had counter act this by reserving each fig, and covering it with a zip lock bag with a bunch of holes punched all over. This has kept the birds away.

My attempt at using zip lock bags last year:

You can see the birds found a way to pull away the bags and get the fruit. A Kadota they didn't get too had damage from being in contact with the bags. The condensation was trapped between the skin and the plastic.

Plus... it took too damn long to prep the bags and get them on in the first place. I only put bags on six of them. I can't imagine putting them on a trees worth of trees is going to be too much fun.

Fake owls don't work. Hanging CDs in the trees doesn't work. Mylar tape doesn't work. Bags don't work. Relying on fig color doesn't work. Even the neighborhood cats who like to sleep in the shade don't work. Net the trees or give up fruit.

~james

James,
Talking about wasting time, I have the zip lock bags with 100s of holes poked in them. This way, the moisture wouldn't rot down the fruit. It'll be able to breath, and stay dry. Maybe the birds in my area aren't as smart as birds in your area, because they totally avoid poking through the bag, even with all the holes I made. I live in San Francisco, where the birds there probably rarely see a fig tree.

I declare that (based on what is going on right now on this FF),
RKN is "the" Fig's (F.carica) Worst Nemesis...
George (NJ).

Yes George,I agree,most experts will tell you if you got nematodes in the soil,growing healthy fig trees ,is possible only in pots,setting on a plastic divider,as havy gage polyethilene.
Nematodes love fig roots and will atack them before any other crops.Hope this will help.

Figs worst enemy?
That's gotta be me.
I eat like a basket a day when they are in season.

Good one jonathan.

My wife is in your league. She would eat a whole basket and leave me one. That is the reason I am on a buying spree soon to get at least another dozen trees. I have 7 small trees in containers - not many fruits for now. I am saving the best 3 to 4 spots to put in ground the best trees.

Paully, I know what it is like to not get enough figs from your trees yet. You have to get a lot of them in hopes of speeding up the process with numbers. I have the same problem. My wife knows that I am fig crazy.

I have 1 fig tree that has outgrown a 25 gallon pot with a 5 inch diameter trunk, and is large. But still doesn't give me enough figs. Then I have 5 more 15 gallon sized trees which still doesn't give me enough. Then I have another 3 small fig trees in my moms yard in the ground (Still too slow). Then another fourteen 1 season old trees from cuttings. Then another dozen rooting this year.
So even with all those trees it doesn't seem enough because I only started about 1.5 years ago. I'm thinking about buying larger mature trees instead at $180 each which will have a trunk about 5 inches thick, 8 feet tall and wide. (Impatient). Those are hard to find but I know where to get them, and it would save me at least 6-8 years than if I had gotten them 5 gallon size.

Paul, if you buy large trees, and you don't like it, you can always T-Bud graft over them to change the variety, so no tree is ever wasted. Fig grafting is actually easy once you figured out the right method. If I haven't already posted my modified grafting technique by then, you can feel free to bug me by email for it when the time comes.
So far, I have found a very clean and easy way of budding fig trees where the bud grafts actually fit so perfectly and cling onto the rootstock like a glove. And it doesn't take someone with great craftmenship to do that. Just a little practice is all. (Note: I am not known for my drawing/artistic/ or skilled manual dexterity either.) So this means most people should be able to do this easily.

From my initial hearing/reading, maybe the Asian Ambrosia
Beetle has the potential of being the 'Fig's Worst Nemesis'!
As kiwinut explained in another thread, this new bug comes
with a nasty fungus, which CLOGS up the xylem tissue
(responsible to transport water from the root system up
to the rest of the tree) and thereby killing the it.

AND, it is not just our figs!

Bracing myself...
George (NJ).

Hi all,

I got a new house with a garden all ready, so I'm giving it a go -- for my first time.

I have a beautiful big fig tree with hundreds of almost ripe figs.

And about 5 ripe ones which I think the birds have attacked.

My suspicions are all but confirmed by this string...

My question is: what percentage of the crop can I expect they will eat? i.e. if I don't bird net (appears to be only viable solution), will I lose EVERYTHING?

There are so many, that losing half would be acceptable ... but not all!

Also, I remember a big fig harvest last year with no nets. Is it possible that early figs are more prone to bird damage than late figs? Are birds worse in some years? Do they get sick of eating figs and go away after a while?

Thanks in advance,
Dana

In our area (Austin, Texas), birds eat a significant portion of the fig crop if you don't beat them to eat. The birds with the biggest appetite for figs (in our area) are: mockingbirds, blue jays, grackles, and starlings. When your main crop comes in, you can increase the percentage that you get by checking your tree 2 or 3 times a day for ripe fruit. You will still lose some, but if you leave ripe figs on the tree for a day or two, many will be damaged by birds. Fake owls don't work for long, even if they are battery-operated, make noise, and swivel their heads! I have heard that having several cats in the area of the fig tree is an effective deterrent, but given the fact that our large rottweiler/boxer (105 lb.) pup Wishbone is a very effective cat deterrent, I haven't had the opportunity to find out! Netting is the most practical deterrent. Otherwise, be prepared to share your fig harvest!

I have had two firsts this year - crows have discovered my fig trees, and deer have actually been eating fig leaves. The crows do NOT peck at the fruit, they pick them and fly off to eat them. I attribute the change in deer eating habits to the fact that everything else is so dry.
Where is the best place to purchase bird netting?

Although most of my trees are not netted (too much trouble), I buy my bird netting at the local Home Depot in the garden section. For a mature tree, you would have to splice several nets together.

I'm setting 2-3 birds free a day from the netting on my blueberry bushes. I had a cowbird so badly stuck yesterday that I had to cut the netting and then try and untie what remained from its leg (I wasn't successful before it had a chance to skip away and take off).

~Chills

Mountainman,
Seems I read in one of your other posts that you planted your trees on 13' centers.
Although things have changed and I'm going to have to relocate, I put mine out this spring on 12' centers. My plans were to build a framework of 4x4 or 6x6 posts and 2x lumber to support small mesh poultry netting over the entire orchard, and to the ground at the sides, 12' high. It'll be a little longer because of the move, but I'm still intending to do that to keep the birds and varmints out; may increase the spacing a bit though.

Voles. Yes, the little devils eat fig roots and cause the tree to wilt in the summer heat. I know a guy who had a small tree fall over in the snow from the voles pruning the roots so severely. The Castor Oil spray sold at the Grange does the job temporarily but it is expensive.

At my house it's poodles. I have two small figs that had to be potted up and moved out of dog range. One is a Violette de Bordeaux that started small last year and gradually shrunk and the other is a Madeleine des Deux Saisons that was nibbled down to the ground a few days after it was removed from the shipping box. Madeleine has grown over a foot since her bad start this spring, but VdB only got potted up two weeks ago and has just had time to pump out six leaves to replace the tasty batch that disappeared earlier this year. Fortunately, figs are tough.

The information I received from Petals from the Past claimed that nematode damage can be managed by maintaining a 4 to 6 inch mulch around the tree.

The information is credited to a A. Powerll PhD Professor Emeritus, Auburn University.

Anyone heard of such a thing?

~Chills

Chills,

It is believed that organic matter will invite organisms which make an unfriendly environment for nematodes. I have not seen anything to suggest that mulching will totally eliminate the risk of a RKN invasion nor have I seen anything to suggest that this is a cure for an RKN infestation. Also, it doesn't take too long for a tree to spread roots beyond what can reasonably be mulched.

~james

Cold spells during the winter are the biggest threat to my 2 fig trees, but fortunately it doesn't drop into the single digits here like it used too. But when it comes to "pests" my worse of those are hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps. When the figs are ripening up these buzzers will start eating them on the tree and I have to be extra observent when picking so as to not pick a fig with an extra bite (sting) to it.