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trant_gw

Should I expect figs this year?

trant
13 years ago

I planted a Brown Turkey two years ago along with some green fig variety I cant recall it's name. During that summer the brown turkey grew very well and had a lot of leaves, thick stems, looked healthy. The green one - not so much.

That fall we placed a large tomato cage around them (think Texas tomato cages) and filled it in with dry leaves, then wrapped in burlap and finally covered with plastic.

Following spring on a warm day we were excited and uncovered them. We found both had survived and we already saw little bright green buds of life. Over the next couple warm days these buds grew and you could see them start to separate a bit as small baby leaves were about to sprout.

Then a sudden cold spell hit and we failed to protect them and both plants died back to their roots.

For the brown turkey we cut back to the base and it grew back vigorously that summer but we didnt expect any fruit. For the green variety we eliminated it and I received a transplant to replace it from a guy who lives near me - it's also a green variety fig but I dont know it's name either.

Then we repeated the same steps for covering them for the winter but this time we were very careful about uncovering them too early and protecting them when cold spells hit and they both survived well so far and have nice leaves almost fully mature on just about any woody stem it has.

So should I expect to see some fruit this year? When to figs typically begin fruiting (do all figs have an early "petrovac" fruiting followed by a main harvest in late summer?) And from what part of the plant to the fruit come out and what do the fruit buds look like before they start taking the shape of fruit? I.e. how can I distinguish a bud that will form a leave rather than a bud that will form fruit?

Comments (6)

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    13 years ago

    I'm very new to figs also, and wondered the same things. I'm sorry yours suffered frost damage.

    I purchased mine last year from Gurneys, and it grew about 2' high in it's container. There were no figs. It went dormant this winter, and this spring, it leafed out. I even pinched it back, because I don't want it getting too huge!

    THEN, I noticed these little nubs with eyes growing next to the leaf union on a few larger leaves. FIGS!! The first two are about 1" long and have a neck and the typical swollen bulb with the eye! The rest are just starting to form, and there are 6 or 7.

    Now my big question is how long does it take them to get ripe, and how will I know? Our weather is hot here. Sometimes 115-117 degrees (that's the day the air conditioner goes out), but 110 degrees average in summer.

    Good luck with yours!

  • tyler_la
    13 years ago

    Well, you can tell ripeness by color and firmness, but, if you wish to eat them fresh... The best time is immediately after they split. Don't let them sit like that, though, or the pests may beat you to your figs.

  • danab_z9_la
    13 years ago

    There are many old threads in the archives of this forum that will answer almost any question that you might have concerning figs. To find that information just type a KEYWORD or two in the search box located at the bottom of the page.....and you will be simply amazed at all of the neat information that you will find.

    Here is an old thread that I pulled up using the search utility to answer part of your answer. This old thread and its pictures should help you in distinguishing between a bud node and a tiny figlet.......

    Dan

    Here is a link that might be useful: Bud/ leaf nodes and tiny figlets

  • dieseler
    13 years ago

    Figs when emerging have a more round shape, bud leafs first emerging have a more pointy type shape.
    Many figs get a hangmans neck when there close to getting ripe as pictured also when useing index finger and thumb grasbing the fat end of fig and giving slight twist they wind up in your hand ready to eat some may need just a slight tug.

    Not all fig cultivars display cracks some will wrinkle and if left on tree long enough will dry like a raisin in a long season climate.

    In first picture the leaf stem was holding this fig from pointing straight south displaying the true hangmans neck.
    {{gwi:776085}}
    Here pictured is the classic hangmans neck and ripe no cracks.
    {{gwi:776086}}
    Here pictured on another tree a fig i picked displaying cracks.
    {{gwi:776087}}
    Here is picture of fig thats is getting ripe and as posted last year on the other forum was a week away from getting ripe. Our nights can get pretty cool in September and they get a little slower to ripe.
    {{gwi:776088}}
    Hope this helps in a small way as each season these great questions get asked and im not so good with words and puntuation but pictures help explain what i mean.
    Best Health
    Martin

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    13 years ago

    OK I got it. If I see a split, pick the fig!! I hope trant understands how they look when they start. I just went out and took a couple photos, but no clue how to post them..... Sheesh!! Hard life!!

  • dieseler
    13 years ago

    Hi Desertdance,
    you can go to photobucket, tiny pics or most photo sharing sites online and upload to there site the 2 above are free. Once done in photobucket under the picture you downloaded there are 4 codes
    copy and paste the HTML codes full line in this forum message box and hit the preview button first to make sure it appears.
    In tiny pics i think the HTML code is to the right side of your uploaded picturebut not positive.
    There are other ways as well but im more familar with the photobucket.
    You can easily find them doing a search.If you have problems and or questions many of us can help you.
    Martin

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