Thanks for sharing your experienced opinion for everyone but in particular us North East Fig Lovers.

I am intersted in your plan for the Violette De Bordeaux. Are you going to leave the 2 dozen breba? I successfully rooted the lone Violette De Bordeaux cutting I received from UCD so I probably have a couple of years before I have to decide what to do with my first breba crop. I would greatly appreciate your comment.

Vinnie

Yes I am leaving them on because i just want to see how good they are.
And if I am lucky and we have a long sommer then i will have a chance to taste the main crop on this tree for comparison.
All i need is a couple of main crop ripe figs so i can compare.
This is a new tree for me in the third year.
So I hope this will Help!!

This is a big help! At the conclusion of the season if you would please share your opinion I would appreciate it.

Thanks
Vinnie

Herman, I have to say that if you were ever to leave this forum it would never be the same!!! Your passion to find the tastiest; most productive fig tree for us new jersians is greatly appreciated!!! Because of YOU we will all have better fig tree's!!! Your the BEST and thanks again for all the knowledge.

Anthony

Thanks Antonio for the good words,and you Vinnie,rest assured ,that i will come back and let you know,how it is.
Peace

Herman, I haven't experimented to see if brebas delay main crop ripening, BUT I agree that brebas are seldom worth the bother. That is why I am so free to cut a 10 foot tree down to 16 inches every season - I'm not worried about losing brebas due to heavy pruning.

Hi Jon :Good Point.
For us here on east coast is also BETTER to have a short fig by cutting it down short in the Fall after leaf fall when we know we are not interested in breba crop.
Therefore a short pruned in the Fall tree can be protected a lot easyer from cold,than when the tree is very tall.
That is Why,i keep observing How it will be more advantageous for us here on the East coast.
Peace

Herman, I have discovered this post while searching for information about Negronne (AKA Violette de Bordeaux).
I follow with interest your opinions because I know you have a long experience with a lot of varieties of figs and because your climate, despite the big differences, shares one characteristic with mine; sometimes there are rainy summers.
Regarding the subject of this post, it has attracted my attention your affirmation; "In the colder climates as New Jersey,Leaving a breba crop on a fig that has a good main crop,makes the tree be late in maturing the main crop with at least 2,to 4 weeks..."
I haven't can verify this but according to Pierre Baud, at least for "Ronde de Bordeaux" (it seldom produces a limited breva crop), the presence of brevas doesn't affect the ripening date of main crop. On the contrary, it so affects the quantity of main crop; more brevas->less main crop.
Coming back to Negronne, I am also surprised with the splitting of it in rainy weather (I have read this in other posts). Negronne has been grown long since in south England and they have rainy summers.
Of course! I am not doubting of your comments, I only want your opinion. I have bought one Negronne this winter and I am interested in it.
Thanks!

rONDE DE bORDEAUX,IS SO EARLY MATURING, That leaving breba on does not make the tree to be too late in maturing fruits.
So in fact it still mature(get ripe)all fruits.
IN most other cases,it will make the tree be late,and be cought by frost with green fruits.
About Negronne. Yes it was splitting because,here when it rains it does it 5 inches in one night.
Also there is more than one Negronne.
I discarded that one and now i have 2 different ones,in trial.I did it because it was very sensitive to cold too.
Happy growing

Hi Herman!
Let me join in thanking you for all your great advice over the years.
This is a very interesting observation regarding breba and main crop. This is the first year my tree is loaded with breba. They're about dime size already and my greed will not let me knock them off.
I don't know what variety this green fig is... originally, it came from my grandparent's house in Brooklyn.
My question...if the breba are growing fast will that still leave time for the main crop to ripen?
Is the main crop's taste effected because they don't have time to ripen or because the breba saps too much energy from the tree?
Warm regards.

The Main crop is affected because,our hot seson is not long, and not hot enough to ripe 2 crops.
Please you people,realise,New Jersey is not southern,Italy.
Nor is it Southern Grece ,Turkey,Siria or Irak,or Central California.Today it was 103 F,in Sacramento central valey.
These countries,have a much hoter longer Season
It is up to you,to do what is best for you,and it is also up to you to do what is best for your fig!!!
Best Regards

I am very pleased if in our climate (New Jersey)my figs will give me ,one good crop,wich ever is higher in quality,breba or main crop.
This way,I am happy with them,and they are Happy with me.
Best Regards

Thanks for the info. I am surprised how strong are the rains in NJ, 5 inches in one night is much rain!! fortunately, the rains in my climate are more uniformly distributed.

I am surprised too for the two variants of Negronne you have, have they serrated edge leafs? It seems to be a differentiated characteristic of Negronne.

In any case, there is a lot of confusion with Negronne and Violette de Bordeaux, it is a real mess!!

Some do some do not.
Right now I have 2 Violette de Bordeaux in trial,outside the one i discarded,last Fall.
By the way:We have 120 cm.,rain annually.
But is not evenly ,it is whenever it wants to,and 5 inches, once is a modest acount.
It can be more.

What a coincidence! We have the same year rainfall, here (north coast of Spain) have from 1200 to 1700 mm per year (47,2 to 67 inches), but unlike your climate, it is evenly distributed through the year. That is the problem, sometimes it rains in summer, not strong rains like in NJ but a lot of cloudy days and light rain. Fortunately this doesn't occur all years.

I will try the next years my Negronne from Pierre Baud's nursery. I am optimist, if Negronne has been satisfactorily grown in South England, I hope it will grow well here.

Good luck with your trials of the new Violette de Bordeaux!
I will read with interest your future comments of them.

Yes You Welcome,and I will post informations results.about them.I know Violette/Negronne is a very well sought after variety.I would say,that i have a third Violette ,if i account,the Aubique Petite originating from Piere Baud,and given to me as cutting from a friend.
But i do not know if you regard Aubique Petite as a Negronne type fig?
Best Regards

According to Pierre Baud, all the following names are synonym of Negronne:

- Violette de Bordeaux
- Figue de Bordeaux
- Bordeaux
- Angelique Black
- Figue Poire
- Petite Aubique

So, for Pierre Baud all the above figs are the same fig: Negronne.

As you see, there is a big mess with the word "Bordeaux" in a lot of fig names, furthermore, you don't have to confund "Petite Aubique" with "Aubique" or "Aubique Noire". Aubique is another variety, in France is more known like "Abicou".
Again, according to Pierre Baud, Aubique has the following synonyms:

- Abicou
- Grosse violette Longue
- Figue Poire (see above, like Negronne! even more mess!)
- Noire du Languedoc
- Grosse Rouge de Bordeaux
- Grosse Violette de Bordeaux (...no comments! anybody is already crazy?)
- Negro Largo
- Black Douro
- Warren's Brown Turkey
- Black Genoa
- Black Portugal
- Black San Pedro.

In any event, Abicou or Aubique is very different of Negronne. No problem to differentiate.

Good enough ,then i have 3 Violette de Bordeaux cultivars that are distinct different figs.
Best Regards

Hi Herman and Axier,

Peter's Honey with brebas and closely following main crop.
This may delay my main crop Herman, but I'm a little fig hungry right now. Peter's Honey is the only one with main crop here right now (of potted figs).
Thanks Axier for your posting and excellent instructions on grafting. Thanks to you, my mother has Marseilles and Negronne on her brown turkey-- that should confuse the birds. :-)

Scott

Herman;
What month do you regard as the end of your season in NJ? (I'm trying to fit my circumstances to yours in order to know what to do about brebas)

Our growing season begins (grass green-up and trees leaf out) about the third week of April, hot weather really begins the last week of May and our hottest summer is over about the middle of September here in N. E. Oklahoma.

Our big rains come in April and May, then only moderate rains (and not much of it) in June, July and August, with a bit more moisture in Sept. Rain is remarkably variable; I got a seven inch rain last month, and we've had over 50 inches of rain at least one year since I've been in OK. Most years are in the thirties in this part of the state, much wetter over toward Ark and less rain as you go west.
Ox

End of Season is Middle of October,when frost can get them any time.Figs leaf out here after, first of May,if in ground without any Human intervention.Frost morning can be till 10 of May.
Best Regards

Here in 7b, Cape May County, NJ, my trees leaf out in early to mid April, and usually get frosted in November, or even December! As for brebas, I did much better with my unprotected trees on Staten Island, New York. My White Marseilles had a good breba crop, and a less tasty main crop. One year I had three crops on it, as well as Brown Turkey and hardy Chicago. I just figured out that my unprotected White Marseilles fruited better with its brebas probably because I had a lot of terminal bud injury, thus no terminal bud growth to inhibit breba retention. Here I get just about 100% breba drop on the same cultivar brought from New York! Next spring I will break off most of the terminal buds on it to see if my observations are correct. Many places where I did that this year on some other varieties, I got brebas, including my Celeste!
That Peter's Honey looks neat with its two crops!!!

palmfan
I'd like to echo what you said about unprotected fig trees. I have noticed that fig trees planted on the NORTH side of a building do better than ones planted on the South side. The ones planted on the North side can go dormant quicker and stay dormant--hence, they are more cold-hardy.