Wow! I did not know it was that hard to make friends on this forum. I guess I'm not part of the clique. Oh well! I'll have a nice database of data next year this time and share my data and pics elsewhere. Thanks and take care, Dennis

Dennis, let me help you here. First of all I don't think anyone here belongs to a clique. I've met some of the nicest people ever here and they are generous in sharing of information. What might have helped your cause is to begin with an introduction of yourself and a little about your trees. Remember this is about the trees and their fruit. What we like to hear is the variety, number, location and care of your trees, and where you are living.

I know I skipped right over your post because I have nothing I can share or relate to your question. A good friendly "hello, I'm from............" would have at least got you some greetings to begin a conversation on. Please don't just disappear, all members can and do add to what we all seek here. I'm looking forward to finding out a little about you and your projects. In doing your project you may find out something that we can all use to our betterment. Its way better and easier if we learn together.

So with that said, "Welcome to the forum". Looking forward to many conversations with you.

From the bayou,
"gene"

Hang in there Snag
I wish I could help you on your question but I can't!

Regards
Cecil

Hi Dennis, please don't just go elsewhere! I think maybe just no one had any experience using these spikes on their trees, so they had nothing to share on the subject. Sometimes there has been lots of information posted about "fertilization" for instance, and the answers can be easily answered through thread searches, so some may not respond. Please don't take offense. There are a lot of friendly, caring folks here. Hope you stick around.

Tim

Ditto! I wish I could contribute, but I've no experience usings these spikes. So, please stick around.

And ditto again. I grow many citrus trees as well as figs and have no experience with fertilizer spikes either. I fertilize all of my trees by broadcasting either 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 on the ground around my trees.........works wonders for my trees. You will find many other threads where other fertilizer formulations and regimens are discussed. I don't recall ever reading one where someone was using those spikes. IMO it is the other fig forum that has become very cliquish.......I stopped posting there after 5 different people told me to shut up and go away.

Dan

Ok, I'll give it another try Gene. I've been on this site now about a year. I agree; the people on this site are nice. I've talked to some. I've purchased fig trees and cuttings from several folks on this site. I thought most knew me by now. If not, let me begin and introduce myself. My name is Dennis. I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am a retired Air Force officer. I am also a minister in my local church. Life is about relationship. I truly believe that! In my military life, I've traveled the world; Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Hawaii to name a few. I am a computer techie by trade and every night I am on this site reading these forum trying to learn what I can to support my fig garden. My wife ask me all the time who am I talking to on the computer. I tell her Herman, ItalianGirl, Cecil, Martin, KK and a few other friends on Garden web. Well she feels better now knowing who my friends are. But when I did not get any responses from my post I felt like an outcast. Now my wife is thinking these guys don't know me at all!

I've read hundreds of post that go back years many times. I've read Talpa's post on soil and mixtures and I know he is very knowledgeable but boy some of that information is too deep for me. I've read other post from Herman2, Cecil and others on their soil mixture for containers. I like Cecil's soil recipe best. I also inspect and analyze soil from others whom fig trees I've purchased. What I am seeing is everybody is different depending on the part of the country they are from. And that's OK. I'm just trying to do the right thing for a successful harvest in my area. I have a small 8 by 6 greenhouse that I built from kit. I posted pictures of it months ago when I finished it. I got a few responses and I appreciate those. A greenhouse is major investment but I am a serious fig gardener and my greenhouse will hold nothing but figs!

I need to protect my trees from the 3 or 4 weeks of frozen weather in Charlotte and to me my greenhouse is my answer. I need you guys to help me so I can educate those of interest about this wonderful tree called a fig. I would like to give small fig trees away as gifts for the holidays to some of my ministry staff. They know figs are my hobby and they all want a tree. The most common fig tree in my area is Brown Turkey and Celeste. Home Depot and Lowes carry them every year and sometimes Mission Fig too. Experienced fig gardeners have these trees but there are other better quality and super tasting fig trees out there. Over the past 2 years, I've added the following fig trees to my garden: Celeste, Brooklyn White, Marseilles VS, Bourabat, Portesuese Dark, Stella, Smith, Green Greek, Arteano, Alma, Black Madeira, Dan Fortis, Pananas Purple, Hardy Chicago, Strawberry, Verte, Barnisotte, Black Jack, Black Mission, Bifara, Green Ischia, Sal's Coreleone, Weeping Fig, Brunswick, Zumwalt, Calvert, Col De Dame, Diredo, Deanna, King, Excel, Golden Celeste, Blue Celest, Galbun, Hollier, Kadota, LSU Gold, LSU Purple, Lattarula, Paradiso, Peter's Honey, Tena, and UCR 187-25. I have multiple of some of these. So, you see I have quite a collection.

This past February I won an eBay auction of fig cutting from a member of this site. The cuttings were Verdal Longue, Marseilles VS, Celeste, and Brooklyn White. I was successful getting everyone of these cuttings to root in perlite and compost within 4 weeks. All survived except Verdal Longue. The Verdal Longue rooted and developed leaves but they died weeks later. I don't think it was something I did but something I did not do. And I need to find out what to do so this does not happen again.

I agree Gene, it's all about the fruit and the trees. Two years ago I purchased 3 fig trees from everyone's favorite fig nursery, Ty Ty. (heheh) The trees grew fine. Not, knowing how to fertilize, I added 2 fertilizer spikes to each tree and man what a harvest! However, this year I spent so much time and care for all the trees coming in the mail that I forgot about those 3 trees. This third year, I did not add spikes. The 3 trees did produce fruit but they dropped twice this year. So, I sent a post to see if anybody else ever used spikes. Sorry for the long email but now you have my intro and information on my garden. My cutting that I started in Feb/Mar are not over 16" tall. Most of my trees are 3 foot tall but some are 5 and 6 feet tall. Cheers, Dennis

Dennis,
I really appreciate the nice words you put on me, but I'm just a rookie at this stuff too! But like you, I live and learn!

The best luck to Ya, like I said "hang in there" you gonna be just fine!

Cecil

Dennis,
Thanks for replying back to us. I'm from south Louisiana where the tide is sometimes higher than roads and our trees are sometime swimming in the surf like California boys.

That sounds like a nice collection you have. I'm basically just starting mine. We lost all the trees in my family to the hurricanes and I have decided to replenish the supply. I'm planning to have 12 to 15 in ground trees by the end of next year. Extras and other trial versions will go on my county place. I'm mostly interested in closed eye version that are resistant to splitting and souring, but I'm willing to trial any and all.

I guess now to answer your own question about spikes you'll have to use the same 3 trees and put spikes in 1 or 2 of them and let the other be the control tree with no spikes. Of course we will want a full report and a sample of figs,ha. I wish you luck and look forward to your posts and results.

From the bayou,
"gene"

Bump, Forman old thread that interest me:). Spykes appeal to me for a few reasons, Mostly the hassle of mixing up liquid constantly, toting it around and my dogs LOVE anything granular. any updated tidbits of info on any of you that do this successfully or not, would be greatly appreciated! Carry on,:)
Thanks in advance