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bear_with_me

Smith fig in Maritime Pacific NW

bear_with_me
9 years ago

Here is a fig from my Smith fig tree, container grown, in Southwest Washington State. This tree was started from cutting in Jan 2013.

I had 2 cuttings. Both grew rapidly. I planted one in ground, and kept one in container. The in-ground tree was 5 feet tall last year. That tree was killed to ground, by historic freeze. It might have been less able to survive because it was a first-year tree, or because I fertilized it and growth was too soft.

The other I kept in the garage over the winter. That tree I kept in container. I didn't give much plant food this summer, some diluted Miracle Grow for tomatoes. In container, it's about 87 feet tall now.

The container tree is just starting to bear, the past week. There have been a few figs. They are small, and the inside is a rich red. They have nice crunchy seeds. I agree, they are really delicious, and a bit different from my other varieties. They may be late, or small, due to the cool climate, or because the tree is still quite young.

I posted because this is an in-demand variety due to reputation for being very delicious. It is known for hot climates, originating in Louisiana. I don't know if it has been evaluated in a climate such as mine, so this might be of interest to some. I don't have a final answer as to how it will do when established for a few years. Several of my other new trees were also killed to ground in that freeze, but established trees did fine.

My plan for this winter is cover the re-grown in-ground plant. It grew 4 or 5 new main trunks, and they are only about 2 feet tall. I did not fertilize. The trunks look more hardened off than the trunk looked at this time last year. I plan to cover with a garbage can and place a big rock on top so it doesn't blow over. We'll see what it does.

The other is nearly dormant, and I plan to place it in the garage soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: More photos of Smith fig.

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