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nw_gardener

Bayernfeige Violetta - questions

Bay Area Gardener
13 years ago

Hi,

I am in the Kirkland, WA area, about 3 miles or so from Lake Washington. I was planning to plant a fig tree and picked up a Bayernfeige Violetta from Molbaks in Woodinville (their last fig it seemed). I was unable to get information on the approximate age of the plant; it is 2.5 feet tall and has 3 green figs (breba crop?) on it with 2 more fallen off. The plant is currently dormant and is sitting in my garage. I had a few questions about it which I was hoping the experts here would be able to answer; please let me know if I should be asking someplace else instead.

1. Given the description above, can I deduce the approximate age of the plant?

2. Does anyone have experience with the taste and quality of the Violetta compared to the Desert King which appears to be the recommended variety for the area? I understand of course that taste is highly subjective, so I am just looking to get your personal opinion. More objectively, can I expect the plant to set figs as reliably as the DK? How do the quantities of the fruit set compare?

3. Should I be setting the fig tree out in the yard, or is that a bad idea? I could leave it in the garage over the winter, but I was hoping that if I planted it out now I could get some root development over the winter which would help the tree when Spring rolls around. The fig is eventually going to go into the ground instead of into a container.

4. Can I hope to get two crops from this variety (both Breba and main?) I know this might be expecting too much, but it never hurts to ask :) If I can expect only one, which one will it be? Will it help the main crop if I remove the small fruit from the previous year?

5. How large can I expect this tree to get with time? I was planning to plant it under some power lines, so I was hoping to keep the tree under 15-20 feet tall if I could. What is the growth rate expected?

6. I read elsewhere that the Violetta variety requires more care and feeding that other varieties - especially additional water during the dry season and extra fertilizer. Is this accurate?

Thank you very much for reading - I know this is a lot of questions, but I wanted to make sure I selected the right variety for my yard. Thanks!

Comments (5)

  • Embothrium
    13 years ago

    I'd plant it out right away and then plan on covering the top if the predicted "vicious" winter materializes. I would not expect the roots to do much over winter, with trees and shrubs in general spring and fall are the times when root activity is significant. The usual behavior is major elongation of existing roots in fall - after top growth matures - and initiation of new roots in spring. You even see certain hardy perennials like peonies and irises concentrating root growth in fall.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Planting Fact Sheet PDF

  • Bay Area Gardener
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    bboy: Thanks for the info. Given that nothing much is going to happen over the winter then, is there any disadvantage associated with not taking the risk of exposing the tree to the possibly cold La Nina winter and only moving it out later in the spring?

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    13 years ago

    Age will be tricky to determine, but that size plant should be somewhere in the 2-3 y.o. range. Violetta produces fruit at a very early age and even with heavy pruning. The taste is good - sweet and juicy. Personally, I prefer it to Desert King or Brown Turkey, which tend to be the most common PNW varieties, but not as much as Negronne (aka Violette de Bordeaux), which is the best fresh eating fig I've ever tried. And Violetta is a prodigious producer as well.

    Two crops of figs in the PNW is pretty much wishful thinking :-) The breba crop seldom ripens successfully here if it is carried over winter, although growing the fig in a container and careful siting could improve those odds. Heck, most summers we even have a hard enough time with the main crop ripening, so locating your tree somewhere where it will receive reflected heat is a wise choice.

    The only significant distinguishing characteristic of Violetta compared to othere selections is increased cold tolerance - minus 4F is reported - so I see no reason why this selection should have different cultural requirements from other edible fig varieties.

  • Bay Area Gardener
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    gardengal48: Ah, I see. So realistically I can then expect the breba figs to freeze and/or fall off over the winter for the Violetta? Can I help speed the main crop along by removing these figs myself? My impression (from reading about the Desert King variety) was that it ripened only the Breba crop and at least got an extended period of time to do that.

    It also sounds like container growing is a smart choice to improve the odds of fruit? If I were to place it in the yard, I have three options:

    1. About 2 or 3 feet from the south side of my house on a super well draining (and summer-dry) area that holds shrubs right now

    2. South side of a fence

    3. In in open with some protection to the east and to the west from winds.

    I was worried about the eventual size of the tree if I were to do (1) - obviously, I do not want the plant to take over the side of the house :) How large can I expect the Violetta to get in (say) 7-8 years or so? Also, are the roots invasive? A bonus feature (for me) was the purported cold hardiness of the Violetta variety which meant that at least it would have a good chance of not dying if I did (3). Of course, ripening the fruits is another matter.

    Also, how invasive/extensive are the roots? With (3), I was planning to site the tree close to a vegetable planter (raised bed) which is obviously filled with good topsoil and compost. The tree is probably going to be situated about 3-4 feet away from the planter. Should I be worried about the roots getting into the planted and robbing nutrients and water from the veggies? Thanks!

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    13 years ago

    I wouldn't necessarily compare the fruiting habits of the two different varieties. It will vary when they form their breba crops and when they are inclined to ripen. Pretty much the breba is the ONLY crop available for Desert King - the so-called 'main crop' develops too late to ripen here. And because of the late cropping the breba fruit tends not to form in fall or winter but rather in mid to late spring, ripening in August and September if conditions are right.

    As to the siting, size and growth habits, I've attached a link that might help with that. FWIW, Violetta is supposed to stay somewhat compact and tolerates pruning, so enormous size may not be an issue. But I would still think twice about placement. Much like the crape myrtles discussed here in another thread, our Puget Sound summers are just a bit too cool to realize maximum performance or productivity unless the plants are sited to maximize any reflected heat.

    Here is a link that might be useful: fig fact sheet