Figs

[Father'sDaughter]

Continuing my experiments on my purchased Hardy Chicago.

After a lot of reading and watching You Tube videos, today I started my first plastic bag air layer on a low branch I was planning to prune after this season anyway. If it's successful, I'll have another tree next year. If not, I resort to plan B which is rooting cuttings from other branches I'm planning to prune off.

Dad's are doing great considering he just cut a few good size branches off his trees this spring, stuck them in a pot of soil (not potting mix), and watered them. That's the way he has successfully started all his cuttings over the years, but it's definitely not the way I'm seeing it done by the fig "experts" all over the Internet...

I will need to separate them into three separate pots early next spring (there are actually two "black" figs in the pot), but he's already told me he'll show me how when the time comes.

At this rate I'll be well on my way to a driveway potted fig orchard. Just need to make sure there will be room for them all in the shed for the winter!

[Father'sDaughter]

The fig trees have landed at the Local Wholefoods stores! Trolled through the parking lot for the fourth week in a row after leaving the gym, and finally spotted those familiar leaf shapes.

The only varieties the local store has this year are Brown Turkey, LSU Purple, and Celeste. Plopped down my $15 and a nice, healthy looking Celeste has now joined my tiny driveway orchard.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Continuing my experiments on my purchased Hardy Chicago.

After a lot of reading and watching You Tube videos, today I started my first plastic bag air layer on a low branch I was planning to prune after this season anyway. If it's successful, I'll have another tree next year. If not, I resort to plan B which is rooting cuttings from other branches I'm planning to prune off.

Dad's are doing great considering he just cut a few good size branches off his trees this spring, stuck them in a pot of soil (not potting mix), and watered them. That's the way he has successfully started all his cuttings over the years, but it's definitely not the way I'm seeing it done by the fig "experts" all over the Internet...

I will need to separate them into three separate pots early next spring (there are actually two "black" figs in the pot), but he's already told me he'll show me how when the time comes.

At this rate I'll be well on my way to a driveway potted fig orchard. Just need to make sure there will be room for them all in the shed for the winter!

Many of the so called internet experts and YouTube experts are idiots to say the least.
Or at least so arrogant they wont take advise or criticism from people.

I did have one nice lady send me a message back thanking me for letting her know her pressure canner gauge was loose.

As for the cuttings that is how they have done it for years as well as starting seeds.
Wet sand was a good choice too and what I used.
People have had potted plants for 1000's of years and they sure as heck didn't have the big box store to get potting mix from.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Worth

[ako1974]

For cuttings, I use perlite, but that's indoors in the winter. It stays light and airy, I just need to watch out they don't dry out. It's harder to overwater in perlite as well, since it drains well.

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by ako1974

I would put them out now. Start off with a week in full shade, a week in partial shade, then on to sun. Potted figs produce best with a period of dormancy, especially in the NE.

I pinched all my figs about 3 weeks ago and they're pushing a lot of figs right now. I have about 50 potted figs that are about 2-3 years old, so hopefully they keep it up - good weather, no pests/birds, whatever.

I'm afraid to take the plants out, even in the shade. It's been in the 90's with no break in sight. That is about 10 degrees over the average. They are fairly loaded with figs (at keast the 3 older Chicago's are), and I'd hate for them to get heat stressed and drop the load. Maybe write this summer off indoors, let them go dormant in winter, and get them outside next year..

- Lisa

PS I called Whole Foods here in Omaha and they said they will never get figs because it is too cold to grow them here. My explanation to the produce manager about overwintering in a garage was not very convincing. Gesh!

[drew51]

Once acclimated to outside 90F is no big deal, it would produce some awesome tasting figs, that's for sure! Figs are sub tropical trees, and can take a lot more heat than 90F.

On air layers, I just did four of them. I left them about 8 weeks, way over what's needed. All had lot's of roots, and it's day 3 and they look fine. On two, some leaves wilted so I removed the wilted leaves. I like using a bottle, it's just so easy and takes only a few minutes to put on. I found cutting the bottle down a little works well.
I use this method and every one I did worked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Dc2nADaH4

I have not watched this video in some time, but I like to cut the screw top off as often the plastic is really thick there and hard to cut. So I just remove it.

I have 5 figs in ground, they die in the winter, the above ground top, roots are hardy to below zero. They regrow and produce anyway. Only a few will do this, and I'm experimenting with which ones do. I have about 35 trees in containers (all different cultivars) I overwinter in the garage. I never have them in the house. I should get about 300 to 500 figs this year (never really counted them). All kinds, green, yellow, purple, black etc. yellow, amber, and red interiors.

[Father'sDaughter]

The air layer I set on my Hardy Chicago back in early July was removed and potted today. It had a good sized rootball that had almost filled the quart size ziplock bag with some outer roots looking like they were just starting to harden up.

I used no rooting hormones, only lightly scraped the bark, filled the bag with moist Wondersoil and zipped it shut, cut a slice vertically down the front of the bag, molded it around the scraped branch taco style, and taped it up with some teflon tape. Easy peasy! (Or beginner's luck...)

Now I need to see if it'll not only survive, but if it will drop or ripen the five figs it's sporting. There are still another 30 or so figs on the mother tree, so I may still get to try some figs if these five drop and the critters don't beat me to the others.

Oh, and dad had another of his "white" cuttings that he stuck in some dirt and when it didn't seem to be doing much, he stashed it behind the garage intending to eventually toss it. A few weeks later he discovered it had started growing so he plopped it in the back seat of my car last time I visited. Now that it's in a sunny spot getting watered regularly, it's really taking off.

Now up to six trees. The shed is going to be very crowded this winter...

[Dak]

@FathersDaughter, thanks for sharing your story! I tried unsuccessfully to clone a few things, and always seem to fail, nice to hear success stories.

[drew51]

Air layers on figs is pretty easy. I did 10 this year and all took. I have about 30 varieties.

[Father'sDaughter]

It's like a lot of things -- over think it, over research it, and it makes something easy seem so difficult.

This was the same with grafting my tomato plants. For months I read, researched, watched videos, asked questions, and had myself convinced it was a a major undertaking. In the end, the actual act of grafting was easy as can be.

[drew51]

I never grafted tomatoes but I have figs! Plums and peaches too.

[greenthumbomaha]

Ugh oh. Look at this leaf please. These are two year old plants form Lowes in original one gallon pots. The other leaves looked mottled and have already turned yellow and fallen off, and it is trying to grow new leaves Only one of four plants (that one was in a shadier spot) have nice big leaves. The weather here was scorching and they suffered more than once for water once I moved them out of the shady corner. They need to go inside this week. Should I treat it , or let nature take its course with the other figs indoors. They will go in a sunny window for a while before they visit a cool dark corner of an unused room.

- Lisa

[clkingtx]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

Ugh oh. Look at this leaf please. These are two year old plants form Lowes in original one gallon pots. The other leaves looked mottled and have already turned yellow and fallen off, and it is trying to grow new leaves Only one of four plants (that one was in a shadier spot) have nice big leaves. The weather here was scorching and they suffered more than once for water once I moved them out of the shady corner. They need to go inside this week. Should I treat it , or let nature take its course with the other figs indoors. They will go in a sunny window for a while before they visit a cool dark corner of an unused room.

- Lisa

There is a kind of fungus that fig leaves are susceptible to, I think it is named some kind of "rust"? It is supposed to be spread when it is humid, but I really noticed it on mine when they were heat stressed. I never worried about it, but I didn't bring mine inside. If I were, I probably would research and find a spray for it.

[drew51]

You can use copper for fig rust, it looks like fig rust, a very light case. It usually only works as a preventative.

[GrowingCoastal]

I usually wait until my figs lose their leaves and go dormant before bringing them into a place where it will remain above freezing and not get warm. A light frost won't hurt them like a hard freeze would.