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Old February 28, 2007   #1
Volvo
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Default Fig Trees

Have tried to grow a fig tree in thebackyard some time back but gave up from the heartache of watching it continuousely getting its leaves eithe r eaten away or suffering from disease and came to the conclsion that Gladrock(Gladstone ) just wasnt ripe for Figtrees..
After having come to face with other BIG healthy fig trees locally i have just re-planted another Fig tree ..
Where would an Aussiegreek house be without its Fig tree outback ey??...
Sssssoooooooooooo, what i'm after is handy tips or advice in looking after a Fig tree and make sure it grows nice n healthy ..
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Old March 1, 2007   #2
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Can't speak for Aussiegreeks, actually can't speak for Canuckgreeks either, except to say that if they can grow them here then you should be able to grow them there...once you find the right technique.

Here in Ontario, everyone grows figs in pots (containers) and either brings the potted fig into the house over the winter or digs a trench and buries the entire thing underground until spring again. You have to see it to believe it. Amazing.

Jennifer, fresh fig lover thanks to living in Greece and determined to have a fig tree of my own sometime in this life...or get back to Greece...or both
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Old March 1, 2007   #3
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Jennifer, tell me?? do they fruit really well in Pots??..WE have this huge tree at work and grows heaps , also dont get attacked by either bugs or disease..
Now truth be told this tree is adjascent to quite some Coal stockpiles and aint short of coal dust over it so might be sumthin in the coal dust ey ..
Reckon there might be cause for a patent lol..
mindya the figs dont lack any taste either..
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Old March 2, 2007   #4
michael johnson
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Figs actually do better in large pots -than in the ground, as they fruit much better if the roots are restricted in some way-pot bound figs always have more fruit on them,

To get over this in the ground- you can always plant them in a container to restrict the root growth and then bury it in the ground any other roots will eventually come out through the drainage hole at the bottom-but it helps them to fruit better.

As far as being hardy is concerned most figs can stand snow, frost, etc, outside in the garden, they usually look like a dead twig until the spring and then new leaf buds start to form and open, but any figs they produce eventualy will not ever ripen properly outdoors in a cold or cool area, they real need a warmer environment to finish ripening properly, you can always put them in a greenhouse-but they grow so well they soon take over the place.

The little tiny figlets about as big as a pea that come in the joints and on the stem right at the end of the season apart from the larger figs of the main crop, are in fact the next season fig crop waiting to happen, so care must be taken not to break of or disturb these tiny figlets otherwise you are ruining next seasons crop.

The best way to eat figs for maximum sweetness is when they are nearly rotten-black and splodgy, thats when the finest flavour is to be found, although having said that some varieties can be sweetish when they are green.

There is a fig tree special nursery here in the uk where they have been experimenting with various varieties to grow and ripen in colder countries, and they have found a very ancient roman variety with cuttings taken from the original old stock year after year, and it will actually just about ripen by late september over here, but the only snag is they want $50.00 a small tree for them in pots.
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Old March 2, 2007   #5
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Appreciated Miachel..Might just buy another one or two and try them in the pot like you say..
My Mother has this one Fig tree down south that grows Humungas Figs and tasty AS!!!..problem is a tad too far to go pick em ...
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Old March 3, 2007   #6
michael johnson
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I would have thought that Australia was an ideal place with ideal weather conditions for fig growing, except of course the Snowy mountain area, .

Me and the wife love figs that much we always forget the strong laxative properties they have,-until its too late, whilst we were on holiday one year in the Island of Majorca, we went to a very large open air market and fruit market, one stall had some really nice small green figs that were delicious so me and the wife bought about three pounds in weight each, and sat on a wall and ate the lot,-what we didnt take into account was that we had a one hour coach journey back to the hotel again,- we only just made it back in time and it was a mad dash to the toilet straight off the coach- a fifty yard sprint, up two flights of stairs,- luckily our room had two toilets, one seperate and the other in the bathroom, otherwise one of us would have been in rather a pickle
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Old March 3, 2007   #7
dcarch
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Question: Can fig trees set fruit indoors?

As I remember, figs require specifically one kind of wasp to pollinate.

Or is this a fig ment of my imagination?

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Old March 3, 2007   #8
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No -as far as I can remember they dont need any kind of pollination, as they dont form any flowers as such, just baby figlets in the node joints each autumn, I think the one you are refering too is that african weeping fig trees that have to have a tiny wasp inside each fig to do the job-where they lay eggs and the grubs do the rest, but they are a completly different species of fig,
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Old March 3, 2007   #9
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No there's not much problems into growing anything here in Aussieland, so long as you know how to and where to..
Like i said i previousely tried on one occasion from cuttings which took off okay but just couldnt or didnt know how to control dieases and pests so gave up ..
Was given a heap of figs a we time back so got back into the mood for another try to see how i go...
Some years back.....Actually quite a fews back, Missus and i walks into a freshfood Supermarket and there before our very eyes were three maybe four trays of nice n ripe Figs ...I mean really ripe ..
Shop assistant spots us eyeing these Figs off and walks over and asks us what Figs tastelike and why are they so mushy ...
Couldnt help it but the Greek just came out in me and asks the assistant what she would give em all to me $$wise if i took the lot because they were so mushy??? as they would go good in the jam jar ...
$3.00 a tray and a very content tummy some time later and have always looked favourably towards Figs ever since...
Truth be told ive always loved Figs , Near every second house back in Wollongong where i was raised had a Fig tree outback...
Can tell ya as Kids we honed out tree climbing skills on quite a few of them Trees ...
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Old March 4, 2007   #10
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Volvo, you have received excellent advice already. All I can add is - give it another go. I can grow them at my place without a problem. No diseases, no nothing. Just make sure the birds don't eat the whole lot. There are so many varieties out there, you are bound to find one that suits your climate.

Give cuttings another go! I received some last winter and they are now fruiting in their little pots. If the roots have developed nicely I'll plant them in my orchard later in winter. Good soil will help them along nicely.

Why not try and get some cuttings from your mother's fig tree in winter? Or any fig tree whose fruit you have really enjoyed?

If you are interested in a White Genoa (late-fruiting) I can send you some cuttings in winter. Just let me know.
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Old March 4, 2007   #11
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Appreciated..Have allready lined up my Mom to send me some more cuttings to give it another go as the daughter wants to plant some out also...
Pickers i have three when the trees grow and bare fruit lol..
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Old March 5, 2007   #12
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I have suddenly realised- if figs in general reproduce from little figlets that form in the node joints etc, and dont have any flowers, how do they produce new varieties of figs if there is nothing to fertilise or cross with, and for that matter-how do the seeds inside the figs become fertile in the ripe figs if there are no flowers to pollinate with- its all a mystery to me.
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Old March 5, 2007   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by michael johnson View Post
I have suddenly realised- if figs in general reproduce from little figlets that form in the node joints etc, and dont have any flowers, how do they produce new varieties of figs if there is nothing to fertilise or cross with, and for that matter-how do the seeds inside the figs become fertile in the ripe figs if there are no flowers to pollinate with- its all a mystery to me.
Well, that's part of my question. I think they have flowers inside the fruit, a tiny wasp will get inside to pollinate the flowers then die inside.
Don't let your kids know about this, or they will never eat figs again.
How do they cross pollinate? I am not sure.

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Old March 8, 2007   #14
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Some figs do need a pollinator. These are called Smyrna figs. They also need a pollen-parent, called a Caprifig. Caprifigs don't produce fruit, from what I understand. That being said, Brown Turkey, Chicago, and most other familiar fig varieties don't need a pollinator. I would imagine that new varieties either come from spontaneous Sports or Smyrna figs.

Here's a few shots of my fig (a Golden) going to bed for the winter. The big paper bags are filled with leaves, while the little one is filled with cat droppings to hopefully keep mice out of the bundle. Last year they ate off over half of the new figlets. The entire bundle is then wrapped in tarpaper, the kind used in shingle roofing. This is to keep excessive moisture out, while letting the tree breathe. I still have about a month before I can unwrap it.
Attached Images
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File Type: jpg fig wrap 3.jpg (63.0 KB, 11 views)
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File Type: jpg fig wrap 5.jpg (58.2 KB, 11 views)
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Old March 15, 2007   #15
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Redbrick, great set-up you've got there! And what dedication! I hope you get a good crop this season!

We've got it pretty easy here, compared with you. Our fig tree loses its leaves in autumn and goes dormant over winter. We only have light frosts which don't harm our trees.

These are my fig cuttings that I potted up about 7 months ago. I was surprised when the 2 on the right developed fruit.

Our tree is loaded with fruit at the moment. There are now at least 2-3 ripe figs every day. YUM!

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