Fig Progress Report. Battleground Figs. 7.19.14

Vancouver Brunswick in Battleground.  7.19.14

 Here is the progress report for the Battleground fig trees.

The Vancouver Brunswick, I moved here December 2012, now 13 years old, has a generous main crop forming.  There is one breba.  Today I covered the tree with a net, and placed a plastic sleeve around the trunk.  The sleeve will get a coating of Tanglefoot.  It will be interesting to see if we get to taste the main crop this year.  This is a very sweet fig, but hard to get it to produce much here because they ripen in rainy season.    Maybe in the higher elevation and hotter days at Battleground they will ripen sooner.

The containerized Carini will soon produce some figs to taste.  The in-ground was a victim of the big freeze.

Smith, LSU Tiger, Atreano, Petite Aubique all have new trees growing from the roots.  I am holding extra nutrients and watering only when they look like they are about to wilt.  I hope that makes them tougher for next winter.

Sal's fig is awkward looking because I converted it from a bushy shape to a single trunk.  It looks like there will be enough figs for a taste.

The rest of the containerized collection is looking good.  Champagne and Tiger may give some figs in containers.  The first year trees, I plan to keep in a shed for the winter, and plant some in the ground next Spring, so they don't get a big freeze in their first season of tender growth.
                        

Containerized Carini Fig.  Battleground.  7.19.14

I have more containerized fig trees than I know what to do with.  I plan to plant a Hardy Chicago, King, and Lattarula in the ground next Spring.

Smith in Recovery from Big Freeze.  7.19.14

Sal's Fig.  7.19.14

Containerized Fig Collection.  7.19.14

Fig Progress Report. 6.1.14

Fig trees

 The fig tree starts are doing better than I expected.

Only one is definitely dead - Atreano.

Two of the others have barely visible growth - Petite Negri and Champagne.

Brunswick has compact, strong appearing growth.  The stems are not elongating much.  That suggests limitation by nitrogen.  I don't want it to grow weak lush growth that will be susceptible to next winter's freezes, so I didn't give it any nitrogen boost.  I did snap of growth tips from branches that had 4 to 6 good leaves, to stimulate fig production.

Sal's is taller, but not much growth, compared to the newer starts south of the house.  I pruned it to a single trunk, and gave it, and the others in this row, a one time organic nitrogen boost.  I won't give more, for the same reason I'm not giving any to the Brunswick tree.

LSU Tiger has good,vigorous growth.  Smith and Carini also look pretty good.

LSU Tiger fig

 These are mulched with grass trimmings from the surrounding lawn.

The organic nitrogen boost is from the usual source.  I used approx 1:7 dilution, with 2 gallons sufficing for all of the trees.

Before I leave today I should give them some deer protection.

Smith Fig

Sal's Fig

Snapping growth tip from Brunswick Fig.

Figs so far this year. 2.29.14

Smith Fig in Container.  Year #2.

The fig situation so far this year.

Smith fig in container was growing so I took it outside.  It spent the winter in the garage.  It's been outside a few weeks.  Looking good.  I think I'll keep it in container.  Long term plan:  Make a moveable container with removable sides, so I can maintain and move the trees when I am less able.

Smith fig in ground.  Looks dead.  That hard freeze did it in.

Champagne and LSU Tiger in ground are growing from the lower part of the trunk.  Champagne and LSU Tiger that were stored in shed are growing nicely, although not as fast as Smith.

Carini in ground looks dead.  I'll leave it in place a while to see if it sprouts from ground.  Same for Atreano.  The new Carini starts and Dominic look good, although the hail storm saturday tore holes in the leaves.  Plan this time is keep one of each in container, plus one of each to plant in ground next Spring so they have a full season to adapt to the local conditions as a more mature plant.  Vancouver Brunswick is growing nicely.  No freeze damage, and it was one of the most exposed.  Battleground is a bit colder than Vancouver, so I would expect more freezez damage to the Battleground fig trees.

At home in Vancouver, Petite negri had almost no frost damage.  Hardy Chicago had a number of dead branches.  Both are growing and have brebas.  Lattarula and King had no frost damage, but they are close to the house, on the south side, so may not have had full brunt of the killer freeze.

So there's a good chance for figs from all of the mature fig trees, and some chance for a few from the younger trees.

Puttering. 4.25.14

Honeybees settling in.

Vancouver Brunswick Fig.  Spring growth.

 Honeybees are lying around the hives.  It look like they are starting to settle in.  Not much going on with foraging.

Vancouver Brunswick fig is making nice growth with little brebas.  This tree spent 2013 recovering from having been moved Dec 2012.  Then new growth was frost killed early 2013.  Then hard freeze late 2013.  But looking good now.  Of the older trees I moved to Battleground, Brunswick and Sal's fig are looking the best.  Petite negri may be dead.  Of the new starts from last year, all were top-killed.  Tiger and Champagne are making new growth from the base.  These may not be as freeze-tolerant as the others, or it might be they were young and I grew them too lush.  So no fertilizing this year.  I will give them more time, but so far Atreano, Smith and Carini look dead.  I have replacements for all of them.

Camassia looking nice.  Why don't more people grow it?  I bought this as one potted plant last spring.  When the  foliage died down, I divided it and replanted.  Now each has 4 new growths.

Potatoes growing lush in the tree-ring wishing wells.   Soon will need to add more soil.

Strawberries in bloom.  Protected from deer and rabbits.  I hope.  Last year they were all eaten off when blooming.

Snowpeas growing fast too.  If not caged, they would also be eaten off.

Camassia.

Potatoes in tree ring wishing well.

Strawberries in bloom.

Champagne fig.  Sprouts from base.

Snowpeas

Fig trees after the freeze.

Brunswick fig after the freeze

 After the freeze to 8°F or 9°F, depending on what site you believe, I wanted to to a welfare check on the fig trees.  It would not surprise me if all of the buds were frozen and twigs dessicated.

Hard to say, but so far, so good.  Many of the terminal buds are frozen and dessicated, but lateral buds seem less affected.

Brunswick, so far, looks good.  I don't see any chewing damage, either.  On this or the other trees.

Champagne is a hybrid of Celeste, which is considered cold tolerant, and an unknown variety.  Developed at Louisiana State University.  Again the terminal buds look dessicated.

Champagne fig

 Give the rapid growth, it would not surprise me if this tree was unprepared for winter.  First year trees are often the most affected.  But so far, it looks OK.

Similar situation for Atreano.  Atreano is more well established for Pacific NW.  But again, this tree grew rapidly and the growth was not hardened off before winter.

Carini is completely untested for Pacific NW, being a family heirloom variety from Pennsylvania / New Jersey.  Those states get some cold.  Growth for Carini was not as rank as Champagne and Atreano, so it may be better lignified.  Looking OK, there are still lateral buds.

Smith, a Louisiana bayou heritage variety, is also untested in the NW.  One site speculated Smith was brought to the US from Yugoslavian immigrants, centuries ago.  So it may have more cold hardiness than one would guess.  Also grew rapidly, maybe a little better lignified than the two in the former chicken yard (Champagne, Atgeano) .  The twigs are an interesting light brown. 

Atreano fig

 LSU Tiger, similar to Champagne in origin, and also untested here.   Also, with growth not as rank as the former chicken yard trees.  South of the house - as are Carini, Sal's, Smith, Petite negri - so maybe a degree warmer. 

Carini Sicilian fig

Smith Louisiana fig

 Sal's fig has come through winters here in adverse conditions - in cotainers, frozen solid.   It should be more established now.  I have it wrapped for rodent protection, and sprayed with hot pepper wax - as with all of the other trees.  It looks OK.  Next year I want to train Sal's into a more vertical, less bushy shape. Easier to manage.

Louisiana Tiger fig

Sal's Sicillian fig

 So in summary, with high probability of future freezes ahead, and a historic, 40 year freeze behind us, so far, so good.  Better than expected.

Fig Tree Progress Report.

Vancouver Brunswick Fig Tree

Brunswick ("vancouver" because the source tree was here in Vancouver) - survived move to Battleground last Dec.  New growth was damaged by late frost.   Growth this year was 7".  No figs this year.  No concerns about green twigs.  This tree is mature, all growth is well lignified.

LSU Champagne.  Height now 4'8", all of which is new, grown from cutting this year.  Rapid growth due to fertigation while grown in container.  Also chickens were housed in this spot for a few weeks.  I had pinched the top to stop growth / encourage branching.   Today I picked the first two ripe figs.  Sweet.  Concern:  About the top foot is green with minimal lignification.  Will the top survive freezing?

Atreano.  Height now 5', all of which is new, grown from cutting this year.  Rapid growth due to fertigation while grown in container.   Also the chicken issue, above.  I had pinched the top to stop growth / encourage branching.   There are 2 large figs, still green.  Will I get ripe ones before frost?  Concern:  About the top foot is green with minimal lignification.  Will the top survive freezing?

Champagne and Atriano fig trees.

Row of fig trees.

Carini.  Height now 3'6", all of which is new, grown from cutting this year.  Rapid growth due to fertigation while grown in container.  I had pinched the top to stop growth / encourage branching.   There are still 2 large figs, still green.  I have eated a few from this tree.  Early starter.   Will I get ripe ones before frost?  Concern:  About the top 6" is green with minimal lignification.  Will the top survive freezing?

Petite negri.  Did not measure.  Knee high, new growth about 6".   Planted 2012.  Slow grower, had chewing animal damage last winter.  New figs did not have time to mature.

Smith.  My fastest grower this year, although Champagne and Atreano were close.  Since I pinched the tops of all three to encourage branching, comparison is difficult.  4' Tall.  Did not grow as much after planting as those other 2 listed so far.  No figs this year.  Some concerns about  lack of lignification but not as much as those two listed.

Front - Back:  Carni, Petite negri, Smith, Sal's, Tiger.

 Sal's.   Now 3'9", of which 9"  is new.  Same frost problem as Brunswick.  Planted last summer.  About half dozen new figs this year, some of the best tasting.  It should be well established now.  I thought it might take off and grow faster, but this is a more difficult site and it was not fertigated.  No frost concern, the growth is well lignified.

LSU Tiger.  3'5", all of which is new, grown from cutting this year.  Same fertigation as the other new fig trees.  Competed with Carini for the first ripe figs on new trees.  Lignification looks better than the other new trees.

The containerized trees are spares - go keep in garage as replacements, in case the in-ground trees don't survive the winter.  They can be give-aways if the in-ground trees do survive.  They are smaller than the planted ones.  I chose the biggest ones for planting.

The potted trees did not get watered in the past 2 weeks, and are entering dormancy.  Brunswick is also entering dormancy, and the others are beginning to lose leaves / yellow leaves as well.

Container fig trees.

Smith Fig Tree Graduation. Now into the real world of in-ground FigTrees.

Smith Fig.  View of roots.

Too many trees on the deck.  With 2 Smith Fig trees, about equal size, I decided to plant one at the Battleground place.  Original plan was overwinter and wait until Spring.  However, by planting one in-ground now, I have a chance to see if it will survive winters here.  If not, I can keep the other in container and overwinter in garage.  Or not - might be too much trouble.

If it has a chance to harden off, I think it will survive the winter.  No "TLC" plant food now.  Just water to keep it alive and let roots grow into surrounding soil.

Root close-up

It is not root-bound.  Some winding roots.  This is one of the few cases of my planting without slicing into the root ball, or teasing them apart.  Fig roots are aggressive, so will have no problem growing outward.  Some references recommend intentionally confining the roots, to restrict growth.  I don't want to reduce feeding roots during Summer planting.  I did the same procedure with Carini fig.  It wilted a little.  Not much.

Smith Fig.  Now in the ground.

Fig Grove #1

I mixed a little homemade compost into the fill soil.  Not much.  I poured 2 gallons of water into the hole to soak in.  Then placed tree into hole, filled in with mildly amended original soil, watered in, and mulched with straw.

Smith is an old heritage family variety in Louisiana.  Some wriers state Smith is the best of all figs.  Some of that could be variety, soil, climate....  Will it do well here? Survive winter here?  This is an experiment.  Buff or yellow skin, red inside.

The little fig grove.  From close to distant (front to back), Carini, Petite negri (possibly re-identified as Aubique petite - via Figs4fun website), Smith, Sal's.  Behind Sal's, not visible, is truncheon cutting, now growing, Lattarula.  I may add one final tree but the spot is not perfect due to shade via a growing cherry tree on neighboring property, south of the fig grove.

This is a nice spot.  Mild grade, down-slope to west and south.  South of house, so warmer in winter.

Edit 7/25/13:  Planted LSU Tiger fig tree in the location where I had the Lattarula truncheon starts.  My goal was to dig up the Lattarula starts and give them TLC for faster growth.  However, they do not appear to have roots.  I can do much better with fresh starts, can think about that next year.  Meanwhile, the row is completed, with 3 new fig tree starts, and the 2 existing small trees started previous years.  LSU Tiger is usually just called  "Tiger".  Since Panache is also sometimes called "Tiger" - incorrectly -  it's less confusing to add the "LSU".  Which also designates the origin for this variety.

Carini Fig. Planted in-ground.

Carini fig

This is one of the Carini fig trees.   I started them from cuttings this winter.  I planted it in-ground today.  Most of the cuttings will remain in containers until Fall or Spring.  This start is knee-high.  I planted in the native soil, mulched with an ince of home made compost, then mulched with home made grass straw.    Watered deeply.

Since this grew nicely, but the growth looks like it will harden off before Winter, I think it's OK to plant it in ground.   This location is South of the house.  Full sun. There is room for a row of about 6 fig trees.  So far the row has a Sal's, Petite negri, and 2 other starts.  I plan to move those starts out, and replace with a Smith, Atreano, and Champagne.  Plan subject to change as seasons pass.

Fig Trees - started from cuttings this winter.

Atreano

 These are fig trees started from cuttings this winter.  These are among the fastest to grow.  I have some under 1 foot tall.   For the most part, all have been getting 1/4 teaspoon Miracle Grow for Tomatoes.  Not organic, I know.  A temporary measure to get them up and growing faster.  The idea is similar to fertigation.  Sort of.

Carini

 There are several Carini starts.  This is one of the smaller ones.  May be a bit stunted due to the figs already growing.

Another Carini

 Another Carini, also with some early fig formation.

Champagne

 Champagne fig.  This is the larger of two.  There are tiny figs forming in leaf axils.

 

North of house on hot day

 There are potential disadvantages to the fast growth.  They may not be hardy for winter.  They are also not durable for hot summer days in full sun.  So I moved them to the North side of the house.  They need daily water.

Lattarula

 I don't need another Lattarula but I have someone in mind who would like to have it.  Once we are past the hottest part of summer, I plan to give it away.

Smith

The Smith cuttings surprised me and took off like the others.  I thought they would be slower.

The other Smith

This Smith tree needs a larger container.  I'm concerned it will dry out if I don't water dailyh or twice daily.

Tree starts. Figs. Wild Plums. Apples.

Fig, Wild Plum, Apple, starts

Current status of mostly fig starts.  These were cuttings starting in Jan and Feb, some from my trees at home and some from exchanges on gardenweb.  Fig varieties Carini (New Jersey), Ronde de Bordeaus, Black Marseilles, LSU Champagne, LSU Tiger, Panachee, Smith, Hardy Chicago, Lattarula, King.  The apples are two that I grafted at the Home Orchard Society grafting workshop. The apples are Spitzenberg and Sutton's Beauty.    The plums are grown from seeds from a neighborhood wild plum tree.