Figs. Progress Report. 9.13 15

Brunswick figs starting to ripen.  9.13.15

Hardy Chicago fig wood lignification.  9.13.15

Carini fig wood  lignification.  9.13.15

Sal's Fig.  9.13.15

Celeste Fig Start at 2 1/2 months.  9.13.15

LSU Tiger ripening.  Container grown.  9.13.15

Lattarula showing lignification.  9.13.15

Row of Figs trees bordering easement.  9.15.15

Here is my fig progress report for 9.13.15.  I am nearing the end of starting new fig trees, at least for myself. 

Topics:
Starting fig trees.
Establishing a small fig orchard.
Testing fig varieties.
Testing for or promoting hardiness.
Ripening figs now.

Starting fig trees:
The newest, and last intended attempts, are for the Celeste cuttings and cuttings of Petite negri / Aubique petite.  I started the Celeste in June.  There are 2 growing plants, well past the tenuous stage when there are leaves but no roots supporting them.  These just need to store some carbohydrates and go dormant.  I can early-start them in sunroom in Jan for a head start next year.

I want to try Aubique Petite again at Battleground.  I don't know if my original tree can be moved - may be too big.  I started a cutting last month.  Cut a semi-hardwood cutting, cut leaves in half, scored the sides through cambium, dipped into Dip-and-Grow, and placed in water on North side of house.  I have been changing the water when I think of it, about weekly.

The roots are at the callous - small root stage.  I moved this on into potting soil today.  Will keep it watered until fall, store in garage, and probably also bring out of dormancy in January.  This will need extra TLC to grow fast, since it is slow growing.  I want it to fruit as soon as it can.

Establishing a Small Fig Orchard.  I don't know which ones will do well, and there is room, so I am trying many varieties.  This row is shaded on East by a large fir tree.  On the west is an easement, which I can't use for much.  These are out of the easement.  If a road is ever built, the fig trees will provide some privacy.  I planted Champagne into ground.  There are already Brunswick, moved 2 years ago.  There are starts from Dominick and Atreano.  I might add Smith and one or two more.

There is also the row of fig trees south of the Battleground house. 

Testing fig varieties and hardiness.   It's too much trouble to maintain more than a few trees in containers.  Even if it's a variety that I like and may not be able to survive in ground, I am moving most into ground.  It's young fig trees that are most susceptible to freezing damage.  Some thoughts - I am only planting trees that have been container grown, outside, for 2 or 3 years.  They should be more hardy than new ones.  I am avoiding stimulating more that about a foot of new growth on these trees.  That means the new growth should have a chance to lignify.  Ditto for in-ground trees.  For some, there was only a few inches of growth.  Not great for fast enlargement and production, but I think they should be more hardy.   I will leave a few in containers, but the long term plan is all in-ground.

The fig tree row south of the house, Hardy Chicago, Sal's and Dominic seem the most lignified.  LSU Tiger, Carini, and Lattarula are not there yet.  Lattarula is ahead of Carini and Tiger.

Figs Ripening Now.  This is the best part and why grow figs.  Getting a bowl full of Hardy Chicago about every other day.  Sal's is still young but getting a taste every few days.  Tiger in container is ripening more.  Not confident Tiger in ground will make it this year.  Carini might get there.  Brunswick has multiple figs that have reached the tipping point to ripening.  The most ever. 

Fig Progress Report. 7.5.15

Brunswick main crop figs.  7.5.15

Container Carini with small main crop figs.  7.5.15

 This progress report is for fig trees at the Battleground place.  The 4 in-ground and 3 potted at the Vancouver place will follow if I have the energy.

Brunswick - started from cutting 2001, moved to Battleground 2012.  Big main crop figs.  I hope they continue.

Sal's - started uncertain date, slow start.  Planted small tree, 1 foot, Battleground, summer 2012.   Growth continues to be slow, which might be why there was no frost damage when other fast growing trees died to the ground.  Many figs, further ahead than most of the other varieties, even though growth is minimal.

Carini - I have both in-ground and container.  If the in-ground survives next winter, I want to find a good home for the container tree.   Two good size brebas, and a number of new main crop.  In-ground was grown from cutting 2013, winter killed to ground, that winter, grew back 2014 - slower - and survived winter with protection.  This winter is the big test, no protection.

Atreano - I have both in-ground and container.  Both are promising.  I would like to find a good home for the container tree, after I get to eat the figs.  I have not tried Atreano yet.  Similar story as Carini.

Hardy Chicago - Growth was slow.  Grew from cutting 2014.  Planted in-ground late last winter.  Some main-crop figs have begun, but very tiny so far.  

LSU Tiger - similar story as Atreano and Carini.  If in-ground survives this winter, the container tree will need a new home.  No protection for this winter.  I'm a bit interested to see what happens - growth was faster than I wanted.  My hypothesis is that fast growth will be less hardy during a cold winter or early cold snap.

Lattarula - same story as Hardy Chicago.  Also growing fast.  Big juicy stems.   Will they harden off in time for winter?

Dominick - growth is slow and steady.  Stems already look woody.  Might be good for a marginal climate.   Have not had a chance to taste them yet.  Two in-ground specimens.

Mystery - found near deck in Vancouver.  Leaves similar to Brunswick, but I doubt that.  Growing well.

King - growth not that vigorous, which portends well for winter.  But, with so little growth, not confident there will be brebas next year.  King is breba-only.

In-Ground Carini with 2 brebas and small main crop figs.  7.5.15

Basically, this is my Battleground fig research project.  It makes sense that if a variety does well in Vancouver, it would do will in Battleground, which is not a lot different.  Winter might be a couple of degrees colder, and there might be a few days earlier frost, and slightly cooler Spring.  For cultivars that are marginal in Vancouver, they might not thrive or produce in Battleground.

Still, it's really to early to say.  None have been there more than 3 years.  Some are in their first year.  Several years of growth are needed before a fig tree really comes into production.  

In-ground Atreano.  7.5.15

Hardy Chicago.  7.5.15

Lattarula.  7.5.15

LSU Tiger.  7.5.15

Walking Around. 6.19.15

Ladybug  Browsing Aphids on Apple Leaf.  6.19.15

"Black" calla lily. 6.19.15

 Walking around.  I thought I heard teeny tiny  screams coming from an apple leaf  - looked down and saw a lady bug munching through a field of aphids like a Tyranosaurus rex munching through a field of bunny rabbits.

The "black" calla is kind of elegant.  This one is 3 years old.  Got the usual winter treatment, dry out in fall, store in garage, then move back outside in Spring and water / fertilize.

Butterfly on Tiger Lily.  Nice.  Lilies don't seem to survive at the Battleground place.  But this one did.

Squashes have flower buds.  Corn just might be knee high by the 4th of July.

Sal's Fig seems to be the best adapted to the Battleground place.  I don't know yet about the best adapted at Vancouver - Chicago Hardy, King, and Lattarula are in their first in-ground summer at Battleground.

Good demonstration of how much faster Four O'clocks grow from last year's roots, as opposed to this year's seedlings.   Today I noticed another plant coming up from last year.  Long dormancy - they must need a lot of warmth to awaken.

Tiger Lily with  Butterful.  6.19.15

Squash and Sweet Corn Garden.   6.19.15

Main Crop Fig Buds.  Sa'ls Fig.   6.19.15

Left:  Four O'clock from 2014 root.  Right:  Four O'clock from seed.   6.19.15

Container Garden and Nursery. 6.13.15

Container Tree Nursery.  6.13.15

El Dorado Peach in Container.  6.13.15

 It's getting into the hotter sunnier season.  For container plants, that means more protection and more water.

Previously I took temperatures of container soil with and without reflective foil.  The foil reduced the temperature by roughly 15 degrees.  That was during hot sunny weather.  Based on that information, I've wrapped the 2 to 5 gallon containers with aluminum foil, shiny side out.  I may need to do that with the larger containers as well.

One or  two of the ginkgos may be used as rootstock to propagate my backyard ginkgo tree.  The plums may also be rootstock for next year's scion.  The dwarf peach seedling, I might use as rootstock or might just let it grow.  Without a non-dwarfed peach rootstock, it might never become a tree shape.  In a container, that's fine.  I prefer the compact shape.

I probably should have thinned the peaches better.   But, they are looking good.

I pinched the fig tree branch tips a couple weeks back.  They are responding with figs at the leaf axils.

Nagami kumquat - greening up.  No flowers.

Meyer lemon - lots of flowers.

Container Fig Trees.  6.13.15

 Swiss Chard - we've been eating some in stir fry every day.  It's been a rewarding container crop.

Nagami Kumquat.  6.13.15

Swiss Chard.  6.13.15

Meyer Lemon.  6.13.15

Apply Tanglefoot to Fruit Tree Trunks for Ant and Crawling Insect Control. 5.3.15

Tanglefoot and polyethylene strips.  5.3.15

 This is a good time of year to apply Tanglefoot to fruit tree trunks.  It's  well in advance of fruit ripening, but after most of the Spring rains.

For figs, the Tanglefoot prevents ants from climbing the trunk and entering ripe figs.  Without the Tanglefoot, my figs invariably have some added crunch, that seems to move around on the tongue.  In addition to being odd, infection by ants also seems to cause mold spoilage of the figs before they fully ripen.  I suspect the ants carry mold spores.

For cherries, Tanglefoot prevents black aphids.  My theory there is ants farm the aphids.  Either that or, the black aphids climb the trunk themselves.  Whatever the case, the Tanglefoot prevents them.

I also apply to apples, pears, and peaches.  The treatment does not stop problems caused by flying insects, but does stop problems caused by tree-climbing insects.

I don't know that tanglefoot applied directly to the trunk is harmful.  It is messy, sticky, and next to impossible to remove.  I wrap tightly with 6-inch-wide strips of light-weight polyethylene.  The strips are cut from disposable grocery store bags.  They are too flimsy to girdle the trunk.  I wrap twice, then tie with a square knot.  Then apply Tanglefoot, squeezing a strip from the tube like toothpaste, and spread on the plastic wrapping using a disposable plastic spoon. 

Being very cheap, I save the plastic spoons from my work place lunch.  I usually take my own flatware, but sometimes forget.

Wrapping fig tree trunk.  5.3.15

During the winter, I remove the Tanglefoot.   By then, it is covered with dust, dirt, plant material, and ineffective at stopping insects.   The polyethylene bags are flimsy enough, to simply pull off the tree trunks.

Alternatively, one could apply sticky plastic tape, sticky-side out.  I would not use duct-tape, which is too tough and might girdle the tree.

Tree protected with Tanglefoot.  5.3.15

Fig Progress Report. 3.28.15

Brunswick Fig Brebas.  3.28.15

Update on Battleground fig trees.

Brunswick - This was a ~11 year old tree grown from local cutting, moved to the Battleground place 3 1/2 years ago.  Last year there was about 6 inches of new growth.  I am not encouraging a lot of growth, because I want it to have strong, durable, fully lignified branches before start of winter.  This is the most breba it's had since moving it, and maybe before that.  This tree usually drops its brebas.  Wait and see.

Newer fig trees -

Atreano survived its second winter.  The first winter it was killed to ground, and regrew.  This tree is considered more cold hardy than some others.  Now I can consider it well established.

Petite aubique - looks dead.  I give up.  Replace with one of the container trees.  I'm thinking, Dominick.   Maybe the other Atreano.

Tiger.  Survived and growing.  This one was covered with trash can for the winter.

Carini.  Survived and growing.  Also covered.

Sal's.  Unsheltered.  Survived and growing.  Has grown slowly, but minimal die back each winter.

Planted in-ground late winter, after sheltering in shed:  King, Lattarula, Hardy Chicago, Dominick.  All growing.

Anxious for them to get bigger.  I did pee-cycle limited amount, twice, in the fig tree row.  Need to be careful not to overdo it, don't want growth that is rank and not able to survive next winter.

Container fig trees - all starting to grow.  Champagne has lots of brebas, Tiger has a few too.

The good thing - almost all survived winter, and growing.  The sole casualties, in-ground:  Champagne (unsheltered), Petite aubique (sheltered) and Smith (sheltered)

Fig Trees. Progress Report. 1.18.15

Carini 3-stem.  1.18.15

Aubique Petite.  1.18.15

 Interesting results for me, with my row of figs south of the Battleground house.  Most were protected against voles, with hardware cloth, and against cold, inside inverted garbage cans.

With warm weather, I'm concerned they will break dormancy as the sun warms the cans, so removed them

Carnini looks good.  The can was not quite tall enough, so the top buds were smashed and bent over.  Otherwise, no obvious freeze or herbivore damage.

Aubique Petite, also good.  This has one good stem.  I hope it takes off and grows this year.  It's a very slow growing variety, but quite freeze tolerant and productive.   I never protect its parent in the Vancouver yard, and that tree has done well for 14 years.

The Unknown was a test.  I did not cover it with a garbage can.  I did enclose one stem in hardware cloth.  Animals shredded the stems.  The only viable looking part is what was in the hardware cloth.  That looks freeze damaged.  I don't care - I have plans to replace this one anyway.

Smith was covered with inverted garbage can, and each stem surrounded with hardware cloth.  That tree had the worst damage - most stems are vole-chewed beyond recovery.  I have a containerized Smith.  After more thatn 2 years of this one in ground, it's time to plant something else in that location.

Sal's took the freeze without damage, and without freeze protection.  I do have hardware cloth around the base.

Not pictured, LSU Tiger looks OK.  It was also a bit too tall for the garbage can and the tips were bent.  I pruned off the damaged tips.  Unless there is a really bad freeze, I think it will come through the winter OK.

Conclusions:

If the voles want it, they will get it. Smith must have really tasty bark and stems.

Protection does help somewhat.

Unknown, without protection in can.  1.18.15

Smith.  Protected in can and by hardware cloth.  1.18.15

Sal's.  Not protected in can.  1.18.15

Some Images from Vintage Printable.com. 11.11.14

Vintage images of Daffodils.  source: vintageprintable.com

Browsing vintageprintable.com, online source of vintage, public domain images that are free to use.

I enjoy these old images.  They involve much more effort, artistry, skills of observation, talent, than any photo.

These images relate to recent plantings.  They demonstrate the continuity of gardening through the ages.

Fritillaria rubrum "Crown Imperial"  source vintageprintable.com

Fig Row. Final Fall Cleanup. 11.12.14

Fig Row.  11.11.14

Today I took a little time to clean up the row of fig starts.  Most have wire screens.  There has been no rain for  days, so grass was mowable. 

All mowed grass went into mulch.

Plastic covered areas will be used for bee forage next year.  Killing the grass with plastic cover for the winter.  Late winter I can plant the bee plants.  Most likely annual herbs such as I grew this year in other locations.

The end result will be a row.  Then I dont have to mow circles around the trees.  Much easier and faster, low maintenance.

They have all hardened off.  Not as soft as last year.  Most are about knee high to waist high.  Most are multiple trunk.

If there is super-cold predicted, I'll protect better.  Otherwise, the main protection is screening for herbivores.

Containerized fig trees are in shed now.  No need to panic when there is a hard freeze.  That method worked last year down to 8° F.

Prediction for tonight is 27° F.  I also moved containerized figs at home, into the garage.

Smith Fig. 1.16.14

Smith Fig Tree.  10.16.14

 The containerized Smith Fig has been ripening a fig every few days.  They are small.  The flavor is in the "excellent" range.  I also have one in-ground.  It was killed to ground last winter in the historic freeze.  I should keep this one in container for another year.

The figs might be smaller or later due to the young age of the tree.  It is in it 2nd year.  Or because of container.  Or climate.  Or maybe they are small figs.  But they have been delicious.


Smith Fig.  10.16.14



Smith Fig.  10.16.14

First figs of the season. Fig Progress Report. 7.19.14

Lattarula First Figs.  7.19.14

Lattarula.  7.19.14

Petite Aubique.  7.19.14

 These are some of the figs in the Vancouver yard.  The first of the season is Lattarula.   I might have left them one more day, but still very sweet.

Petite Aubique / Petite negri is close behind.  Lots of main crop forming too.

Hardy Chicago, not pictured.  No brebas but main crop growing fast.

Growing on the deck, the Smith in its second year, as well as starts of Dominick and Carini, each 2 feet tall, with start of baby figs.  On deck Lattarula cutting now grown to 2.5 feet tall.

Battleground figs to follow.  They show some promise too.

Smith.  First fig.  7.19.14

Dominick. First Figs.  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.