Thanks, Josephine. You gave me a Brown turkey fig that first RU I attended when it was so cold on May 2.
I have figs!!!
Yipee!
Where are the pics?
How neat Marty!! I am so glad it did well for you.
I have a few figs myself, but I saw a funny thing yesterday, I was picking a fig or two and what seemed like a small shower came down from the tree. Well, there was a squirrel sitting on a branch munching on a fig, and the shower was her pee coming down as she ate, the nerve of that Squirrel!!! it is a good thing it didn't fall on me!!!
one day I should plant a fig.
I will try to root one for you Gypsy.
LOL Josephine!! That was not nice of that squirrel, considering you planted that tree for her!
Thank you Josephine. I have not yet added up my seed, bulb, slip and plant expenses for 2013, but I think it's getting scary in there... (doing bookkeeping today)
Here's the photo. I have 6 figs. I know I will have to be vigilant in order to get one.
would bird netting or plastic hardware cloth in a little "cage" help?
That looks great Marty, and yes netting would probably help on a small plant.
I dont know. This is my first fig tree since I was a child. It seems like a good idea.I guess I need to do something. Obviously, squirrels have no manners and very poor boundaries!
This message was edited Jul 21, 2013 7:45 PM
I will be netting my peaches in some how very soon here, or I won't have any, because the mockingbirds will steal them all.
Growing up, the people that lived next door had a fig tree. Our dogs used to eat the figs that fell on our side of the fence. LOL
A friend in AR is netting her figs.
Marty, did you get to enjoy any of your figs?
Speaking of figs, I am trying to root one myself. Not sure what im doing but I do see roots appearing in the bags. This year the tree had two crops. I would like another tree or two though. How full do the roots need to get before I cut it?
Wish I knew what kind of fig it was, its been here since the mid 70's as far as I know. Very tasty.
Wow! that is looking pretty good, how large is the branch you are rooting?
I usually take the root sprouts and pot those.
Hoping one takes, by that time maybe I can figure out where to plant it. Thank you Josephine!
My figs are not ripe yet, Jo. Brandoblues, it looks ready to pot up to me!
I transplanted a fig I got last fall into a bigger container the other day and it's doing great! I plan on getting it in the ground this fall.
Congratulations Stephanie.
Thx for the encouragement!. Well I might have been a little overzealous. The limbs i layered are big uns'. Bout the size of 3/4 pvc pipe. I do have plenty of the rooters though, maybe I should give it a go with those.
They showed roots within a month of wrapping them, and I didn't peel the bark off. My plum tree I carefully peeled the bark but no roots yet.
Now I'm afraid to cut those big guys cause they're so big!
couple of pics
Since the branches are big I would wait till fall to cut and plant it.
Adding more spaghnum and wrapping it in clear plastic wrap shouldn't be a problem? I dont know why I used my vaccum sealer bags. I like to see the action!
I have added water once with a turkey injector, it seemed to like it. Do you ever feed the roots food? I know best approach for me is to leave well enough alone.
Cooler weather it will wait for. I think I will go ahead and wrap a few more of the root sprouts.
I had to start throwing them in the freezer in solo cups to to keep em from going bad. Hope your figs are tasty OP(marty i reckon)
brando
I've been wanting a fig tree forever...but, I settled for a Dwarf Meyer Lemon, instead.
Size control and space issues...
In Okla where figs freeze back, we kept the canes along the fence row so the roots would stay out of the foundation of the house. They grew like crazy and we'd chop em down every once in awhile and they'd bounce back easy.
Nothing like fresh figs!!
Figs - I have the Brown Turkey. It was supposed to be hardy in my climate, but I beg to differ. I planted it in early 2012. It grew well in 2012. By the spring of 2013 it had frozen back to the ground and came out at the base this year and grew a little taller than in 2012. It had one fig and the fig disappeared, but from what I read above - it could very easily have been a bird or a squirrel. Someone in my area made a comment, "Cut the fig tree back to the ground in the spring, they grow and produce on new growth". Do you have any thoughts on that?
Josephine, do I need to find a spot for a fig?
I have a small rooted cutting that I can bring you, so yes.
oh you are so sweet! What can I bring you in trade?
You are also quite gifted. I haven't pulled off a successful air layer since 1985
Thank you, but I have too much right now, just seeing you excited is gift enough.
Marti, in all my years of having figs, I never have heard of cutting them to the ground. I had old fig trees at my last farm and only cutback what was in the way, had a good crop of figs every year. Every fall/winter I threatened to do it because we would have a frost, the leaves and immature figs would die, then two weeks later the stupid tree would start putting on leaves and baby figs only to have them killed by the next cold snap. It was a brown turkey fig.
They do need full sun and good drainage, I don't think I ever fertilized them. I do find that they like water consistently while they are setting their fruit, keeps the fruit from cracking.
I want mine to be multi trunked so that hopefully any frost damage would be minimized and I have more branches for fig production, but my young trees seem to have other ideas and are all quite happy being single trunked. I also had a Texas Everbearing at the old farm and it produced a lot during the summer.
If you cut them back to the ground, they spend all their energy rebuilding branches and leaves rather than producing figs. I think you need to be a little patient, my young brown turkey has been in the ground for three years at least and just now in October has four or five puny little figs. But it is the healthiest it has ever looked so I am hopeful for next year.
Good to hear about the cutting back. I'll NOT. Another person tells me I should let the fig be frosted on and let it start to go dormant, then wrap it in an old piece of carpet, then place cardboard around it and add leaves between the cardboard and the old carpet? I may give that a whirl........................... Seems in Italy they have a different way - they somehow loosen the roots, dig a trench and then bury the tree in the trench with dirt on top and add more protective cover on top of the dirt. I figure someday I may actually get a fig. HA! I like where "rouxcrew', you said your tree is 3, and you managed to have the bounty of four or five figs this year. I think mine are on that same path.
My neighbor just sold his house and the new neighbor cut the huge fig tree to about 2 foot tall (ARG) 2 years ago I had pneumonia and was way too sick to do anything and last year I was out of town when they were ripe. Looks like this year it won't be a go either :(
Trying to root some cuttings so we will see. I love to make raspberry fig preserves mmmm
They root easy. In Dallas even, wrapping the dormant trunk to protect from ice- my mama would use an old towel since she didnt have leaves and use stretch wrap to keep moisture away from the wood. The trench style is used in places that have a deeper, longer colder winter, and roses, and other cold susceptible plants are buried under the mulch til spring. Turkey figs are 'grateful' trees- they take what ya throw at em and survive. The cutting back will cause the fig to return as 'many canes' (much like a redbud tree) but not kill it. You have to go to extremes at digging roots out for removal, and I've seen them come back even after you thought you got it all.-At least as far north as Okla City.
Yeah but it will be a year or 2 before it has figs :(
brandoblues, a suggestion for you to contact your local Master Gardeners and maybe take pictures of the leaves, fruit, full picture of the tree to them (or email) to see if they can help you ID it.
Jan
brandoblue I have a friend whom wraps her brugs in newspaper. Maybe you could try Christmas lights?