Fig cuttings

[rayray]

Okay, I had a heck of a couple of months—doctor apts between the wife and I etc etc one operation on the wife but everything is okay

But finally got to pot the cuttings, after trying too hard I decided to go back to the basics.

Trim the cuttings, put a little grafting tape on the top, if cut, cut the bottoms at a slight angle, and scrape the bark then dip in rooting gel—I use clonex cause I like the purple lol.

We’ll see what happens!!

 

[superdave336]

Sorry for your rough times and hope your wife is better. Good luck on the cuttings.

 

[rayray]

What I started

Long Yellow Neck
Vasilika Black
Joe’s Jersey
Gino’s Black
Malta Black
Sao Miquel Roxo
Dark Portuguese
Red Lebanese
Ronde de Bordeaux
Pastilliere Baud
San Martin
Maltese Beauty
Red Silician

From the forum

Brooklyn White
Bourjasotte Grise
LSU Gold
Mavra Sika
MBVS
RLBV
STRAWBERRY Verte
Succrete

 

[ktrain]

You have A LOT of Mt Etna types in there.
Nothing wrong wioth that as they do very well and are very tasty.
Lots of other good ones as well.

Hope much success for you!

 

[rayray]

Sorry for your rough times and hope your wife is better. Good luck on the cuttings.

It's okay, we're good just been busy with it all and the wife's surgery was a success!

 

[rayray]

You have A LOT of Mt Etna types in there.
Nothing wrong wioth that as they do very well and are very tasty.
Lots of other good ones as well.

Hope much success for you!

LOL I suppose so...not sure which one's will take off or not--and after a while I'll keep the one's I like or do the best in my area.

So far, only my Chicago Hardy,and 3 of my local figs all unk two black, one white are waking up--looks like I might have lost the VDB, one local unk dark and a local unk Lebanese--either that or just taking a long time to wake up idk yet. The Chicago Hardy is the farthest along.

Oh, an unk Celeste is up. My two buddy's got hit hard this year, and a Lebanese couple I know there's are still not coming up yet--really cold winter this year--coldest we had in about 14 years, very little snow.

 

[rayray]

You have A LOT of Mt Etna types in there.
Nothing wrong wioth that as they do very well and are very tasty.
Lots of other good ones as well.

Hope much success for you!

I'm also interested to see how they vary, especially from the one's I got from my Sicilian buddy. Because I'm fairly certain the one's he gave me are also Mt Etna's, not sure what the White is?? His path in life was born in Sicily, moved to the Bronx (1963/64) then Mt Vernon then to Pennsylvania in 1983/84. In Pennsylvania he planted 43 fig tree's by the time him and I became good friends he was down to about 20--then a really bad snow storm got him in April about 12 years ago??--so now I think he's down to about 6 figs?? Not sure which one's he brought over from Sicily and which one's he might have acquired in NY?? Knowing him they all came from Sicily and from family members here in NY.

 

[ktrain]

Well, I have like 13 Mt. Etna varieties, they do good here and in the winter unprotected.
Can't say I'd get more but I'm happy with the ones I have.

 

[rayray]

Well, I have like 13 Mt. Etna varieties, they do good here and in the winter unprotected.
Can't say I'd get more but I'm happy with the ones I have.

Yea, they do well up in the NE area too. My old neighbors had a Portuguese type, they must have had 20 to 25 but they were all the same from their old village--they were on the smaller side and very seedy, like beyond seedy! They weren't my favorite.

 

[rayray]

I forgot, I'm also rooting one Blue Celeste (I love Celeste figs), and cuttings of the Nixon Peace Fig (China).

The Nixon Peace Fig came from a tree in Arizona that is 25' tall by 30' wide. The figs are the size of basketball's, jk'ing of course but they're HUGE.

Hopefully they root for me. I don't know what happened cause I never had failures rooting when I didn't know what the heck I was doing, even though I was told it was wrong lol. Then I tried to do it the right way and got strangled by failures, go figure. So, I'm roughing it now with tough love!

 

[Magnafig]

Fig growing is not easy

 

[Magnafig]

 

[rayray]

update on cuttings I potted on 5-3-25, they're semi protected outside in my one empty compost bin (pallet made)

showing signs of life, either budding leaves and or actuall baby figs which has happened to me in the past

from the forum:

LSU Gold, pushing out a fig through the grafting wrap
Mavra Sika, both are leafing and baby figs
Brooklyn White, leaf growth
Bourjasotte Grise, leaf growth
Strawberry Verte, leaf growth
Succrette, leaf growth
RLBV, leaf budding
Celeste, nothing so far but looks healthy (I'm suprised no growth)
MBVS, nothing but looks healthy

from other sources Kremp/OTBP/Figaholics

Dark Portuguese, budding
Gino's Black, leafing and baby figs, cuttings appear to be growing
Azores Dark, leaf growth
Malta Black, leaf growth
RDB, leaf growth and baby figs
Pastilliere (Baud), nothing but looks healthy
San Martin, some green growth
Maltese Beauty, some green leaf growth
Red Siclian, nothing but looks healthy
Jersey Joe, nothing but looks healthy
Vasilika Black, leafing and baby figs

Out of all of them, unless my eyes are deceiving me Gino's Black and Vasilika Black appear to be the most aggressive so far.

Blue Celeste, nothing but looks healthy
Nixon Peace fig, nothing but looks healthy



UPDATE: This is how quick something happens, I woke up at 430am today and checked on the figs early this morning when the sun was up--And I looked really good for green growth/activity of some sort. Nothing on the MBVS and Joe's Jersey fig, and I really looked at the JJ because it's been one I've been wanting to try but there was nothing. Well, I was just out with the pups and MBVS and Joe's Jersey both have green activity. It's nice and sunny after rain all week.

 

[bushdoctor82]

update on cuttings I potted on 5-3-25, they're semi protected outside in my one empty compost bin (pallet made)

showing signs of life, either budding leaves and or actuall baby figs which has happened to me in the past

from the forum:

LSU Gold, pushing out a fig through the grafting wrap
Mavra Sika, both are leafing and baby figs
Brooklyn White, leaf growth
Bourjasotte Grise, leaf growth
Strawberry Verte, leaf growth
Succrette, leaf growth
RLBV, leaf budding
Celeste, nothing so far but looks healthy (I'm suprised no growth)
MBVS, nothing but looks healthy

from other sources Kremp/OTBP/Figaholics

Dark Portuguese, budding
Gino's Black, leafing and baby figs, cuttings appear to be growing
Azores Dark, leaf growth
Malta Black, leaf growth
RDB, leaf growth and baby figs
Pastilliere (Baud), nothing but looks healthy
San Martin, some green growth
Maltese Beauty, some green leaf growth
Red Siclian, nothing but looks healthy
Jersey Joe, nothing but looks healthy
Vasilika Black, leafing and baby figs

Out of all of them, unless my eyes are deceiving me Gino's Black and Vasilika Black appear to be the most aggressive so far.

Blue Celeste, nothing but looks healthy
Nixon Peace fig, nothing but looks healthy

Have you decided which ones, if any, will be planted inground?

 

[rayray]

Have you decided which ones, if any, will be planted inground?

I will try anything in the ground, because I'm not too keen on moving pots around, I'm getting old. So, if I think it'll do well in the ground, it's going in the ground eventually.

Early Spring I replanted a VDB, Hardy Chicago, 2 unk black (Mt Etna types), unk white--they were dug up and put into pots when our water line was replaced. They use to be in the ground but a different spot.

I'm lucky enough that I have a little over an acre, as long as it's not on or near one of two drain fields for the septic system I have all kinds of choices. I've been planting them in what I call my little oasis corner, where my garden and composting activities are in the yard.

 

[rayray]

First one is my Hardy Chicago (Edible Landscaping), it's actually about 2 years old put in the ground this Spring and it's been a slow grower in a pot. But it was extremely small when I got it. Not even as thick as a pencil.

Second one is a unk Italian White Honey fig from Sicily that I got from my Buddy Gino, it died to the ground and it's coming back. It gets a breba crop and main crop. I would like to say when they're good it's a light honey/melon flavor, juicy which I like a lot.

Third one is my San Miguel Roxo (Azore's Dark) from OTBP (Big Bill)

Fourth one is my unk Celeste (Old Lady Allentown fig), very pretty small sweet fruit with light berry flavor, zero seed crunch. A refreshing fig imho.

Fifth one is Constans fig from OTBP (Big Bill)

I'll post the progress of the cuttings tomorrow.

 

[Figsee]

I will try anything in the ground, because I'm not too keen on moving pots around, I'm getting old. So, if I think it'll do well in the ground, it's going in the ground eventually.

Early Spring I replanted a VDB, Hardy Chicago, 2 unk black (Mt Etna types), unk white--they were dug up and put into pots when our water line was replaced. They use to be in the ground but a different spot.

I'm lucky enough that I have a little over an acre, as long as it's not on or near one of two drain fields for the septic system I have all kinds of choices. I've been planting them in what I call my little oasis corner, where my garden and composting activities are in the yard.

I’m close to you ( Hummelstown, PA ) and have smith, i258, Atreano, and improved Celeste in ground that made it through a difficult winter without significant issue if that helps.

 

[rayray]

I’m close to you ( Hummelstown, PA ) and have smith, i258, Atreano, and improved Celeste in ground that made it through a difficult winter without significant issue of that helps.

How does your i258 produce for you? I was always told that i258 is not really a cold hardy fig, but between your post and @TorontoJoe info on the i258 it looks like it will have to be one I eventually get. It's one of those figs that no one ever says anything bad.

You're not too far from Troegs, nice brewery with good food!

I'm zone 6b/7a

 

[Figsee]

How does your i258 produce for you? I was always told that i258 is not really a cold hardy fig, but between your post and @TorontoJoe info on the i258 it looks like it will have to be one I eventually get. It's one of those figs that no one ever says anything bad.

You're not too far from Troegs, nice brewery with good food!

I'm zone 6b/7a

It’s a good producer. I was skeptical myself until I kept hearing bill from otbp talk about his in ground tree.

And I’m really close to troegs. Working on some black tea lemonades as we speak.

 

[rayray]

It’s a good producer. I was skeptical myself until I kept hearing bill from otbp talk about his in ground tree.

And I’m really close to troegs. Working on some black tea lemonades as we speak.

Well, I guess I’ll have to put it on my list—from everything I’ve seen and read it’s a top tier fig.