If you could only pick one, which would it be?

If I had to choose just one fig variety, it would be White Madeira #1. Though it ripens on the later side, it's well worth the wait. Its combination of outstanding flavor, strong productivity, and vigorous growth makes it a top-tier performer and a standout in any serious collection. Reliable, resilient, and consistently excellent—this one is hard to beat.
 

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Figgin' A said:
I rooted four CDD varieties this year, can't wait to try them. The rooted trees are too small to ripen any figs this season, but the grafts are pretty advanced, so I hope to try some CDDs this fall if all goes well.
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Yeah, I was able to try CddB in its first year. Usually, first year fruits are not that good. I was surprised by it given I ripened them indoors under less light.
 
Topfigs said:
If I had to choose just one fig variety, it would be White Madeira #1. Though it ripens on the later side, it's well worth the wait. Its combination of outstanding flavor, strong productivity, and vigorous growth makes it a top-tier performer and a standout in any serious collection. Reliable, resilient, and consistently excellent—this one is hard to beat.
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I see where you are coming from. I love my WM#1/Unk Prosciutto. Both are tied for #2 spot for me. I added Angelito, and should be able to taste a good dozen of those this season. Half of my family members actually have them as their #1 for taste.
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Figgin' A said:
I see where you are coming from. I love my WM#1/Unk Prosciutto. Both are tied for #2 spot for me. I added Angelito, and should be able to taste a good dozen of those this season. Half of my family members actually have them as their #1 for taste.
figs-31.jpg

figs-32.jpg
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Wow , these look outstanding. Is it WM#1 or Angelito on these pictures?
 
@Figgin' A maybe this isn't the right thread for this question, but I keep wanting to ask you about this when I see all of your trees ripening fruit so early.

We live in the same zone, 6A, though I might be 6B now. Anyway.. I have tried early starting some of these late ripening varieties, and they grow great inside under lights, but transitioning them out into the sun causes them to stall enough that it seems to wipe out the early start. They end up being fine/healthy eventually, but end up ripening close to their normal time frame which is too late. Can you share some tips on how you transition your trees out into the sun so effectively?
 
MAFig said:
@Figgin' A maybe this isn't the right thread for this question, but I keep wanting to ask you about this when I see all of your trees ripening fruit so early.

We live in the same zone, 6A, though I might be 6B now. Anyway.. I have tried early starting some of these late ripening varieties, and they grow great inside under lights, but transitioning them out into the sun causes them to stall enough that it seems to wipe out the early start. They end up being fine/healthy eventually, but end up ripening close to their normal time frame which is too late. Can you share some tips on how you transition your trees out into the sun so effectively?
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Avoiding stress is key. I move my most prized trees outside when average temps are about the same as indoors. Other varieties go outside a bit earlier, but still I want them to have as little shock as possible and time the move accordingly. Acclimation to the sun can be another shocker. I acclimate by putting my trees in direct sunlight in the morning and afternoon for 4-5 days, full shade during peak sun activity hours, even on cloudy days. This is the most optimal way to do it, IMHO. Never had any suburn, hence a shock to the trees. I've been doing this type of acclimation to all my vegetable transplants for many years, and it works just as fine for figs. Hope this helps.
 
I’m going to be the black sheep here. To balance a long season of productivity & flavor, Ronde De Bordeaux is hard to beat. I love my I258 & WM#1 but I like a lot of figs over a long season. An early Mt. Etna that is perfectly ripe is also pretty good and also produces to frost. Thus, I’d go with the RDB and I’d have my wife choose Mavra Sika, Unk. Syrian Dark, Malta Black, RLBV, or Takoma Violet (all are early Mt. Etnas for me).
 
@Figgin' A I 258 is still my problem child. I'm rooting another two to replace the one I lost last year in my 40 cutting propagation disaster. Right now if I had to pick one it would certainly be my DJSG, or My WM1, But this year I have my @forbiddenfruit.garden Famous beast. And also several angelitos so we'll have to see. Wow hes not currently a member. Hopefully that will change.
 
Figgin' A said:
Avoiding stress is key. I move my most prized trees outside when average temps are about the same as indoors. Other varieties go outside a bit earlier, but still I want them to have as little shock as possible and time the move accordingly. Acclimation to the sun can be another shocker. I acclimate by putting my trees in direct sunlight in the morning and afternoon for 4-5 days, full shade during peak sun activity hours, even on cloudy days. This is the most optimal way to do it, IMHO. Never had any suburn, hence a shock to the trees. I've been doing this type of acclimation to all my vegetable transplants for many years, and it works just as fine for figs. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips. After the 4-5 days like this, do you still do a gradual transition into full sun or just get them out there straight off?
 
MAFig said:
Thanks for the tips. After the 4-5 days like this, do you still do a gradual transition into full sun or just get them out there straight off?
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Full sun after that. The idea is to give the trees little doses of UV light to acclimate. That's before 10AM and after 4PM initially. Day 3-4 I let them sunbathe till 11AM, then shade, and back to sun at 3PM. If the weather is too hot, I do it for the 5th day, but shade them for even a shorter period, like from 12PM to 2PM. After that, all out. I know, this is not what people do. They put their trees in the shade for two weeks. I've never tried that, so I can't comment. But that method makes no sense to me. First, how do you acclimate to UV light in the shade? Second, figs need light to grow. If you put them in the shade for two weeks, they basically don't grow. Or barely grow.

Deanp from PA on the other forum tried my method and liked the results. Probably the only person, even though I recommended to many. LOL Oh well, to each their own.
https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-...et-the-fig-season-begin?p=1514384#post1514384
 
Figgin' A said:
Full sun after that. The idea is to give the trees little doses of UV light to acclimate. That's before 10AM and after 4PM initially. Day 3-4 I let them sunbathe till 11AM, then shade, and back to sun at 3PM. If the weather is too hot, I do it for the 5th day, but shade them for even a shorter period, like from 12PM to 2PM. After that, all out. I know, this is not what people do. They put their trees in the shade for two weeks. I've never tried that, so I can't comment. But that method makes no sense to me. First, how do you acclimate to UV light in the shade? Second, figs need light to grow. If you put them in the shade for two weeks, they basically don't grow. Or barely grow.

Deanp from PA on the other forum tried my method and liked the results. Probably the only person, even though I recommended to many. LOL Oh well, to each their own.
https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-...et-the-fig-season-begin?p=1514384#post1514384
Click to expand...
This makes sense. There is a higher maintenance costs though as I have been doing that for just rooted cuttings.

Once rooted sufficiently, I just put them outside in the shade (which is not 100% shade) because when I put them directly under a tree or structure. They still get morning sun and afternoon sun from both sides, which is essentially what this is, without having to shade them manually.

Also, there is a bit of risk doing acclimation in 100F weather. I did that last couple of years. I had to watch for signs of wilting carefully.
 
grasshopper said:
This makes sense. There is a higher maintenance costs though as I have been doing that for just rooted cuttings.

Once rooted sufficiently, I just put them outside in the shade (which is not 100% shade) because when I put them directly under a tree or structure. They still get morning sun and afternoon sun from both sides, which is essentially what this is, without having to shade them manually.

Also, there is a bit of risk doing acclimation in 100F weather. I did that last couple of years. I had to watch for signs of wilting carefully.
Click to expand...
So what you are doing is very similar to what I do. I would avoid acclimating trees in 100F heat. Probably by doing it sooner, before the heat hits. If possible. Hard to say without experimenting, but I'd extend the transition from 4-5 days to 7-8 days under those conditions.
 
Figless said:
@Figgin' A I 258 is still my problem child. I'm rooting another two to replace the one I lost last year in my 40 cutting propagation disaster. Right now if I had to pick one it would certainly be my DJSG, or My WM1, But this year I have my @forbiddenfruit.garden Famous beast. And also several angelitos so we'll have to see. Wow hes not currently a member. Hopefully that will change.
Click to expand...
Glad that you mentioned DSJG. WM#1 is fantastic, no question about it. DSJG is the one I've been having doubts about. Some really like it, some don't. I hope I am in the former camp. I have this beautiful young DSJG tree growing, nicely shaped, with 4 scaffolds... It looks like I will be able to try a few this season, even though I rooted it later than I usually do.
figs-33.jpg
 
Figgin' A said:
Glad that you mentioned DSJG. WM#1 is fantastic, no question about it. DSJG is the one I've been having doubts about. Some really like it, some don't. I hope I am in the former camp. I have this beautiful young DSJG tree growing, nicely shaped, with 4 scaffolds... It looks like I will be able to try a few this season, even though I rooted it later than I usually do.
figs-33.jpg
Click to expand...

@Figgin' A looks beautiful I'm sure you will be eating some delicious DSJG this year.
 
Figgin' A said:
So what you are doing is very similar to what I do. I would avoid acclimating trees in 100F heat. Probably by doing it sooner, before the heat hits. If possible. Hard to say without experimenting, but I'd extend the transition from 4-5 days to 7-8 days under those conditions.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I agree. Also, I have the choice to put them on any side of the tree/structure. I left them on the east side so the rooted cuttings avoid the afternoon sun altogether but then needed to extend to longer transition periods. For established plants, I left them on the north side of the tree knowing they can handle the sunlight from both morning and afternoon. Basically, I just need to rotate them from the east side to the north side for a week depending on the condition of the plant.

I didn't have much choice because some of the cuttings were rooted late so they ended up having to do the transition in June/July.
 
I don't have much experience, since most of my fig trees are young, but I think I know which one I would choose.

Angelito.
I have heard that it has watermelon flavors. My daughter's favorite fruits are figs and watermelon. Unfortunately, my cutting is not doing well, but for her, I'll just keep trying until she gets to taste this glorious fruit. The look on her face will be priceless.
 
Figgin' A said:
Full sun after that. The idea is to give the trees little doses of UV light to acclimate. That's before 10AM and after 4PM initially. Day 3-4 I let them sunbathe till 11AM, then shade, and back to sun at 3PM. If the weather is too hot, I do it for the 5th day, but shade them for even a shorter period, like from 12PM to 2PM. After that, all out. I know, this is not what people do. They put their trees in the shade for two weeks. I've never tried that, so I can't comment. But that method makes no sense to me. First, how do you acclimate to UV light in the shade? Second, figs need light to grow. If you put them in the shade for two weeks, they basically don't grow. Or barely grow.

Deanp from PA on the other forum tried my method and liked the results. Probably the only person, even though I recommended to many. LOL Oh well, to each their own.
https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-...et-the-fig-season-begin?p=1514384#post1514384
Click to expand...
Definitely trying it next year. Thanks again!
 
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