Clarification on "Adriatics"

[Figgin' A]

I know what you mean by this, but also...LOL

Yeah... I know how that sounds , but still, I am just a backyard gardener, and figs are only a part of what I grow... I don't need more than a dozen mature fig trees in the long run, and I don't care about all the newest, latest, and greatest, and I especially never had any interest in all those dubious variants that were 'a little sweeter than', or 'slightly earlier than', 'or slightly whatever'... etc...

 

[Kompakfigs]

I agree with what Kevin said above. Give them a try first, then decide. We all grow figs differently, have different tastes and different preferences, resources, and abilities. All those will dictate what figs you grow.

I have to headstart pretty much all of my figs and space is limited. There isn't too big of a difference for me between growing a WM#1 or Unk Prosciutto and a Dalmatie. Dalmatie was never early for me. I'd headstart Dalmatie in a garage on March 1st and it would ripen for me roughly in late August - early September based on my records. WM#1 and UP in the past two years would be headstarted in early February and start ripening in late June (UP) and mid to late July (WM#1). Without a headstart, Dalmatie would not ripen here, so I have to headstart it.

Now, the difference in taste and flavor between Dalmatie and UP / WM#1 was enourmous in my book. Dalmatie paled in comparison. On top of that, it was never what I would call very produtive. WM#1, on the other hand, is always loaded. So is UP. For me, the decision to part ways with Dalmatie was very simple.

If I did not have to headstart my trees and had plenty of space, and considered myseld a fig collector, I would have probably kept it. If I couldn't headstart my figs and WM#1 or UP didn't ripen here but Dalmatie did, I'd keep it for sure. It's a very good fig. Big. Properly ripened interior is gorgeous. But I am not a fig collector and I don't have a lot of space, and I must headstart my figs. All I want is to grow a dozen or so (eventually lol) best tasting fig varieties I can manage to grow well here to feed my family. Dalmatie off the bat did not fit that profile for me.

I’m slowly coming to the realization that I don’t need a lot of varieties to be a happy fig grower. Just like RGR and YLN, I know now that they aren’t the right varieties for my location.

 

[cdh]

Yeah... I know how that sounds , but still, I am just a backyard gardener, and figs are only a part of what I grow... I don't need more than a dozen mature fig trees in the long run, and I don't care about all the newest, latest, and greatest, and I especially never had any interest in all those dubious variants that were 'a little sweeter than', or 'slightly earlier than', 'or slightly whatever'... etc...

This makes total sense.

 

[ETXfigs]

I’m slowly coming to the realization that I don’t need a lot of varieties to be a happy fig grower. Just like RGR and YLN, I know now that they aren’t the right varieties for my location.

Me too. I am going to focus more on quality over quantity, and the realization that quality doesn't have to be the highly prized varieties. Some of the best ones are the more common underrated varieties. EBT/Olympian is one of my favorites. My EBT tastes 100% just like peaches, and they are very large.

 

[ETXfigs]

My Adriatic situation is still so disappointing. Adriatics are my most anticipated varieties, but I still have yet to ripen any good Adriatic figs.

Green Ischia: Last year it was a 4' tall, 2 year old and only produced a two or three figs that didn't taste good. It had those deformed weird leaves. Some people say is FMV. I think @RosyPosy says this type of problem is caused by nutrient deficiency, so I have given it worm castings, egg shells, and fish juice in addition to it's regular fertilizer. It's slowly getting better but it still isn't that great. It has a few figs on it.

WM#1: Last year I got a rooted cutting from Bass. It was growing super fast and very healthy, but then the growth stopped and it had those speckled leaves on top that look like FMV. It has grown out of that now and doing much better this year. For several reasons I took 2 airlayers from it. So now I have 3 small WM#1 and 2 of them will be focusing their energy on growing roots. All 3 look healthy and are setting up for a good season next year, but not much production this year.

Strawberry Verte: Last year it was a cutting that I propagated. In extreme Texas summer heat, it is easy to stall growth by underwatering. I think that's what happened last summer. It is healthy this year but still not very big because of stunted growth last year. It has a few figs on it.

Nichadam Haven Unk: This one is a cutting that I rooted this spring and is still small but growing very well. I don't find a lot of information about this variety but I think it has potential to be one of the best Adriatics.

Green Michurinska: This one is not technically an Adriatic but I have two rooted cuttings. Hopefully this variety will be good. Since it's not really an Adriatic, I don't know if I should associate it with my Adriatic disaster, Lol.

 

[Figgin' A]

I’m slowly coming to the realization that I don’t need a lot of varieties to be a happy fig grower. Just like RGR and YLN, I know now that they aren’t the right varieties for my location.

I am in general not a fan of sugar or honey figs... that would be the biggest reason I'd never grow those... but I totally share your perspective... I did acquire a ton of fig varieties though... but my goal is to pick the best tasting, that are also productive and that can ripen well here and let the rest go...

 

[Ikibahd]

My Adriatic situation is still so disappointing. Adriatics are my most anticipated varieties, but I still have yet to ripen any good Adriatic figs.

Green Ischia: Last year it was a 4' tall, 2 year old and only produced a two or three figs that didn't taste good. It had those deformed weird leaves. Some people say is FMV. I think @RosyPosy says this type of problem is caused by nutrient deficiency, so I have given it worm castings, egg shells, and fish juice in addition to it's regular fertilizer. It's slowly getting better but it still isn't that great. It has a few figs on it.

WM#1: Last year I got a rooted cutting from Bass. It was growing super fast and very healthy, but then the growth stopped and it had those speckled leaves on top that look like FMV. It has grown out of that now and doing much better this year. For several reasons I took 2 airlayers from it. So now I have 3 small WM#1 and 2 of them will be focusing their energy on growing roots. All 3 look healthy and are setting up for a good season next year, but not much production this year.

Strawberry Verte: Last year it was a cutting that I propagated. In extreme Texas summer heat, it is easy to stall growth by underwatering. I think that's what happened last summer. It is healthy this year but still not very big because of stunted growth last year. It has a few figs on it.

Nichadam Haven Unk: This one is a cutting that I rooted this spring and is still small but growing very well. I don't find a lot of information about this variety but I think it has potential to be one of the best Adriatics.

Green Michurinska: This one is not technically an Adriatic but I have two rooted cuttings. Hopefully this variety will be good. Since it's not really an Adriatic, I don't know if I should associate it with my Adriatic disaster, Lol.

Texas heat is absolutely brutal, and when I lived there all my figs stalled in the middle of summer unless I gave them Lots of water consistently - I set up drip irrigation and had it run 15-20 minutes, 4 times per day

If you give this a try, you may find some better results (assuming you don’t already do this) from your trees not stalling. Figs love heat and sunlight, but only if they have their water needs met.

 

[cdh]

Texas heat is absolutely brutal, and when I lived there all my figs stalled in the middle of summer unless I gave them Lots of water consistently - I set up drip irrigation and had it run 15-20 minutes, 4 times per day

If you give this a try, you may find some better results (assuming you don’t already do this) from your trees not stalling. Figs love heat and sunlight, but only if they have their water needs met.

You could even do 4 minutes 15-20 times a day.

 

[betdempster]

I was planning on getting a drip system from drip depot but I've put it off for 3 weeks and now I'm watering much too much and washing out my fertilizer. So at this point it's a priority. I live in San Antonio so it's the heat but lately it's also been extra windy with that hot wind so everything is getting way dry way fast

 

[Kompakfigs]

I was planning on getting a drip system from drip depot but I've put it off for 3 weeks and now I'm watering much too much and washing out my fertilizer. So at this point it's a priority. I live in San Antonio so it's the heat but lately it's also been extra windy with that hot wind so everything is getting way dry way fast

Same for me. I've consulted with @JCFiggy and just need to pull out the credit card.

 

[TorontoJoe]

I was planning on getting a drip system from drip depot but I've put it off for 3 weeks and now I'm watering much too much and washing out my fertilizer. So at this point it's a priority. I live in San Antonio so it's the heat but lately it's also been extra windy with that hot wind so everything is getting way dry way fast

For me, my drip system and multi-zone timer is the best investment I've ever made for my garden. I love being in the garden but I don't really enjoy hours of watering every day. This was a game changer for me. It freed up so much time to "play" in the garden. It's a bit of a pain to set up initially, but once it's in place, it's so nice.

Not to mention that it frees you to go away. I can take off for weeks, knowing that the plants will be just fine.

A few additional tips

Last year I got a fertilizer injector. I love it! It's another giant time saver. It doesn't need to be fancy but filling up a tank and letting the system do the feeding over the course of the season is magical

If you have the space and the layout works, consider a gravity fed system from rainwater barrels. I have mine hooked up to city water with pressure reducers. There's no reason this can't be done with rainwater barrels. In my case I have loads of ground water that gets pumped away. At some point I plan to install a wall-mounted reservoir to save on water and eliminate chlorine from the equation. Only problem is that I'm a bit short on space. The water reservoirs that I'm looking for I only see available in Australia.

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