Chicago Hardy - 75 days to ripen?

Bofig said:
Curiosity has me asking, what’s your light schedules and heat for each of these off numbers. I’ve been told I’ll never ripen figs in zone 4b however with my winters as cold as they get my growing degree days range from 2500-3200 depending on the year. I also stage my trees to have light around 6:30-7:00 am until 8:30-9:00 pm on the longest days of summer. I seem to ripen almost everything that has a fig formed by early July while others will still ripen if formed by mid July. They do take a long time to get going in spring compared to warmer zones as may stays cooler than I like for figs and June things really pick up.
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My process is complicated due the number of trees. In general, I give my trees 30 DLI initially and ~40-45 DLI later. Temps are in the 75F - 85F range.
 
bushdoctor82 said:
My Family Etna and AJH track with the reference you posted. Typically, it sets figs last few days of May and ripe by mid-August (~75 days). AJH has been lagging ~2 weeks behind over the last few years (~85-90 days).

I agree that temperature swings may influence fruit set and maturation in addition to duration of full sun. My current GDD is 2,350 and I would guess I’m still at least a week out of harvesting. Last year on this date, my GDD was 2,360 and was beginning to harvest Etnas. Initial fruit set was later this season possibly due to a colder Winter or the temperature swings we experienced during April/May. My RdB is also at least a week or so out, but I attribute that due to being in a poor location and lack of full sun during the day.
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The more I think about my MT Etnas, the more I realize that my taking them out early is what sets them back and adds time. I run out of space for them to be in the grow tent by late April, so they go outside. I shuffle them back into the garage on cold nights, initially, then they stay outside from early May on. Our GDD between late April and late May is pretty low, and I think that's where I lose about 25 days. If I don't headstart them, they will be ripening here starting mid-September. Too late for me. I guess I'll keep the current process for them even though they take longer to ripen. Ripening in late July to mid-August sure beats mid-September to late October for taste.
 
TheMick27 said:
My in ground CH was about 90 days to ripen last year but potted Ciccio Nero was 79 days
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Oh, that's great. Can you describe what you did? When you started to wake it up, bud break, fruit set, where you did it (grow tent/greenhouse), and when it went outside. Thanks.
 
Regarding going out earlier in the spring, I've noticed that my Etna's are usually one of the very first trees to go dormant in the fall and one my last tree to wake up in the spring. it probably isn't crazy to assume that they react more strongly to the cool temps than a lot of other varieties, possibly to the point of delaying fruit development.
 
hambones said:
Regarding going out earlier in the spring, I've noticed that my Etna's are usually one of the very first trees to go dormant in the fall and one my last tree to wake up in the spring. it probably isn't crazy to assume that they react more strongly to the cool temps than a lot of other varieties, possibly to the point of delaying fruit development.
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Yeah, I noticed the same thing. I think you are right to assume that they react more strongly to colder temps as that's what I've been observing, which leads me to want to try a new headstart strategy for my Mt Etna and possibly other early varieties. I may be able to headstart them a month later while still having them begin ripening at the end of July.
 
Herman, Ed and Joe have quite a few in ground trees, but many Northern growers have theirs in pots.

My trees are all over the place this year. I have been eating BMs since July 11. I didn't give the trees any head start. I simply don't have time to move them outside. That might be the head start they needed because it was pretty warm in the garage. I moved them out on Apr 20 when they were already active in the dark inside the garage.

I ate the first BM in less than 90 days from the time I moved them outside. I didn't record when the figlets were formed but I believe it was around the first 2 weeks of April. So, around 100 days for BMs are not that far off.

Checking the pics, I had the first Etna on the same day as the first BM and Pastiliere. I still have some Etnas but I don't have many this year.
If the BMs took around 100 days to ripen the first fruit, then the Etna also did so in the same time period, so is Pastiliere.

Well, I already said my trees are all messed up this year.

Plus, I didn't give them any fertilizer at the beginning because I didn't realize I ran out. I started fertilizing on May 3rd. BMs are pretty good running on empty. I got fruits from clearly malnutritioned BMs. I was doing 20 things at the same time so didn't notice at first.

Edit: Also note that the CddBs are swelling up last week but they are clearly behind the BMs.
 
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I don't think I am the only one delaying move them outside. Joe had written up his experience in keeping the trees inside longer quite a few years ago and it was beneficial.
 
After going through last seasons photos, my Etna planted on south side of house was leafing out on April 24, had pea sized figs by June 1 and the first fig harvested was on August 3, with daily and larger harvests beginning on August 10.

These dates are when I took photos and can be a few days off either way.
  • leafing out to pea sized fig formation ~39 days
  • pea sized figs to harvest ~64 - 71 days.
Worth noting that the first fig harvested probably formed a week at least a week earlier and I didn’t notice it. The tree is up against a block foundation and white aluminum siding, so it is protected and gets plenty of heat and sun during the day. The same Etnas planted throughout the backyard are typically within the same ~70-75 day ripening window, just each step is delayed by a few days to a week. I’ll have better data this year when they start to ripen in the next week or so.
 
Figgin' A said:
Oh, that's great. Can you describe what you did? When you started to wake it up, bud break, fruit set, where you did it (grow tent/greenhouse), and when it went outside. Thanks.
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Pop up greenhouse on my deck end of March last year. Gave it some hot water to wake it up. Warm spring last year had everything in the greenhouse budding by April 12.

I gave this tree away to a cousin, but it looks to be doing well this year.
 
bushdoctor82 said:
After going through last seasons photos, my Etna planted on south side of house was leafing out on April 24, had pea sized figs by June 1 and the first fig harvested was on August 3, with daily and larger harvests beginning on August 10.

These dates are when I took photos and can be a few days off either way.
  • leafing out to pea sized fig formation ~39 days
  • pea sized figs to harvest ~64 - 71 days.
Worth noting that the first fig harvested probably formed a week at least a week earlier and I didn’t notice it. The tree is up against a block foundation and white aluminum siding, so it is protected and gets plenty of heat and sun during the day. The same Etnas planted throughout the backyard are typically within the same ~70-75 day ripening window, just each step is delayed by a few days to a week. I’ll have better data this year when they start to ripen in the next week or so.
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Thank you. These are very helpful details. I am going to tweak and optimize my process for Mt Etnas and make it more efficient.
 
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