Dwarf Rootstock

Poppa_curse

Active member
If I was to used rootstock from little miss figgy and grafted say black mission onto it would the result be a dwarf mission fig?
Would the fig characteristics be a blend of both or just a small mission?
Are there any complications that arise?
 
Look on google scholar for that topic. I have read a paper or two in the past there that cover rootstock characteristics and effects on the tree. I can’t remember enough to give you good information here, it would need to be reread.
 
The information that I read said little miss figgy stayed 4 to 6 feet and pruning for height can effect fig production. Just sounded easier than fighting with the plants need to grow taller.
 
I thought as far as pruning goes just don’t prune past the most recent years growth. Retain several nodes from last years growth. And the branches off that produce for you. On the growing fruit forum redsun has a really detailed post on pruning to still retain good production.
 
We have Dwarf Improved Brown Turkey for the same purpose and will be grafting this spring to see how they do. The mother tree from our source is smaller and more compact than most figs, plus very productive. I do remember in the studies, that root stock can improve bearing of lower productive varieties.
 
I have no experience growing either, but what I gathered is as follows:

1) Little Miss Figgy is a smaller fig fruit on a normal sized plant.

2) Fignomenal is a normal sized fig fruit on a more compact plant.

Please correct me if I'm way off the mark here, but that is what I gathered while researching both of these varieties.
 
I have no experience growing either as well, I`m glad there are members that have, this will save time for sure. I will have to do a little more research into dwarf rootstock varieties, if anyone has any other dwarf suggestions that would definitely help. Especially cold hardy species.
 
I thought as far as pruning goes just don’t prune past the most recent years growth. Retain several nodes from last years growth. And the branches off that produce for you. On the growing fruit forum redsun has a really detailed post on pruning to still retain good production.
On my way to find that post. Thanks
 
Interesting. I've seen many fruit trees over the years sold as dwarf from using a particular rootstock, but I've never known a fig variety that is used as rootstock to produce small trees.
 
We have Dwarf Improved Brown Turkey for the same purpose and will be grafting this spring to see how they do. The mother tree from our source is smaller and more compact than most figs, plus very productive. I do remember in the studies, that root stock can improve bearing of lower productive varieties.
I've been wanting to experiment with something like MBvs that seems to produce more at a smaller size than other etnas but then again the second year some of the seem to catch up.

Dolce cuore so far has been a super good producer in just a first year small plant makes more than BM on a second or third year... Peters Honey makes a bunch of clusters of lots of figs . The version I have is an everbearinf that will pump two to ex so maybe Texas Everbearing, De Tres Eaplets and similar are worth experimenting with
 
Little Miss Figgy does not stay small. I've had one for 4 years and she grows very similar to my VdB. If my memory serves me right Fignomenal supposedly stay small.
I have a Cravens Craven grafted onto VDB that came from Padsfan ... it's a tyranosaurus fig tree... super duper sloowww but makes alot of figs on about two feet worth of plant in 2 or 3 years. Maybe it's petite Negri.

Just to mention that we have summer dormancy here that seems to slow the BM types down especially but they takeoff eventually ive heard ... CC maybe already a slow starter too but I will have to root one to grow on its own someday
 
I've been wanting to experiment with something like MBvs that seems to produce more at a smaller size than other etnas but then again the second year some of the seem to catch up.

Dolce cuore so far has been a super good producer in just a first year small plant makes more than BM on a second or third year... Peters Honey makes a bunch of clusters of lots of figs . The version I have is an everbearinf that will pump two to ex so maybe Texas Everbearing, De Tres Eaplets and similar are worth experimenting with
I have a MBvs. I never paid much mind to it but it does grow slow. Of course with figs you have to wonder if some slow varieties merely have a heavy FMV load. You mentioned VDB, I have two sources for my VDB one grows like a weed the other about a foot a year. Both have the correct VDB characteristics.
The one strain certainly would never slow down anything. One study on rootstock I read from Turkey. There were Exploring seedlings as a rootstock.
 
My root stock tree is petite negra which stays below 10 feet however since I have been using it for grafting, my experience is that grafted verities stays true to their origin including size of growth but again, this is only my experience
 
My root stock tree is petite negra which stays below 10 feet however since I have been using it for grafting, my experience is that grafted verities stays true to their origin including size of growth but again, this is only my experience
I’m wondering if fruit production increased or fruit development was earlier?
 
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