Should I grow a Caprifig?
- Thread starter GoodFriendMike
- Start date
Here are the photos of the "HD Caprifig" (@Home Depot) tree and (Profichi) figs, June 16th, 2025.
As you can see, the tree is (as always!) loaded with figs...
I tried to cut through the middle of the ostiole, but looking at the section, I find this pretty "closed".
There did not seem to be any "exit holes" in the figs I checked. Can one of you please explain what I'm seeing
in the high magnification / zoomed in photos? Especially the brownish seed-like structures look intriguing.
As you can see, the tree is (as always!) loaded with figs...
I tried to cut through the middle of the ostiole, but looking at the section, I find this pretty "closed".
There did not seem to be any "exit holes" in the figs I checked. Can one of you please explain what I'm seeing
in the high magnification / zoomed in photos? Especially the brownish seed-like structures look intriguing.
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Rob
Well-known member
It seems you have another Caprifig, but again it is still a few weeks away from being mature. There are undeveloped male flowers near the ostiole, and plenty of galls..... the brown balls, but I don't see and wasp larvae in them, they appear to be hollow. If there are no wasp larvae, they will shrivel and drop soon, unless this tree has a persistent Profichi crop.
GoodFriendMike
Moderator
The seed-like structures are as Rob said galls. That is where the wasp is.
You should not see any exit holes.
Our wasp exists through the eye of the fig
And not the sides as other types of ficus wasp do.
Rob
Well-known member
Looking with more time today, and on my larger computer screen, I believe wasp larvae are present here, so that is a good thing. Just a tip, when you cut Caprifigs open, it is always better to only cut in a few mm, and then break the fig in two, it keeps everything inside intact, a very good friend in Portugal taught me that, and it is brilliant.
A GREAT suggestion Rob! I will follow that "protocol" when I go back in a couple of weeks.
BTW: There were very few (less than 10) figs under the tree right now, while there were hundreds and hundreds of figs in the tree itself.
Thank you (and @GoodFriendMike ) for all the kind guidance! I'm getting a bit obsessed with caprifigs...
Rob
Well-known member
You are very welcome, my first Caprifig or two was cut the same as yours, until I was taught the correct way to do it, and it's only right to pass it on to as many people interested as I can.
With the dropped Caprifigs, that is very normal that there are a few on the ground, these will be the ones that either had no eggs in them, or only a few, they abort, since they are of little value to the tree.
This sounds like a good Profichi tree, but again, this will not be an early one, and I would guess it is really a later one. It will be well into next month before wasps are out on this one, but it is one to watch, and note for your records there. Last season here, our first wasps were out in the last week of Spring.
Hey, being obsessed with Caprifigs is a good thing, not many people seem to be very interested at all, so we need all of the support that we are able to get, to get the word out there. It is a fascinating subject, and the more I delve into it, the more fascinating it becomes.
I recently spoke to Magali Proffit, a very respected fig researcher in France, and she and Finn Kjellberg...also in France, and extremely well respected, have recently studied a number of fig trees, regarding the receptive times of fig trees...the size of these figs and how long each one is receptive to wasps. It seems they did get slightly varied results, and that is to be expected, but the final paper is yet to be written, and then published, however, as soon as it is done, she will send me a copy to share around. We can only learn more in time.
With the dropped Caprifigs, that is very normal that there are a few on the ground, these will be the ones that either had no eggs in them, or only a few, they abort, since they are of little value to the tree.
This sounds like a good Profichi tree, but again, this will not be an early one, and I would guess it is really a later one. It will be well into next month before wasps are out on this one, but it is one to watch, and note for your records there. Last season here, our first wasps were out in the last week of Spring.
Hey, being obsessed with Caprifigs is a good thing, not many people seem to be very interested at all, so we need all of the support that we are able to get, to get the word out there. It is a fascinating subject, and the more I delve into it, the more fascinating it becomes.
I recently spoke to Magali Proffit, a very respected fig researcher in France, and she and Finn Kjellberg...also in France, and extremely well respected, have recently studied a number of fig trees, regarding the receptive times of fig trees...the size of these figs and how long each one is receptive to wasps. It seems they did get slightly varied results, and that is to be expected, but the final paper is yet to be written, and then published, however, as soon as it is done, she will send me a copy to share around. We can only learn more in time.
In all honesty, it's hard for me to imagine anyone with a general interest in figs NOT to be fascinated by caprifigs and their interaction with the fig wasp. But that might be my bio-scientific background.
Being able to establish (and maintain!) a local fig wasp in my own garden, and see "the system" that has been in place for so very, very long working beats the growing of ANY female fig variety, no matter how great/complex the taste of their figs. But again, maybe I'm getting a bit obsessed with this, LOL!
I looked up Magali Profitt and Finn Kjellberg, and was able to download some of their scientific papers. Interesting reads for sure!
I will keep monitoring this particular tree (Mike is growing it too), and keep you guys updated on what I observe.
Being able to establish (and maintain!) a local fig wasp in my own garden, and see "the system" that has been in place for so very, very long working beats the growing of ANY female fig variety, no matter how great/complex the taste of their figs. But again, maybe I'm getting a bit obsessed with this, LOL!
I looked up Magali Profitt and Finn Kjellberg, and was able to download some of their scientific papers. Interesting reads for sure!
I will keep monitoring this particular tree (Mike is growing it too), and keep you guys updated on what I observe.
GoodFriendMike
Moderator
It is growing very well.
Rob
Well-known member
I think the same way, and I have no scientific background....more of a building one in fact.
I think the most interesting part in all of this, is the change we can achieve with not just any pollen, but pollen from totally different looking Caprifigs, and what that can do, even mixing these different types of pollen. Eg, a bright purple, against a straw coloured Caprifig?
They certainly have written or co-written a good number of very interesting papers, I just cannot wait to see the latest paper.
Great, the more you can find growing wild, and the closer you can monitor them, the more knowledge you will build, and the better off you will be.
Rob
Well-known member
Getting into this just a little deeper, and obviously, that is not for everyone, but for those interested, any old pollen source is a plus, BUT, the type of pollen can change so many aspects of the final fig we want to grow/eat, as it mentions here. This is just 1 page of a study of Bursa Siyahı, done in Turkey, using 16 different pollen sources. The full pdf is also attached
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