Time to remove figlets that have no chance of ripening

[Joshawa]

My zone is US 5.

Right now, my trees are still popping up figlets, i am wondering should i remove them since i am not sure they will have enough time to ripen.
My variety include: hardy chicago, Atreano, Peter's Honey, Natalina, Celeste.

thank you

[JMF75]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to do so especially in such a short season.

[Bravo_Figaro]

I'm having the exact same situation but I'm not exactly sure if I should remove them yet. What happens if we get a warm fall season and just maybe a few can ripen.

[Avant_gardener]

In my zone I start pinching off new figlets after Aug 1st, generally, with some exception for varieties I know can ripen well in the cold and the damp (the Etnas, LSU Champagne, and HdA)

[jrdewhirst]

I did a test last year. On 8/3, I wrapped orange surveyor's tape on the branch just above the latest figlet. I did this on roughly 20 different varieties. All figs below the tape ripened on pretty much all varieties except the very latest. So all the early and mild-season ripeners. My conclusion was that for my location, something around 8/15 is the right date to begin removing new figlets, if you want to bother. I don't.

[ieatfigs]

Hi Joe, do you remove figlets on 1st year trees?

[ginamcd]

Thanks Joe. I used to start popping off all new figs on or around 8/15, but now give them an extra week if it's an early-ish ripener.

[jrdewhirst]

@leatfigs -- Generally, yes. Sometimes I leave 1 fig just to get a preview.

[Terra]

Don't be too hasty, especially if you don't know for sure in your area.
See what happens and you'll know better next year.

[Joshawa]

thanks, this is good advice. i will keep all of them and see what happens.

[acerpictum]

You can try to find a way to limit or stop vegetative growth and put the plants in the "generative stage". In my conditions, this happens naturally, due to the heat and lack of moisture in the ground and in buckets of figs.

[tinyfish]

There is always hope. But off the top of my head those figs will need 80ish days to ripen so your looking at mid Oct. If you had some of the earlier varieties you could knock off 10-15 days from that number.

[Joshawa]

i bought a poor man's version of greenhouse and plan to put the trees with unripe fruits in the greenhouse mainly to avoid rain and wind, if lucky the higher temperature in the greenhouse will help ripen the figs?

[ginamcd]

A greenhouse might help with any that are close to ripening. What you need to be careful about is delaying dormancy if you keep them in there too long. They need to be exposed to increasingly cooler weather throughout the fall so that they are completely dormant when the colder weather arrives.

[Joshawa]

my little greenhouse is a merely a roof over tree's head, hopefully it will work out,

[Figgerlickinggood]

Will they be the brebas next year?

[Figgerlickinggood]

jrdewhirst not yet.only 2nd leaf. Next year.

[jrdewhirst]

OK. Most people would prune potted trees in a way that rwmoves most / all of the wood bearing developing figs. Year 1, head the center leader. Year 2, head the scaffolds.

[don_sanders]

If you didn't prune them off, some figs could become brebas next year. Some could fall off.

[Rickyv101]

You need to make your own decision base on average temperature for your area, here are temperature for your area, It is not a bad idea to remove newer figlets for your short growing season, Joe did great studying on temperature, Basic idea is that. lower temperature should not lower than 50F (10C), and it needs day high temperature more than 60F(17C), and Joe's data on ripening studying on varieties, E.X Florea- 60 Days (near Ideal/best 75F), or 80 Days (Aprom. 60F(17c) at our cool summer climate.

[Joshawa]

the ultimate solution might just be a heated greenhouse so the trees can get an early start.

[Rickyv101]

yes, I agree, If you want main crop, Early start is good option, For breba crop, Late start will have better results without dropping breba problem

[Dtownfigs]

I’ve decided to leave all figlets on as I’m hoping
it will slow vegetative growth and help in lignification of the wood. Not sure that’s how it works, plus I’m optimistic that I might luck out with an epic fall!!!!

[ginamcd]

One never knows what will happen with the fall weather...

[don_sanders]

Pinching the tips would help with lignification.

[Dtownfigs]

I’m not a fan of pinching the tips. Don’t like how the tree grows after pinching with all the random sprouting of shoots. It’s a last resort from my perspective

[Clarktj2]

What would be the benefit of taking them off?

[ieatfigs]

I think it helps put energy toward trunk growth for any plants that are still small that need any help reaching the desired trunk height by the end of the season (for potted trees).

[ginamcd]

For established trees I think it's the belief of some that if all figlets that form too late to ripen are removed, it somehow causes the tree to focus on ripening fruit that set earlier. Others (like myself) feel removing them has no effect on the remaining figs -- they will ripen when it's time for them to ripen provided them weather is still warm enough.

[TahomaGuy2]

Last year I didn't pinch-off any main crop figlets from my in-ground Desert King. So-o glad I didn't! I was able to pick 15-late figs. With the effects of climate change and record-breaking temps, I hope my DK produces another main crop.

[don_sanders]

Does Oregon have the wasp?

[PacNorWreck]

If conditions are favorable, DK will sometimes ripen a minority of its main crop figs even without the wasp.

[tinyfish]

Great idea with the greenhouse. The best advice I can give you is in future you want to give the fig tree's an early start so this way they can ripen when its hotter outside and they will taste way better then ripening in late Oct.

[Joshawa]

thanks Tony for your nice advice. My dream is to have this greenhouse and put a heater in it: https://www.costco.ca/palram-build-%...100149215.html

i am 100% sure, at this moment, my wife would not agree. So, this is my goal for the next 2-3 years!

[Rickyv101]

Make sure that you are not at windy corner as I am, Every windy day worry me

[jmrtsus]

I think a gazillion fig trees in the world have done fine without someone pulling figs, LOL! The fig trees in our yard growing up never had anything done to them, no fertilizer, no sprays and no cutting back. And every year we had hundreds of figs falling off the trees we couldn't eat or give away. The problem we have now is invasive pests like the various beetles. Some figs will never ripen all they produce, my Brown Turkey, LSU Purple, Scott's Black and Tena will always have fruit that does not ripen. Nature takes care of it for me!

[Miracle fruit]

Yes, in the world….but not grown in the pots. Those need a different treatment

[jmrtsus]

The plant I believe will produce more growth to support the fruit. A plant has only one purpose in life and that is to reproduce so I'll take the additional growth in ground or a pot. If a plant needs to drop fruit it cannot support it will do so as most fig growers know if they have grown a Celeste. It has a growth habit of dropping fruit because the roots do not keep up with the vegetative growth in the early years. Opinions vary on this so I'll let nature take care of it. The plant knows better about what is going on with it than I do. Never done this with any fruit tree and enjoyed many fruits from juvenile trees. The only special treatment pots get is attention to water and protection from cold. All of my potted fig are in the ground now and no plans to winter over the cuttings I have for giveaways. I will be eating a few figs from about 5 smaller trees, under 3 foot tall this year.

[Drfig]

Let it ride!

[Miracle fruit]

I removed all mine that were the pea size or smaller, as well as the new shoots that were above desired height. The trees will now focus energy on the remaining figs.

[Joshawa]

today?

[Miracle fruit]

Joshawa. I did it on Saturday, the 17th

[Joshawa]

See, I should do it too maybe weekend

[davej]

This thread reminds me of this [Youtube video]

[tinyfish]

Thats what my tree's look like at the end of the season with all that fruit left un-ripened. I am in the process of getting rid the the late ones for all early ones.