Smith Main - Total Rockstar!

[bkkchris]

What a rockstar fig. My tree last year was ravaged by rats, so I only got a few late season fig which were small and not ripened properly. I cut this tree way back to one trunk and from what I had heard about Smith sometimes not liking a hard prune didn't have much hope for it this year either. Boy was I wrong. I am as guilty as anyone at chasing the "premium", rare varieties, but I could probably have a number of these trees in my yard and be extremely content. Rich, jammy, strong strawberry leaning to raspberry flavor with good complexity, good size (most are looking around 50g), and handles the heat like a champ (as well as wet from what I hear). Top top variety for sure.

[Ktrain]

Love that color...almost burgundy.

Very nice!

[Vitooch1]

Tell me about it !! I know eh!

[MJFIGS]

That looks great. I agree this is an excellent variety that handles heat and rain very well.

I picked my first main a few days ago, not even close to how yours look because of high humidity but it was delicious

[JoePAFig]

Good looking fig, I am eagerly anticipating my first one, fingers crossed.

[cjccmc]

Beautiful fig, I think you got a little help from our wasp friends on that one.

I have a Smith in a 5 gal SIP, 2nd year, it made a bunch of figs but so far all have been smallish and meh tasting. I think I should have removed about half to better balance the fruit load with the leaf area.

BTW, do you have a leaf pic available? I'm wonder if yours is similar to my long fingered leaf one that made fairly dark colored figs in SoCal.

[Halligan-]

Great looking guys and good sized too!
Those horizontal cracks are sexy

[Miracle fruit]

Mine is a 2nd year tree with only 2 figs on it, but looking forward to first taste. I’m also making 2 AL on it, hope they take.

[T.Frank228]

I've got 5 or so 2nd years Smiths, all with less than 10 figs each. Hope they perform better next year

[Miracle fruit]

I would have 6 more figs on it, but I removed all figlets on the 2 branches I’m trying to airlayer when I first started.

[drew51]

Yes Smith is excellent. Mine come out uglier than that one. I'm surprised to hear anyone reporting small ok average figs. As my tree's first fig was amazing as have every other one since.
When I think of it I have heard other reports, makes me think it's not a Smith.

[cvarcher]

Im glad to hear most are getting great Smith figs here. Im still waiting now 4th season and nothing. .

[ZingsFigs]

Citicodays How does it do in ground in E Tennessee, did it do good this past winter. I am in W TN, down by MS state line. 7B

[Citicodays]

It grows well. I protect it from single digit temps, so there’s no die back.

[cvarcher]

Hmm nice to know it can take some cold temps. I thought it was a more tender type. YEah I think your right it grew super vigorously so much I took an air layer off it last year and now have 2 trees. Most of my fig plants are fairly pot bound too but I feed alot,their in could be the problem. LOL. Same way Col Littman grew too. Only that made alot of brebas that fell off this spring and didnt produce a single figlet afterwards. So many strange thngs. Right now my Noir de Barbentane is way ahead of all my varieties in size and earliness-yet they say its a late ripener.

[Sod]

I have one fig on my huge 3rd year tree. I hope it holds. I took an air layer off last year and have it in a 7 gallon. I think I’ll put it in the ground as a test.

[Titaniumgiant]

Does anyone else's heart skip a beat looking at gorgeous fig pics or am i just the odd ball?

[Frankenberry]

Right there with you!

[taliesin]

I am N.Ga and mine still have a way to go.

[Bry]

arcadiafigs

That sure is one beautiful looking fig! Almost every other Smith picture I've seen is more yellow with brown spots. You must be in the ultimate location for figs.

I have one Smith in ground which grew about 2 inches in two years. But I have another one cutting that I grafted this year...

already 10 figs set and growing like a wild fig!! Much thanks to arcadiafigs for the scionwood---

[arcadiafigs]

Bry, so glad to hear your Smith is doing so well! My Smith does get darker than Chris' picture. It varies from fig to fig, but most get a dusky appearance upon ripening.

[Bry]

arcadiafigs Thank you David! I'm excited to try my first Smith...the fig which got me started in the hobby. Hope your cuttings were successful too!

[ZingsFigs]

I have one in a 5 gal that I am about to up pot into 10 or 15 gal pot. It looks like a few people have them in the ground in colder areas and I was wondering how they are doing

[ginamcd]

I gave my two Smith trees a head start in the greenhouse this spring, and they initially seemed to love it as they both set dozens of figlets. However, they did not do well with our heatwave followed by multiple days of torrential rain. The earlier set figs held, and the few that set at the tail end of the heatwave are still holding. The ones that set in between all dropped during our rainy spell. I had heard Smith was "sensitive" and at this point I would agree.

[bkkchris]

ginamcd Sorry to hear. I’ve heard SO many conflicting opinions about Smith, it tolerates rain well, it doesn’t, it loves the heat, it doesn’t, it’s ugly, it’s beautiful, haha.

[ginamcd]

It took them a few years before they started even setting fruit, but last year I was getting platefuls of ripe figs from the two trees. I think if I had let them wake up on their own outside, they may not have set and then dropped so many. As I said, they are still holding on to a decent number of figs, just not as many as last year.

[bkkchris]

Just look at these things. Amazing. One of those figs that gives me chills when I bite into it. So good.

[gh0001]

What a beauty! How does it compare with UP?

[bkkchris]

gh0001 Very different. UP is much more of a sharp berry taste, more intense and complex I would say. A perfectly ripened UP is still the best fig I have ever had. But Smith is very close, top-tier for me, plus common and larger.

[great08]

I cannot wait for my Smith to start producing! Thank you for the yummy looking pics and congrats!

[Chato]

Great looking smith man 🤙🏽
here is mine I picked today

[bkkchris]

Nice! Thats a beauty!

[Vitooch1]

Nice man wish I had more of them. Too bad I had only one. Here’s mine it was as delicious as it looks.