Magnolia/Brunswick Ripening

[LadyGT]

What is the secret to determining when this variety of fruit is ripe? I have been patiently waiting for the fruit to droop, neck to soften or to crack. I just picked 2 off and they are nicely colored inside and out BUT they are sour. I have had it since June 2017. Last year they were dry and hard or they split so I have watched the watering carefully. When you squeeze the fruit, water comes out thru the eye. I am so ready to throw this tree away if things don't improve.

[Sparky]

Not the best fig for rainy, humid environments. Splits and sours like crazy at the hint of moisture. Occasionally throws out a good fig. I have been looking for an excuse to dump mine but so far it is just easier to leave it where it is. Maybe this winter.

[LadyGT]

I am really frustrated with this tree. Four days ago I found SWD gnats on it, in the fruit as well as a black beetle. Japanese beetles were on the fruit as well. Yesterday or the day before I wrapped the tree in tulle fabric. I checked it at 8:50 pm and there were gnats and Japanese beetles on the fabric. I really thought the tulle would be a deterrent. I had not watered in in a couple of days but it rained yesterday. I checked the fruit the bugs were sitting on and it was sour. The darn thing wasn't even completely ripe. If this continues for the rest of the growing season, this tree is going in the trash. I have spent 3 years hoping it would improve with age and it hasn't.

[bullet08]

i remember my paradiso gene blowing up. that followed by everything with wings. bees, hornets, wasps.. i stayed away from that tree for a week. still remember that tree so fondly.

[Halligan-]

These have been fickle for me to ripen.
if there is any moisture they seem to sour. If they are in direct sun. They seem to ripen unevenly and the hot spot sours prior to the rest ripening.

they don’t seem to droop from the neck, but rather get soft all the way to the stem. I’ve had a few that were pretty good. But it turns out i have three trees of them, lol

[jake44141]

I got a Magnolia in June 2017 from Hirt's garden as well. First year, it produced a few figs. Not knowing anything about fig, I picked them early. It was tasteless. In 2018, it produced about 20 figs. Again, I picked them early and they were tasteless. In 2019, it produced about 65 figs. Most of them split. A few were fully ripe. Finally, I had a chance to taste honey sweet figs. That's how I got hook and became a fig enthusiast. Last year, 2020, it was planted in ground. Fearing root rot, I did not water it. It dropped all early figs before I realized that it needed water. In spite of that, it produced 50 figs. First one was honey-sweet and amazing. After that, the other 49 figs all split and spoil. After much reading about this fig, I decided it that it should be culled. Here's some pictures of this fig.

And ripening is not uniform for this variety. When bottom half of the fig ripen, the top half is not nearly ready. When the top half is fully ripe, but bottom half will become spoiled.

2019 -- Nice looking tree. Almost every fig split. But I got to taste a few ripe figs.



2020 Notice that every fig on the tree split just before ripening.



March 2021, after waking up from dormancy, it got pulled out of the ground and thrown outside of the high tunnel.



After a few days, I felt sorry for it. After all, it was my first love. So, I planted it in ground outside of the high tunnel. In spite the recurring frost in the spring, looks like it's going to produce a handful of figs this year. Hopefully, with change of environment in higher ground, the figs won't split.

[LadyGT]

It's ironic you mention Hirts. I purchased a Panache from them and within the first year I knew it wasn't labeled correctly. The nursery refunded my money but at the time I had no idea what I received other than it had small green fruits growing instead of striped ones. Well, now I know. I just learned a couple of weeks ago that it's a dang Magnolia. The first fruit on it soured too.

Is there anybody on this forum that can grow this variety successfully? According to the Home Garden Figs publication by The Cooperative Extension Service/University of GA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences/Athens says the quality of fruit is fair and excellent for preserving. Are you kidding me? How can you preserve a fig that sours before it completely ripens or splits? Maybe I should contact them because that recommendation is not good.

[jake44141]

During lunch break, I went there with my son. When we walked through their greenhouse, I told my son that Magnolia produced the biggest fig. I saw it on some video. So, he wanted one. It's extremely easy for customers to move their labels.

[Ktrain]

This is good info, I will def. not be putting this one on my radar.

Such a bummer to have gone through so much to see these results.

[Halligan-]

It’s very early and productive. But challenging to ripen correctly. When ripened well. It’s actually a pretty good fig with notes of brown sugar Carmel and peaches.

But in your climate you have better options

[Ktrain]

Agreed on the better options.
Currently I have limited space for in ground.
Until I have some trees taken down to boost my direct sunlight hours in key areas, pot will have to do...and I have plenty of those to deal with.
So to add a difficult one just doesn't appeal.

[Bry]

I agree that you need to look for better cultivars for your climate. My recommendation would be to try the LSU figs, bred for high humidity and dependable. They're all good.

If you choose to keep the Magnolia/Brunswick, you will need to harvest them semi-ripe for canning before they can spoil and use lots of sugar, like they do. More study: from Figs4fun

USDA / UC Davis Accession Data

Fruit medium. Skin bronze to reddish-brown. Flesh very light strawberry-colored. (002) (004) (006) Oblique- turbinate. Leaf: base calcarate; lobes, lineate. Well-adapted in the Southwest and drier areas of the South. The fruit is ruined by excessive rain. Breba and main crop. Hardy. (Condit accepts Brunswick as the correct name, but see the discussion of this name in the Introduction.) Synonyms: Dalmatian, Madonna, Magnolia. (006) Large, brownish skin, reddish pulp. Coarse skin. Used mostly for preserves without the skin in Texas. Ripens too slowly on coast. Bland tasting. Poor on coast. (011) [L]eaves narrow-lobed; fruits of main crop are oblique-turbinate, mostly without neck; fruit stalk thick, often swollen; fruit of medium size; bronze or purple-brown; pulp whitish near skin, shading to pink or amber; hollow in center; of fair to good quality; nearly seedless. Ripens over a long season. Breba crop poor; large, bronze-skinned; flesh light-red; coarse. (019) Variety grown in NSW 1890's According to Goodman’s catalogue of 1917 " Produces large long fruit with violet brown skin. Grown in Texas, USA, since the 1840's under the name Magnolia because it resembles a magnolia ( ? ) Used for drying. The flesh is reddish brown... a fine fig ". According to Ikin in the W A state fruit collection in 1974. Available from Davis California, USA. (Australia) (021) [Magnolia (Texas), Madonna] Large, skin violet-brown, flesh reddish brown, a fine fig. (Goodmans 1914). Large fruit, of a pale brown color, very rich flavor, medium (Railton 1880). Reddish brown skin, strawberry-amber pulp tasting of honey. Good for eating fresh, canning or preserving (in US). Espaliered against south-facing walls in England (Brennan 1995). Pulp amber, tinged strawberry, hollow at the centre. Breba crop lacks flavor, main crop sweet, fairly rich, oblique/turbinate. Good for preserving, but not for drying (Facciola 1990). (Burnley 1896). [Sci]. Burwood #1 fits this description (GG).(Australia) (060) Especially cultivated in the United States, in California, sometimes called Castle Kennedy, Magnolia, Kennedy, Clémentine, Madonna. Of a relative power, the tree has average leaves of type 3 in 5 lobes, very deep and carved. The céroplaste of the fig tree seems to have a preference for this very beautiful and very good variety to be recommended to the amateurs. On the other hand, it is convenient only for the market of nearness as far as it must be picked blackberry and transports very badly himself. The flattering color is rather unusual for a fig. It also possesses a discriminating character: the abundance of coupled fruits. There is a very strong resemblance in this sort between figs flowers and autumn figs, these last ones being simply smaller. [Translated from French] (046) Fruit is very large and good in dry weather, but sucks up a lot of water and is susceptible to fruit rots when it ripens in rainy weather. (001c) Magnolia (Brunswick) is famously bad for wet climates. (929) [T]here is an english name for a fig that is also called Dalmatian fig--in fact more than one name: Brunswick, Magnolia, Madona and Dalmatian are all names for a fig with hand shaped leaves, The color is light brown outside, amber-pink inside, with good flavor. (918) [A] large, hollow fruit that is light brown with darker ribs and pratically no stem. The pulp is amber. It is recommended for preserves only. Brunswick appears to be more cold hardy than Brown Turkey or Celeste; however, it does not grow vigorously.Brunswick produces fair-to-good crops on suckers produced the season following freeze or cold injury. [Suggested for No Carolina] (074) Very large pear shaped fruit with greenish yellow skin, tinged with brown in the sun. Flesh yellow, red in the centre, tolerably rich and sweet. Hardier than most and best on a wall. Has enormous 'hand' shaped leaves. (089) More homework--- https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-h...nning-industry

[LadyGT]

Thank you Bry for that information. When I bought this particular tree, it was mislabeled and was suppose to be a Green Ischia. Back when I bought it in 2017, I was just learning about fig trees and didn't know one variety from another. I had a gut feeling what it was in 2018, but couldn't be sure until fruits formed. In 2020 the tree was producing its first fruits and they were lousy then. I attributed the bad fruit to my bad watering and fertilizing practices. I was also hoping I was wrong in identifying it as a Magnolia/Brunswick, but the shape of the leaves was the 1st clue, 2nd was the coloring of the fruit and souring and splitting were the last nails in the coffin. lol

If it's so bad for the hot, humid, rainy South, why would anybody local want to propagate it? I guess a newbie like me wouldn't know the difference. lol

[Bry]

Did you do your homework??

[LadyGT]

No. I went to a backyard nursery a couple of miles down the road and the owner was selling fig trees for $5 each for Fathers Day. One of each variety was chosen. I supposedly bought a Green Ischia, Brown Turkey, Celeste and LSU Purple. For those prices, I thought I couldn't go wrong. lol. After 3 years I realized that I ended up with 2 Celestes, 1 LSU Purple and a Brunswick. For the price I paid, I think I still came out ahead. lol. The Celestes and the LSU Purple are doing well so for $20 I did pretty good compared to buying trees at Lowes who doesn't sell any of these varieties. Not only that, I shared cuttings and suckers of the LSU Purple with 4 other people earlier this year. The black cloud had a silver lining.

[Bry]

Excellent, think you came out smelling like roses!

[Otis]

I don't think I'll get Brunswick fruit this year, but last year they did well here even with all our rain and humidity. They were really ripe when they started looking like a bruise on human skin, believe it or not, and had a really nice fresh melon flavor. A several were over 100g.

[Bellefleurs]

This is one fig that I have actively avoided.

[Halligan-]

I’ve got a couple in 5gals I’ll happily send you way....

[Bellefleurs]

Hahaha….
No thanks, Nate 😬

[Jamey]

Yeup. This variety does better in a mix that dries out more quickly and doesnt require near the water as my other trees. It does good when Allowed to almost totally dry out between watering. A 5 gallon pot for my 3rd yr tree is plenty big enough. It olnly started doing well this season that it really filled out its 5 gallon pot. Its been in that pot since 2019. Last year the figs only ripened maybe half way up and were green in the top half still. But soured after over ripening on the eye end. This year its a bit larger and has more figs that are ripening proper (in north central alabama 7b) tomorrow is day 5 for the 3 most ripe ones . in my fig varieties set and ripening post I have daily update pics with this variety included. The first one went 5 days and was good and sweet but needed longer so going 7 days on these.

[LadyGT]

Hmm. It crossed my mind that maybe I should cover the pot with some plastic and control every drop of water and see how it does. Will it be enough though as I live in a very humid environment. Should I just give up now? lol I saw a video on youtube yesterday that people in VA had one and had good luck with it. I really would like to taste at least one good fruit from this tree.