LSU Cultivars Versus Traditional Cultivars

[mountainfigs]

Does LSU Improved Celeste improve upon Ronde de Bordeaux?
Does LSU Gold improve upon Brooklyn White?
Does LSU Tiger improve upon Longue d'Aout?
Does LSU Champagne improve upon Marseilles?
Does LSU O'Rourke or LSU Purple improve upon the Mt Etnas?
Does LSU Scott's Black improve upon the Violette de Bordeauxs?
Etc.

Even if the answer to all the above is "not especially" or "no" some of the value in the LSU program is shown in that these LSU cultivars can to an extent rival particular excellent traditional cultivars, and can provide some reliable additional options, counterparts, or backups to them in various ways.

The exceptional earliness of Improved Celeste can rival that of Ronde de Bordeaux.
The color, size, and timing of Gold can rival that of Brooklyn White.
The size and timing of Tiger can rival that of Longue d'Aout.
The productivity and timing of O'Rourke can rival that of the Mt Etnas.
The look and intense flavor of Scott's black can rival that of the VDBs.

Such comparisons can extend to other propagation programs, if with largely different traditional cultivars.

In the main, it seems to me, the LSU propagation program produced figs that improved upon the traditional cultivar Celeste by quite a bit. I can't say that I prefer any of the LSU cultivars to the traditionals compared above, though I do prefer all those LSUs to Celeste.

It strikes me as curious that a different kind of research program could have gone out and scoured the world of traditional fig cultivars for varieties suitable "for the Gulf South region," and additionally to give LSU propagation results some on the ground points of comparison.

Regardless, glad to have the LSU cultivars, plenty of which seem readily prolific and timely. Improved Celeste in particular is highly valuable for growers in short seasons. Makes a nice companion to the apparently few other very early main croppers, Ronde de Bordeaux, Florea...

[Rewton]

They are all relatively cold hard too aren't they? For whatever reason I haven't collected most of the LSU varieties (only LSU Improved Celeste - O'Rourke not) but some sound intriguing.

[mountainfigs]

The idea of "cold hardy" isn't very functional for me anymore, since all cultivars die to the ground here, if left unprotected, which they all are if in-ground. (The occasional snow bank save of a few inches aside.) That said, the Mt Etnas do appear the hardiest, being the snow bank survivors. I lean more on the term "robust" now, meaning fruit robust after total top-kill. The Mt Etnas with the least fuss (pruning) produce the best after winter die-back, by far. When well-pruned, most of the other early and mid season LSU cultivars have shown that capability too, at least somewhat robust, and root hardy.

[Bigbill]

That is very interesting commentary, Tony. I always enjoy reading your insight and experiences with the more hardy and/or earlier varieties for folks like us with short growing seasons. I've been particularly impressed this year with the flavor and production of improved Celeste, O'Rourke, and Champagne.

[mountainfigs]

Thanks, Bill. Improved Celeste and O'Rourke are the earliest LSUs and both very productive here this year, and in general. IC easily tops O'Rourke in taste (and shape and color and timing) here, especially this year. I may have hammered O'Rourke with too much water but I don't know, as that hasn't seemed to bother any other LSU varieties.

[Altadena Mara]

Those are great comparisons, but is it correct to compare the black, berry flavored Ronde de Bordeaux to the light brown to tan sugar flavored Improved Celeste? The color and flavors are different even if they both are very sweet, early, productive and delicious in their own unique way. I wouldn't be without either variety.
Wouldn't comparing Improved Celeste to Marseilles, both early sugar figs, be better? In that case, my IC is much better tasting than my Marseilles EL.

[mountainfigs]

The IC to RDB comparison is totally incorrect but useful! Well, look, what fig can easily compare with RDB, as it ripens before virtually any other figs and has so many other strong features? However there is an IC strain that gives it a very good run in a number of ways. I base the comparison on how very early the two cultivars ripen, and how very productive they are. Also, though RDB typically looks more impressive, IC has a kind of unique bell shape, I've always thought, often a unique lavender color too, and I know an IC will always be sweet, almost seemingly no matter when picked after initial ripening. Whereas, RDB can have a biting latex bleed and flavor if not allowed to ripen enough.

IC and Marseilles is a good comparison, though for me due to my mishandling Marseilles I'm not sure exactly how early its main crop ripens. I classify IC a sugar fig, and Marseilles a honey so compared it to another honey fig in LSU Champagne, though Champagne seems to ripen later than Marseilles.

[CajunB]

I have to agree with you Tony,100%............good comparison

[mountainfigs]

I hope it's not an unfair comparison. It is after all an LSU versus the world comparison, which I think is a complement to the LSUs that it could even be made to a significant degree. (Not that I've fruited a million other cultivars but significantly more than LSUs.) A disproportionate number of LSU figs are good producers here, compared to the percentage of all the other figs I have on hand that produce well, and don't, so far.

[drivewayfarmer]

Oh no you di'int , Tony !
Tell me you didn't just compare IC to my beloved variety RDB !
I'm going to have to ask you to step outside to settle this my friend.
Seriously I need to replace my strain of IC with what you have. Mine isn't that early or productive and O'Rourke always outshines it in flavor.
I'm with you on the Tiger comparison , and the surprisingly original flavor and richness of
Scott's Black far surpasses the safe pedestrian goodness of VDB.
I also really enjoy your commentary , partly because we mostly agree and because you've examined the subject more thoroughly than I have.
A big help for those of us in cold country.

[mountainfigs]

Thanks, Kerry. I have quite a few cultivars from you including a bunch of these, but not Improved Celeste which came from Petals from the Past at a time when they were selling it as O'Rourke. Where is your IC from, unless you'd rather not say? I tried to explain my IC to RDB comparison above in response to Mara.

[drivewayfarmer]

I'd rather not mention the source of my IC since it was an honest mistake years ago that it came to me as O'Rourke.
I got the real O'Rourke later the same season in a trade from a member in Louisiana and it has always performed well.

[Mgorski]

Tony, I have also wondered also why LSU didn't use other genetics that could do well in the gulf coast region. I'm with Kerry, I need to get your IC, as mine clearly is something different. Just a small, pasty, mildly sweet fig that doesn't even produce many figs. The first year or two, it dropped all it's figs. I must say though, I really like Celeste.

[mountainfigs]

I can believe that Celeste performs well further south and beyond, as widely reported, though I don't recall many people in the north saying much about it. It has been hands down one of the most troublesome nonproductive not to mention the tiniest and rather plain tasting of cultivars here, and I have it from several different sources. I like small figs but especially as offset by other qualities that I haven't been able to draw much out of Celeste. I was planning to recycle all my extra IC wood into air layers and cuttings here for an intensive fruiting project I'm trying to jump start, but as I've had a number of requests for it these past weeks, and as I would like to see it spread and trialed further, I'm making a limited number of cuttings of it available via my mountainfigs.net site (though it remains unlisted there).

[Mgorski]

There are a couple of large trees I visit in Richmond, VA that are loaded with figs right now. They are very sweet if it's been dry. I wish I had full access to them, as it is, I just grab them as I walk through the alley. Gotta watch out for wasps though, most of the figs seem to go unpicked, as the trees are very large. Lots of sour figs on the ground.

[Rewton]

Tony, is your Improved Celeste the one that Herman2 calls "O'Rourke not" or something else? That's the one I have. I'm still forming an opinion about it. It is early though.

[mountainfigs]

Steve, from what I've been able to make out, yes, Herman2 appears to have the same IC strain that I have; although, I don't know for certain, and I don't know his source.

[kubota1]

I'm not a fan of LSU Gold, but love Brooklyn White.

[mountainfigs]

Yes, I don't mean to imply that any of these cultivars are interchangeable or equivalent. For one, Gold hasn't been nearly as productive here as White. In fact, I prefer all the listed traditional cultivars to the LSU ones. Of the LSU's, Improved Celeste leads the pack with probably now Tiger next behind it. O'Rourke is so relatively early and productive that I keep hoping it will catch up in flavor here.

[mountainfigs]

Some of the usual suspects this evening in photo:

O'Rourke is sweetening up but more mild than the others so needs to be picked more carefully close to optimal. Ronde de Bordeaux seemingly far more ripe than the Mt Etnas but the Mt Etnas just as sweet and flavorful. Improved Celeste colorful, bell-shaped, and sweet. LSU Gold typically more shapely than Brooklyn White but Brooklyn White flavor packs such power.