The Luv variety - a lesson in patience

[Rewton]

This variety (a.k.a. Lupo or Wolf) was reputed to be one of Paolo Belloni's favorite varieties and there was a lot of hype over it a few years ago. Then, there were some reports that it didn't live up to the hype and I haven't heard much since. I very nearly culled this one but am glad I didn't. I received my Luv plant the Fall of 2016 and planted it in the ground Spring of 2017. So this is its 5th year in the ground. The three seasons prior to this it has set fruit but dropped the figs. This year it dropped just a handful but is ripening the rest. Some observations I've made over the years include that it is quite cold hardy. I've never protected it here in zone 7a and it has done at least as well as the Mt. Etnas at resisting die-back. It doesn't sucker a lot - I have mine growing as a single trunk tree. I'll post a photo of the tree tomorrow. It is reasonably earlier ripener. The first fig ripened on Aug. 16 from an in-ground tree here in MD. For reference, the first of my Mt. Etna types started ripening around Aug. 13. The flavor is quite good. It has a berry profile that reminds me a lot of Ischia Black which I have been eating lately as well. Finally, this is a fig that would be easy to peel if one wanted to as the skin separates off the fruit pretty easily.

[Rewton]

Oh, I forgot to mention that these figs were picked after we had rain for 5 consecutive days which totalled about 3 inches. It holds up well in the rain and has a tight eye which helps with insects. If only it would resist birds!

[leon_edmond]

Nice looking fig! Thanks Steve.

[Ktrain]

Great time of the season....looks good!

[Garlic_Mike]

I have always told people to be patient with this one.

It took Mario's the third year I believe.

The year we brought some to Matt's fest that they went from ok to great.

[Rewton]

That's good to hear! These first few figs I tried were somewhere between "ok" and "great" but could have been closer to "great" if we had not had all the rain before I picked them. Do you grow yours in ground or in a container?

[Garlic_Mike]

container, mine was killed by the beetle last year

[Rewton]

Part of the reason mine is single trunk is that two other trunks had to be removed because of ambrosia beetles. Sigh.

[swethakyadav]

Definitely need patience on this. My second year tree set around 15 figs and has been ripening them one after another.

However, every fig is underripe and not edible. I am hoping for better luck next year.

[Rewton]

Yes, I know what you are talking about but I would call that "dropping". I wonder if that is part of the reason this variety has gotten a bad rap from some growers i.e. the figs came close to ripening but didn't fully go through the process and were pretty tastless/bland. Luv has taken the longest of any variety I have grown (out of over a hundred) to come into maturity and start ripening fruit.

[Spthorn]

I had the same experience. It took three years in ground to get anything edible but when it did ripen it had a nice berry flavor. The ripening seems to benefit from a long hang time; the flavor gets more concentrated. Wondering how close it would come to drying on the tree, although would probably be a miracle in my climate.

[Rewton]

Here are some photos of the tree, leaves, and fruit.