Tweet
I think I have detected some early symptoms of FFS.
FIG FRUSTRATION SYNDROME
Well I guess I am nearing the end of my fig season. I still have figs on my NOT TX-BA1 (maybe Mary Lane Seedless) unknown that I now know produce a large yellow fig that will split and mostly taste insipid. However out of the twenty or so that I did manage to taste there were two or three that showed some promise. Enough so that it will live another year albeit it will get a serious pinching as in decapitation at five feet and limbs cut back to about three feet. This fig has one other redeeming quality. It roots like crazy, is a verticle grower and fast grower. Around June 17 this year I trimmed back two limbs that were completely blocking my walking path. I took those and cut the leaves off them and then cut them into roughly 9" cuttings. These were unceremoniously jammed four inches deep into the not quite composted material left over from last year's compost pile. I thought I might have put Clonex on them but now do not think I did. Anyway I had nearly 90% take with nothing other than a few waterings. What does all this mean. It is a good candidate to be a mother tree for cuttings destined to be grafting rootstock. It survived the freezes and ice storms of 2014 without even blinking an eye. No protection and there was no limb die back. So this UNKNOWN gets another stay of execution. Now if I could just find some figs that are so exemplary to be worthy of grafting to it.
Every year I keep saying that this will be the year only to be disappointed with mediocre (and I'm being generous) performance. I know my trees all have excuses. They say there is not enough Sun. They claim I didn't fertilize enough or with the right balance or at the right time. They blaim squirrels, possums, racoons, birds and they even claim they feel unappreciated saying I don't make daily rounds, I don't talk to them like I do the citrus and muscadines and (get this) that I don't PINCH them. I'm beginning to feel a little hostility from them
BUT
in all fairness I guess they have some legitimate complaints.
SO
next year it will be different. Jeez did see those fig trees cutting their eyes at me. Well yes? I have said this before, but I mean it this time. REALLY!
AND
it wasn't all bad times. The heirloom Celeste from TJ (Ryan H in LA I gave you a large specimen of this) produced nicely and tasty and then there was that previously unknown that was either a Italian Strawberry or a Lemon fig that produced some really good large black figs (make note NOT Lemon fig). My JH Adriatic finally sent up verticle growth and produced a single ripe amazing fig. Halaluja! Another small fig labeled Black Greek in a small pot on my deck produced a tasty fig with just enough promise in it to make me stop and give it a better pot with fresh compost.
AND now 65% of all my potted figs have now been repotted since I returned from my Louisiana trip with around $300 worth of prime plastic nursery pots in the 4, 7, 15, and 25 gallon size. These should really help me to give each fig what it needs as they compete to receive their own personal ~ 5 year inground trial planting. Do you think they know that at the end if of the TRIAL there will be a sentencing! Back to the POTS or shiver to the compost heap!
Still though there are the WHYs and WUWT (What's up with that)! WHY - do trees loaded, ok not loaded but I see figs, suddenly have the figs, still way green, just vaporize in a single day and WHY does eight foot trees be just trees. Did I fail to tell them they are FRUIT trees. OK I'll name some of the culprits. Hollier, Petit Negri, Conadria, Green Ischia, Bethlehem Black, Black Mission and Sucrette. And then the WUWT and at this point in my frustration I could probably shorten that to WT*! That category includes CDDB (FIVE years old and two foot tall), Genes Cajun Gold came to me with fruit but apparently took offense to Gene giving it to me and it has done nothing but sulk refusing to bear fruit. Same with my MBVS from my dear friend Hershell in Georgia. Even my LSU O'Rourke given to me personally by Dr. Charlie Johnson simply refuses to perform as expected. Grows wonderfully but light fig production without the expected awesome taste you'd expect from such a supposedly talented selection. WUWT?
OK I WILL TAKE THE BLAIM AND RESPONSIBILITY AGAIN THIS YEAR!
Man I need to do as Travis C from Abbeville suggested and tip prune my citrus. They are loaded. I also had a great Muscadine crop even after I abused them by pruning after many had even broken dormancy.
HEY FIGS YOU LISTENING!
WHERE DID I PUT THE CHAINSAW?
No I was not inebriated or under some other prescribed medication when I wrote this.
NO NOT UNPRESCIBED EITHER.
FIG FRUSTRATEDLY YOURS,
Darkman, Charles and Tami
in Pensacola FL
FIG FRUSTRATION SYNDROME
Well I guess I am nearing the end of my fig season. I still have figs on my NOT TX-BA1 (maybe Mary Lane Seedless) unknown that I now know produce a large yellow fig that will split and mostly taste insipid. However out of the twenty or so that I did manage to taste there were two or three that showed some promise. Enough so that it will live another year albeit it will get a serious pinching as in decapitation at five feet and limbs cut back to about three feet. This fig has one other redeeming quality. It roots like crazy, is a verticle grower and fast grower. Around June 17 this year I trimmed back two limbs that were completely blocking my walking path. I took those and cut the leaves off them and then cut them into roughly 9" cuttings. These were unceremoniously jammed four inches deep into the not quite composted material left over from last year's compost pile. I thought I might have put Clonex on them but now do not think I did. Anyway I had nearly 90% take with nothing other than a few waterings. What does all this mean. It is a good candidate to be a mother tree for cuttings destined to be grafting rootstock. It survived the freezes and ice storms of 2014 without even blinking an eye. No protection and there was no limb die back. So this UNKNOWN gets another stay of execution. Now if I could just find some figs that are so exemplary to be worthy of grafting to it.
Every year I keep saying that this will be the year only to be disappointed with mediocre (and I'm being generous) performance. I know my trees all have excuses. They say there is not enough Sun. They claim I didn't fertilize enough or with the right balance or at the right time. They blaim squirrels, possums, racoons, birds and they even claim they feel unappreciated saying I don't make daily rounds, I don't talk to them like I do the citrus and muscadines and (get this) that I don't PINCH them. I'm beginning to feel a little hostility from them
BUT
in all fairness I guess they have some legitimate complaints.
SO
next year it will be different. Jeez did see those fig trees cutting their eyes at me. Well yes? I have said this before, but I mean it this time. REALLY!
AND
it wasn't all bad times. The heirloom Celeste from TJ (Ryan H in LA I gave you a large specimen of this) produced nicely and tasty and then there was that previously unknown that was either a Italian Strawberry or a Lemon fig that produced some really good large black figs (make note NOT Lemon fig). My JH Adriatic finally sent up verticle growth and produced a single ripe amazing fig. Halaluja! Another small fig labeled Black Greek in a small pot on my deck produced a tasty fig with just enough promise in it to make me stop and give it a better pot with fresh compost.
AND now 65% of all my potted figs have now been repotted since I returned from my Louisiana trip with around $300 worth of prime plastic nursery pots in the 4, 7, 15, and 25 gallon size. These should really help me to give each fig what it needs as they compete to receive their own personal ~ 5 year inground trial planting. Do you think they know that at the end if of the TRIAL there will be a sentencing! Back to the POTS or shiver to the compost heap!
Still though there are the WHYs and WUWT (What's up with that)! WHY - do trees loaded, ok not loaded but I see figs, suddenly have the figs, still way green, just vaporize in a single day and WHY does eight foot trees be just trees. Did I fail to tell them they are FRUIT trees. OK I'll name some of the culprits. Hollier, Petit Negri, Conadria, Green Ischia, Bethlehem Black, Black Mission and Sucrette. And then the WUWT and at this point in my frustration I could probably shorten that to WT*! That category includes CDDB (FIVE years old and two foot tall), Genes Cajun Gold came to me with fruit but apparently took offense to Gene giving it to me and it has done nothing but sulk refusing to bear fruit. Same with my MBVS from my dear friend Hershell in Georgia. Even my LSU O'Rourke given to me personally by Dr. Charlie Johnson simply refuses to perform as expected. Grows wonderfully but light fig production without the expected awesome taste you'd expect from such a supposedly talented selection. WUWT?
OK I WILL TAKE THE BLAIM AND RESPONSIBILITY AGAIN THIS YEAR!
Man I need to do as Travis C from Abbeville suggested and tip prune my citrus. They are loaded. I also had a great Muscadine crop even after I abused them by pruning after many had even broken dormancy.
HEY FIGS YOU LISTENING!
WHERE DID I PUT THE CHAINSAW?
No I was not inebriated or under some other prescribed medication when I wrote this.
NO NOT UNPRESCIBED EITHER.
FIG FRUSTRATEDLY YOURS,
Darkman, Charles and Tami
in Pensacola FL
Comment