My Black Madeira seems to be shaking off FMV

[m5allen]

I got this Black Madeira as an air layer and put it in the ground this past fall. It was tiny, the size of a smaller rooted cutting. My source for this plant said the parent has a bad case of FMV.

When mine first started putting out leaves this spring, it was showing heavy FMV. Lately, it has increased in vigor and has been sending out new leaves that are free of FMV. There are still a few new leaves that show it, but most don't. This little tree is exceeding my expectations.

I don't know for sure if this is what helped, but I started giving it ammonium sulfate dissolved in water (same stuff I give my blueberries). I think that stuff is like liquid gold for all types of plants.

For comparison, I included a pic of my CDDG that I planted at the same time, the CDDG was the same size (tiny twig) to start as well. The CDDG is FMV-free and is pretty darn vigorous, but I am happy to say that the BM is starting to catch up.

[Brian M]

Looking good!

[cis4elk]

Very nice, I wish I could plant those figs in the ground.

[Rafaelissimmo]

Ammonium sulfate-that's like pure nitrogen, right? How much would you dissolve in a gallon of water? I am interested to try this out.

[m5allen]

Yes, pure nitrogen. Mine comes in a bag as granules that I dissolve in water - I mix a little less than 1 tablespoon per 2 gallons of water for an in-ground plant; I would do half of that for a potted plant. I make sure the soil/roots are moist before I water with the AS.

The AS helps to acidify soil, so when applying to my figs, I make sure to mix with my tap water, which is very alkaline. I mix it with rain water when applying to my blueberries. If you had a potted fig, I would think you would want to check and make sure the soil wasn't getting too acidic if you were applying the AS every week.

[Rafaelissimmo]

Thanks, I ordered a 5 lb from Amazon. My BM is in a pot so we will take your great advice, thx

[eboone]

Any idea of what the pH of your tapwater/ammonium sulfate mix is?

[m5allen]

Any idea of what the pH of your tapwater/ammonium sulfate mix is?

That is a good question. Honestly, I need to be a little more scientific about this. I have heard Wills explain that it is not only the pH, but also the level of bicarbonates in your water. Without a means of testing, I am sure my tap water is high in either one or both because of the hard water deposits it leaves on my fixtures.

But whatever it is, my figs seem to be enjoying the drink of AS/tap water. I will slow down this application now because I want to focus on fig development, but I wanted to give my young figs a kick-start. I might even continue with this regimen for my young figs and sacrifice figs for growth/establishment this year.

If I had a fig in a pot with a lot of peat and/or pine bark in the media, I recommend being more scientific about pH if you start applying the AS frequently.

[Snaglpus]

You are correct! Ammonium sulfate is pure Nitro! UDC gives all their trees this every 3 years.

[Rob Ster 010]

It's not pure N, it's 21%N and 24% sulphur.
Soil organisms turn sulphur into sulphuric acid and that will drastically lower your PH.
Good for blueberries but i wonder what it will do to fig trees if used over a longer period as fig trees prefer alkaline soils.

[Chrisk]

How about the remaining 55% Rob?

[rayrose]

If you're on city water, you can call the water department and they will tell the ph of the water and a breakdown of all chemicals in the water.

[COGardener]

A simple aquarium pH test kit would work also. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals is accurate enough to test the tap water.

http://www.saltysupply.com/Aquarium-...662&cadevice=c

Then you can test the soil pH with an in ground gauge or a soil test kit.

https://www.google.com/#q=soil+ph+meter&tbm=shop

[AscPete]

Thanks for sharing your results...
Please keep us updated...

A simple, accurate and inexpensive pH test indicator used for hydroponic nutrient solutions, http://generalhydroponics.com/site/i.../ph_indicator/ It can be purchased online, http://www.ebay.com/itm/General-Hydr...25.m3641.l6368 or at almost any Hydroponic store. Its extremely easy to use and I've also used it with coffee filters cut into strips to create a "Litmus paper strip" (dip the strip then place a drop of test indicator on the wet strip).

[Gardencrochet]

Black Madeira