How to ship the Capri trees with figs?

[greenfig]

A question:
anybody outside California got a caprifig in a pot by mail with the Profichi (first crop, with wasps) successfully (i.e. the figs were not dropped by the tree)?

I shipped twice and both times the figs were abandoned (the trees kept growing though).

Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

[COGardener]

How far are you shipping?

[greenfig]

Let's say Florida but that doesn't matter.
My question was about if anyone received a tree with figs that were not abandoned

[COGardener]

Understood. I was just thinking that driving it might be a better option than shipping. The two parties meet in the middle, chat over lunch and head home.

[greenfig]

Lol. You can do that with a horse but not very cost effective for a caprifig unless it produces a golden crop

[COGardener]

Indeed, that is a much longer trip then I thought it was going to be. What about shipping a branch with figs that are about to erupt with wasps?

[Sarahkt]

Is anyone selling a caprifig with wasps? I'm in the market.

[greenfig]

Just drive south to LA with a truck
They grow everywhere

[Sarahkt]

This is the kind of thought you get when you reach the crazy line with figs -- "Hmm, I bet all my common figs would be 300% better if they were caprified... And then the Desert Kings would have main crop, and I could say yes to that free Bournabat being offered..."

[greenfig]

300% better - no, but the main crop for the DK and Bournabat, for sure!
I could ship you the capris without the figs but you will need to get the wasp as the time comes

[Sarahkt]

That'd be at least step 1 in that direction. PM sent!

[Altadena Mara]

Do some capri-figs work better than others as hosts for wasps? Perhaps the green figs are less likely to be attacked by birds than the purple ones? The Davis Repository lists a number of Caprifig cuttings.

One member suggested having Early, Middle, and Late fruiting Caprifigs for those of us in long fruiting areas.

Also, this article from 1979 indicates a need to take certain measures to control the spread of diseases by the wasps. Sounds like a good idea.
"Treatment to control endosepsis was developed by H. N. Hansen, another U.C. Plant Pathologist. In a series of investigations beginning in 1926 he developed a caprifig dipping technique which is still used by the fig industry." https://ucanr.edu/repositoryfiles/ca3311p12-62690.pdf

[Harborseal]

Sarahkt, you have caprifigs not far from you. They've been reported in Los Gatos and the central valley is full of them at least as far north as Colusa. There's a gal who lives near SF who's found some growing near her house.

I'd love to get some caprifigs with fruit from the SF bay area because they ripen later than the SoCal ones. They'd have less of an adjustment than the SoCal ones would.

[Sarahkt]

Bob, do you know of a specific source for a caprifig already harboring the wasp in my area? I think Gary and Ross may try to get a stable caprifig in their area soon, but I doubt there are currently wasps in my area.

Many of my neighbors have huge old common fig trees that have been there for many decades. My neighbor said she had a Smyrna fig and a Bournabat a few years ago that never set fruit, so she gave it away. Another neighbor has a Desert King that keeps its breba but not its main crop. That indicates to me that there isn't already a stable wasp colony nearby, at least not near enough to pollinate those figs that need it.