X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Kelby
    Fig Phenom
    • Feb 2015
    • 1781

    Nero 600m - is it worth it?

    Nero 600m generated a lot of buzz when it first made the rounds, being touted as the dark fig cold climate/in-ground figgers have been wishing for.

    Well...I'm not so sure about that.

    Mine is a 2nd (3rd?) year plant in a 10 gallon container. It's been a healthy grower, not overly vigorous but lots of branches. However, it is the latest fig to ripen this year. Other containerized figs are getting ready to ripen a second crop! I've gotten 4-5 so far but the plant is loaded with figs will likely not ripen with colder October weather moving in. I cannot imagine it ripening much, if any, main crop if planted in the ground (assuming it doesn't die back) here in Zone 6 Pennsylvania most years. I'm going to keep it another year to see if age is a factor, but if it can't ripen early enough to be planted in the ground it is probably going away. Don't get me wrong, the figs are good. But I have others that ripened all the main crop that are also good.
    https://www.figbid.com/Listing/Browse?Seller=Kelby
    SE PA
    Zone 6
  • Rafaelissimmo
    Senior Member
    • Feb 2015
    • 1528

    #2
    Kelby I agree, I have Mbvs and Negronne, they both are better tasting and ripened sooner for me this year and I haven't the space to keep this one around. Also, it was not particularly productive either.
    Rafael
    Zone 10b, Miami, FL

    Comment

    • Rafaelissimmo
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2015
      • 1528

      #3
      As you said, not a bad fig but....
      Rafael
      Zone 10b, Miami, FL

      Comment

      • mountainfigs
        Senior Member
        • Feb 2015
        • 1614

        #4
        I avoided planting many Late Bordeauxs like Nero 600M in the ground for the reasons that you describe. That said, I do have a Nero 600M in ground that has a few figs that will not ripen this year, and for the first time this winter I will try to low-limb protect it some and see if that makes any difference next year or in subsequent years. But it's a trial that may or may not succeed; whereas, I've had plenty of Mt Etnas succeed and also some Brooklyn Whites now succeed basically without trying, after total dieback. Also, Improved Celeste and LSU Purple have ripened good fruit their first year in ground after total dieback.
        Tony WV 6b
        https://mountainfigs.net/

        Comment

        • AscPete
          Fig Phenom
          • Feb 2015
          • 4118

          #5
          Kelby,
          "Figs only get better with age" and in my experience they also produce earlier.

          My VdB another "Bordeaux" type ripened figs 3 weeks earlier as a 3 year old compared to its 1st year and several other cultivars including Hardy Chicago had similar decrease in production times. IMO the fruiting time will only decrease with older main and scaffold branches supporting the fruiting branches. I've also found that limiting the quantity of fruiting branches (growing tips) decreases fruiting times and increases harvested figs. Good Luck.

          BTW, the 30-60-90 rule applies... When did the embryonic figs first appear? Thanks
          Pete R - Hudson Valley, NY - zone 5b

          Comment


          • AscPete
            AscPete commented
            Editing a comment
            Kelby,
            I believe that the Nero 600M is a later ripening cultivar... so the 30 - 90 days would apply.

          • Kelby
            Kelby commented
            Editing a comment
            Yes, I mentioned it is later ripening. Thus the question if it's really worthwhile in shorter seasons.

          • Sarahkt
            Sarahkt commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks for this comment, Pete.

            I've been seeing the same thing in my own collection, with the older figs potted last year generally producing and ripening earlier than those acquired and potted this year regardless of being a "late" or "early" cultivar. Youth and/or being potted recently seems to throw them off their regular production schedule, as much as I could surmise with this being only my second year growing figs. I hope the trend continues and next year all the figs that were super late (probably too late) producing this year yield a spectacular harvest!
        • Dave
          Veteran
          • Mar 2015
          • 950

          #6
          Mine is about 2 years old in a 5 gallon bucket I just started to pick figs a couple of days ago the tree is loaded for me it's a keeper
          Wish List -

          Comment

          • PA Figs
            Senior Member
            • Feb 2015
            • 197

            #7
            Kelby, mine fruited early, but had a head start in the greenhouse. It is so close to VdB and Negronne that I see no need in having all three. I do find that all three put on too many figs causing them to take forever to ripen if not thinned. I need to do a much better job of thinning next year.
            Youtube: PA Figs eBay: tdepoala
            Wishlist: Galicia Negra, Paritjal Rimada, Black Ischia UCD

            Comment

            • aphahn
              Professional
              • Feb 2015
              • 59

              #8
              Kelby, I'm right there with you. My tree produced no figs this year, perhaps because of the cold rainy May we had. In the past it has ripened it's main crop very late. They are really good figs, but possibly too late for my climate.
              Planet fig says that it is grown for brebas in its home, and that the main crop does not ripen at the "high" elevations. They also list it as a main crop fig for a continuous season. Not really sure how it fits at this point.
              I'm going to continue to grow it for a few years to see, and probably take one down to TX to try it there. So, I can't really say it's time is running out, but I'm certainly wondering if it will work for me.

              Growing figs successfully, in cold area, through articles, observations and particularly resistant cultivars.
              Andy - Zone 6a Lat 39.9º N, Altitude 5390' Westminster CO ⚘ Scion List

              Comment

              • Coop
                Senior Member
                • Feb 2015
                • 454

                #9
                Kelby
                I love the jammy flavor of the Nero 600. Mine took a couple of years to get good and now it is very good. Small figs but it has the taste that I love. I also grow it in a pot and it was very branchy last year.
                I think a good haircut this season will help it out for you.
                With branches, less is more

                Comment

                • quackmaster
                  Member
                  • Feb 2015
                  • 481

                  #10
                  My tree has been in ground for two season, it's pretty productive for a young tree but it wasn't ny better then a good VdB, I think it will get better though.
                  Ryan- CenLa, zone 8a/b

                  Comment

                  • HarveyC
                    Veteran
                    • Feb 2015
                    • 657

                    #11
                    Sorry for not chiming sooner, busy with chestnut harvest, etc. And digging up one big tree to sell to some really crazy buyers, but that's another story...

                    I like Nero 600m quite a bit and don't consider it a late variety. Jurupa is my earliest fig thus far and I picked main crop fruit on July 17th this year. I was out of the country July 22nd until August 2nd and picked about a dozen varieties before leaving on my trip. I started scouting my orchard on August 3rd and Nero 600m was one that had ripe fruit for me and I thought they were quite good. I bought the tree as a pretty good tree about two years ago from Herman and it's been in the ground since the spring of 2014.

                    I've samples something like 168 varieties this year and I'd guess that probably at least 50 of those, maybe even 100, were later than Nero 600m. That's here for me, with an in-ground tree. FWIW!
                    You may only view thumbnails in this gallery. This gallery has 1 photos.
                    My fig photos <> My fig cuttings (starts late January) <> My Youtube Videos

                    Comment


                    • HarveyC
                      HarveyC commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I haven't really kept track of that as it's a very busy time of year but almonds bloom in early February and I think fig sap starts flowing later in February but I don't think buds push until sometime in March. Here is a photo from March 20, 2015, when I had my nephew helping me along with a crew (should have pruned sooner but was busy pruning our chestnut orchard). The spring weather was warmer than normal but May was much cooler than normal (high temps averaged 7F lower than last year).

                    • AscPete
                      AscPete commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Thanks for the reply...
                      They started to leaf out at the end of February to early March and fruited by Late July early August or approximately 5 months in your zone, 5 months is the entire growing season in my zone 6.

                    • HarveyC
                      HarveyC commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Yes, but the first couple of months are very slow going here, days are still short. Our growing season can run from Mid March to Mid November. I think growth can be be viewed as a bell curve and your growing season is in the best middle portion of the curve I have.

                      The point in my post is that it was not a late variety, it ripened at about the same time as the majority of my figs and I had many that ripened later. Need to go check that dang Shtawi!
                  • newnandawg
                    Moderator
                    • Feb 2015
                    • 2078

                    #12
                    I have two trees one that was placed in ground April 2014 that died to the ground this past winter. All the figs that are in the ripening process are splitting and I have not tasted one as yet. Tree #2 was placed in ground in April 2015 and it ripened 6 figs that were excellent. I am finding out that many of my varieties in ground that died to the ground will not produce ripened fruit, especially if we have the cool nights in Sep because they are splitting before they ripen. Even this far south the later ripening varieties will either have to go back into a pot or out the door. Also dealing with the SWD that appear late in the season is another issue to be dealt with.
                    newnandawg 7b Newnan, GA

                    Comment

                    • Harborseal
                      Senior Member
                      • Feb 2015
                      • 1667

                      #13
                      By chance I have a Vista, Nero 600 and VdB growing in 1 6 foot row of pots. Their fruits and fruit ripening times are the same. The leaves of Vista and VdB are the same but the leaves of Nero 600 are different from them. Nero 600's fruit started to swell later than the other 2. None has ripened a fruit yet but our daytime highs have been in the low 60s and lows in the mid - upper 40s. We're coming up to a week with highs in the mid-high 70s, possibly low 80s so I still have hope

                      So the Nero 600 may be similar but at least here it doesn't appear to be identical.
                      Bob C.
                      Kansas City, MO Z6

                      Comment

                      • Rafed
                        • Feb 2015
                        • 161

                        #14
                        I visited a friend about an hour away who is a member here and has a large collection as well. I tasted quite a few figs while I was there and one of them was the Nero 600. It was an outstanding fig. I think it is a keeper but to some you may need to be a little patient. Give it time to mature.

                        Comment

                        • Sarahkt
                          Moderator
                          • Jun 2015
                          • 832

                          #15
                          I just picked my second on a tree under 2 years old and it was very tasty. There are loads more to be ripened which hopefully won't be an issue in zone 8b. I think the fact that this tree was potted earlier this year has thrown off its sense of schedule, so can't read too much from this.
                          Sarah
                          Bay Area, CA (zone: 9B)

                          Comment

                          • Toejamken
                            Member
                            • Sep 2015
                            • 81

                            #16
                            I'm curious about this fig's ability to take rainy weather? This might be a desirable fig for someone who would prefer a fig less prone to splitting.
                            Ken NW Florida 8b. WL: Buzzone Nero, Irene's Dark Greek (DJ)

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X