What do you do with the Fig Varieties you don't like??

[efletche]

I have been reading lots of the posts in many of the forums and I see many members have 10, 20 50, 100+ different fig varieties growing in pots or in ground. I am trying to prepare myself for the day I have this many. What do you do with fig varieties that you don't like? Do you keep caring for them hoping the next years' fruit will be better.....Do you rip them out the ground for something else.....Do you keep growing them for trading materials.....Do you pay them less attention than the varieties you really like....What do you do???? Just curious.

[COGardener]

So far I don't have any that I don't like, yet as I acquire more and possibly develop a preference for taste I may part with or replace some.

If I come across one that I don't like, I will give it time to mature and be sure I'm giving it everything it needs to be the best that it can be.

If it's not a performance issue and simply a taste preference issue, I would either offer it for sale, trade or gift it.

A performance issue I would offer it to whomever wants to come get it.

Theoretically anyway, I guess only time will tell for me. .. that is IF I ever run into that issue.

[Taverna78]

Tis is trick question?

[Hershell]

I'm with you Mike. Lol

[F. Bennett]

With my limited space, I quickly replace varieties that don't perform well, regarding taste and productivity. When I first started collecting varieties 4 years ago, I had well over 50. Now I'm down to roughly 20 varieties with duplicates of my favorites. I either trash the tree or give to friends and family. But as Scott mentioned, I haven't really had a bad fig.

[Rewton]

Wow, that's discipline!

[greenfig]

The funny thing is that a variety you do not like one year might be your favorite next year. The fruit quality depends on many factors and those factors could different for different varieties .

If that black sheep grows well, you can use it for grafting

[Q*]

Cuttings usually always come in 3's or 5's.....if you're lucky and get them all to root and grow....you're going to run out of space real quick!(thats what happened to me) I've given away all of my duplicates to friends, family, and neighbors. I truly believe everybody loves figs...the thing is...99% of people have never tasted a fresh fig! For me....I think i'm going to pattern my fig collecting similar to what Frank has done. I think i'm going to cap it at 35 varieties and work backwards to about 15. I currently have 25 varieties and was able to taste 14 of those(fun part is tasting and picking the ones you like the most). Gifting is really rewarding...its karma...most on this forum have gifted or have been gifted plants or cuttings....and what goes around comes around....really nice people here.

[Rafaelissimmo]

I have too many to take care of, anything that doesn't wow meI give away, sometimes for a small donation.

[cis4elk]

First option is give it to someone locally, but it has to be able to ripen for them here...otherwise it's useless; unless they just want a big useless plant(some folks do, go figure!).
Second option, if it is small enough to ship and desireable, sell it. This hobby should make you at least some money to cover some costs.
Third, chop it up and disperse it to those who want it.
Fourth, garbage can.
I agree with everyone who says you have to give them a chance though. I had a third year tree started from a cutting that was on the chopping block this spring become my 2nd best fig. I had other ones that were great last year and totally underwhelming this year(like all of my green figs, they totally flopped). It's amazing how yearly weather fluctuations can affect fig flavor and production when all other variables are mostly consistent.

[hammerwood]

Great question. When I decided to "weed out" part of my collection, I went to our city council and offered to donate them to the parks and schools. The council thought it was a wonderful idea and added a plaque with our names on it to each planted tree. We now will live in perpetuity as the donors of free figs to the people of our community. We didn't ask for nor expect any recognition for donating the trees but sometimes nice things happen. There's no reason to destroy a tree because you no longer want it...there's always someone that will enjoy it.

[Rewton]

Hammerwood welcome to the forum! That's a great idea for milder zones. I'm probably a little too far north to donate them as in-ground trees, unfortunately, but I think I'll still look into it.

[hammerwood]

Yes, I live in zone 10A. Then donate them as potted plants to nursing homes or many local hospitals have indoor atriums or perhaps even the guys at the local firehouse would enjoy fresh figs when in season. Let's face it a three or four year old potted ficus is pretty much a self sufficient plant with little care. My point is there is always someone that will consider it a special gift other than the garbage man. You just need to figure out who deserves it the most. One more suggestion. If you're like me you have cuttings you don't want to go through the hassle of trying to sell/give away and ship. Call the local elementary school and volunteer to show a class (or teacher) how to root cuttings. Have you ever seen the expression on a ten year olds face after they search through the moss in the plastic box and pulling out a twig with lots of roots? It's special.

[Kelby]

Offer up cuttings and compost the rest.

[Dave]

[DaveL]

Now that is funny!

[COGardener]

Throw another log on the fire! !!

LOL

[Chrisk]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

[Ripple]

It wasn't my goal but somehow I've acquired over 40 varieties with many duplicates. I plan to select those than give me the longest bearing season and the best in term of taste, yield and overall performance. I'd be happy with probably 10 to 15 varieties with some duplicates. So far I've been giving away trees to family and friends.

[Taverna78]

I will take any type you no want... But I promise you tis fruit has many uses... Be careful to give away out the gates.... You never known

[Esteban_McFig]

I would think refugee resettlement/new immigrant organizations, even many ethnic hyphenated-American social clubs could find very happy recipients of all kinds of fruit trees, figs in particular. It's only my friends from elsewhere that really seem to appreciate the whole fresh fig concept. Thry're certsinly the only ones that seem to intuitively know what to do with figs in the kitchen! I think of fresh fig enthusiasm in our country as being where soccer was a generation ago--as something poorly understood, but somehow with a cool, international cachet

[Rob Ster 010]

I'm going to guerilla plant the ones that do not perform well for me in the park close to where i live.
If they just needed some more time i will still have access to the tree to take cuttings/ free figs for everyone. If not, they still make a beautiful landscape tree.

[Harborseal]

A few things here. First of all a fig can easily take 5 years to become a good fig. Second, it's easy to ship a bare root plant. I recently cut the top off of a plant, boxed it up with wet roots in a plastic bag then boxed and shipped it for $12. Now this was a primo fig but it turned out I had 3 of those and 3 of one that turned out to be identical so I needed to down size some to make room for the others

[joann1536]

I haven't found a fig I haven't liked yet.

[paully22]

Graft the favourites on to them.

[andreas-patras]

I have been told not to judge a fig before 7 years.
i never followed that rule, but what i can say is
a fig that 2 friends told me its the best they ever had, and they have had many great ones,
for me tasted so bad that i had to spit it out...
something tells me i need to wait this one out...

[Chrisk]

Χρόνια πολλά και καλα Αντρέα μου με υγεία κι ευτυχία σε όλη την οικογένεια.
Yeah but what are the chances that any fig that anyone else offers to you is nearly as good as your figs brother? Slim to none I guess lol. Happy holidays Andrea!

[andreas-patras]

thanks for the kind ( but very true. lol) words my friend.
best wishes to you and your loved ones my friend. με υγεία κι ευτυχία