Breba producing varieties

[Kelby]

I'm always looking for ways/varieties to lengthen my season, at this point mostly through breba production. This topic comes up fairly often, but there aren't any/many consolidated places for info and varieties.

Brebas (figues fleurs) are formed on old wood which did not form a main crop the 1st year. Breba buds are initiated in summer to fall, entering dormancy until the following spring as long as they are not too advanced in development and temperatures are not too cold. As far as I know there is no definite temperature when breba buds will be damaged and not produce, but 25F is often cited a temperature of damage. Some varieties are reputed to have hardier buds, such as Filacciano Bianco (according the Gene Hosey). In areas with the wasp, San Pedro types will also produce a main crop.

Of common figs, there are biferous and uniferous varieties, producing breba and main or just main crops, respectively. Neither crop needs pollination. Many varieties will produce some brebas, but for the purposes of this list varieties that produce a regular, substantial breba and main crop are considered biferous. In general in years of heavier main crop production there will be fewer brebas the following year. Generally breba figs are larger than the main crop and may not be as good as the main crop, but varieties listed should have good quality brebas.

This is not intended to be a complete list, but rather a resource.
San Pedro
Desert King
Ghosh/Kala Heera (may be DK)
Fiorone di Ruvo
Filacciano Bianco
Grantham's Royal
Dauphine
Lampeira
San Pedro

Biferous
Atreano
Grise de St Jean
Italian Honey types (Lattarula, Brooklyn White, etc)
English Brown Turkey types (Nexoe, Sweet George, Violetta Bayernfeige, LaRadek's etc)
Valleiry (may be an EBT?)
Madeleine de Deux Saisons
Blanche de deux Saisons
Longue D'Aout
Osborn Prolific
Fracazzano Rosso (san pedro?)
Columbro Nero (san pedro?)
Bacorera (san pedro?)
Albanegra/Casciteddha (san pedro?)

[Iowafig]

Thanks for the great info.. So if you grow a cutting of these varities you wouldn't get a breba until the next season with the pervious years growth? Thanks

[Kelby]

At the earliest, yup.

[don_sanders]

And you have to take that into consideration when pruning. If you heavily prune first year growth, you would heavily reduce your breba crop.

[GregMartin]

Fantastic, thank you Kelby! As this list develops out this may end up being a good topic for the articles Wills is looking to add...maybe something on training for breba production or what not too.

[Kelby]

That was my thought!

[bigfig]

any1 know if yellow long neck bears breba?

[Altadena Mara]

My four year old Yellow Long produced a first breba this year but it wasn't very good.

[mountainfigs]

Some of this year's brebas pictured. The sweetest were Brooklyn White, Violette de Bordeaux, Ronde de Bordeaux, Palermo Red (Aldo), and Grantham's Royal though picked too soon.

First brebas for these cultivars ripened between July 4 and July 28. First main crop figs (no early start) ripened August 3rd. Heaviest production month for figs in general was September (main crop). Zone 6.

[COGardener]

As always Kelby, that is great info, thank you for posting it. I think I'm going to add two column to my spread sheet to ID type and quantity of crops.

You sir rock!!!

[Chrisk]

Nice thread Kelby. Peter's Honey produced some awesome Brebas but I guess it belongs to the Italian honey category. I just wanted to mention it because it's a pretty common and easy to find variety and one of my very favorites.
Brunswick, although it drops most, can produce some huge and very good tasting figs that do not split like the main crop. I only got one last season and it was a beast.

[Lobboroz]

Just wondering in the bottom pic what fig variety is the bottom larger fig? Thanks

[COGardener]

Looks like figzilla Chris.

[Chrisk]

Lol, sure does Scott. I had to support the branch. I ment to buy a scale just for that one but I never did. I bet it was over 100 grLet's see if I get a Breba this year.

[GregMartin]

From ross' post on Red Figs:

Lebanese Red - This one is from Bass: "Fig originally from Lebanon. Excellent flavor and so far great performer. Very large breba crops turn bronze color once ripe. The main crop is red. Both crops have a very fine flavor."

[Altadena Mara]

That post from Bass had me rushing to order one. My in ground tree is three years old and produced one small to medium sized breba that was the sweetest of the brebas I've tried so far. My notes:
"6/14 -Lebanese Red -good level of sweetness and flavor. Little berry taste but still a nice full fig flavor."

[GregMartin]

Also, I just read a post from Pino stating that 'Natalina' is "very generous with tasty sweet brebas"

[Evelynisgro]

I was talking with Mario in CT about that last month and he told me that Natalina actually makes three crops, a breba, a "normal" midseason main and a very late christmas bumper crop. I had previously not wanted it simply because I heard that it was a christmas fig, good to know more about it though!

[GregMartin]

Another biferous: Bass' 'Naples White' which might also be known as Napolitana Blanca
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox....pid=1274097857

Also see: http://www.treesofjoy.com/content/breba-bonus-figs-crop

[Kelby]

Good finds!

[Visceral]

Do brebas affect the main crop numbers at all? If I want more main crop, should I remove brebas?

Thanks!

[Kelby]

Brebas will impact the main crop, but removing them will not necessarily make more main crop figs. The breba is formed a node that did not fruit the previous season, since it is old wood it likely won't make main crop figs. There is a relationship between crop sizes, more of one equals less of the other. In my mind, which could be wrong, the size of the main crop will determine the size of the breba crop (if all nodes had a main crop fig there are no buds left to set brebas on). A heavy breba crop can delay development and ripening of the main crop, but assuming a well cared for plant I don't think it would really reduce the main crop size at all since they will occur on the new growth.

Again, much of this is speculative and I may be totally off.

All that being said, many growers will remove brebas that set to put all the plants energy into the main crop under the assumption main crop figs are tastier, which is often but not always the case.

[Visceral]

I think I will just leave things natural this first year for my big trees then.

[Kelby]

As per Gene Hosey's list Mykonos Black can be added as a San Pedro. I'm adding that one to the wish list!

[PacNorWreck]

Kelby did you ever get your hands on Mykonos Black?

[mgginva]

Kelby,
I'm not sure what brebas I have as I have not had any time at all this year, BUT I am sitting here enjoying the after taste of the handful of Florea brebas I picked yesterday and finished just a few minutes ago.
To get a ripe - and quite good flavored fig - here in Va before July !!! WOW - I'll add at least one more Florea to my orchard. I'm sure I have a couple dozen varieties throwing brebas and will try and inventory them when I can.
thx,
mgg

BTW after taste is of light brown sugar followed by very dark concord grape. Very nice.

[Kelby]

My Florea brebas dropped.

[jrdewhirst]

I've had a Florea in-ground for 4 years. It produced >100 main crop figs but generally only 1-2 brebas. There were more buds but they dropped.

It seems to me that early main crop varieties (Florea, RdB) produce few if any brebas. I assume that the tree decided to focus its energy elsewhere.

[Zeamaizing]

You can add Norman's Yellow (San Pedro) and Black Mission (biferous) to the breba list.

[Slavi]

Bl. Mission fig have very small breba production just like Rd.Bx

[Taverna78]

I am very excited to add to the list (because is my first ever breba) the Italian - 258. HarveyC also Vito T send me one. They both grew to about 6ft tall in one season with TONS of figs. Because we woke the trees up in feb inside the gh I've got quite a few trees with breba on them. Tis one just amazed me.

[Brian M]

I believe Fracazzano Rosso is indeed a San Pedro as the main crop is dropping.

[susieqz]

i'm not sure what makes a breba tree. how many must be produced?.
i got my first brebas form my HC, in its forth year inground.
it set 8, dropped none.
they were indistingishable from main crop.
they did mot slow down main crop, which started august 1, the same day dominick started.
i got about 100 main crop so no reduction there.
the dom set 1 but dropped it.
something happens when my trees hit their forth year inground.
big crops, a month early