Author Topic: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood  (Read 839 times)

elouicious

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An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« on: January 08, 2023, 05:56:32 PM »
While biking around I noticed this fig tree that seemed remarkable in that it is bearing fruit at this time of year and that they seem to have survived a dip down to 29*F-

I will collect one of the figs when they droop and if they are good tasting will take some cuttings

Some pictures of the offender








Galatians522

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2023, 09:01:33 PM »
Do you think the fruits will get sweet without any leaves?

elouicious

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2023, 10:03:18 PM »
I could see it going 1 of 2 ways

1. not very good- tree is stressed and no leaves
2. amazing because the cold makes the fruit produce more sugars to prevent ice crystals from forming

NateTheGreat

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2023, 10:22:00 AM »
I believe these are the breba crop.

ScottR

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2023, 11:16:05 AM »
I tend to go with Nate, that those are breba crop or just late developing figs that won't ripen up right. I get those on some of my figs because I have cool summers and some of my figs come on late and many never ripen up right. Worth watching though!

elouicious

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2023, 11:24:25 AM »
I'm a super newb to figs-

Is it normal to have a failed crop over the winter? this is called breba?

drymifolia

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2023, 02:25:20 PM »
I'm a super newb to figs-

Is it normal to have a failed crop over the winter? this is called breba?

Depends on climate, here in Seattle the main crop rarely ripen in time and often hang on like those for awhile, but don't usually ripen. I see many trees in yards around my neighborhood where the second crop gets aborted in early winter.

The first crop (breba), for figs that have a breba crop, grows on the prior year's branches, usually emerging in spring at the same time the new vegetal growth emerges from buds on those branches. In cool climates like the PNW, often cultivars are selected that have good breba crops, since those will almost always ripen before it gets cold in fall.

The second crop (main crop) forms on the new branches as they grow. In warm climates, that's what people mostly harvest, and I believe the breba figs will sometimes be removed in spring to encourage the main crop to come in.

bussone

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2023, 05:18:42 PM »
Do you think the fruits will get sweet without any leaves?

No. They are likely dry.

My tree holds onto unpicked fruit for a little while after leaf drop -- at least until the squirrels notice. But the fruit have basically been aborted by that point and the plant isn't supporting them any longer. So they're basically as far along as they were when the plant went dormant, but have dried out a bit.

bussone

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2023, 05:21:06 PM »
I'm a super newb to figs-

Is it normal to have a failed crop over the winter? this is called breba?

Breba is the spring crop. For me, these start around May and are done by June. The main (fall) crop starts around July and runs to frost, although figs slow way down once nights get cool. (Figs are sort of the opposite of rasp/blackberries in this regard)

I get a few hangers-on after the first freeze, where the fruit holds better than the leaves do. They are from the fall crop.

sapote

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2023, 08:27:38 PM »
I bet it's one of the green type fig that should be ripen in late Fall.
No leaves means junk fruits.

Plantinyum

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2023, 01:41:15 PM »
Not fammiliar with your climate, but here i regularly see late figs hanging on the bare trees. If i am not mistaken breba crop grows along with the first vegetative growth, the figs do grow faster the first leaves but they are always growing together.
Here in fall and in winter, in Sofia ive seen trees full of figs, those are eather late figs or caprifigs. The caprifigs are the male figs, in which the fig wasps stay trough winter.
Capris ive heard do not ripen like regular figs and just stay dry and basically unnedible, if the plant that you found doesnt produce an edible fruit sometime next summer, theres a chance it is a male caprifig.
By the way i dont think that cold makes figs sweeten up, guite the opposite! With my fig i just stop harvesting whats ripening on the plants after 15-20 of september, the fruit is just not sweet and rather bad tasting if ripened in cold temperatures. Energy for fruit development mostly comes from leaves, i guess figs are kinda an exception with their breba crops, which i think are nurtured from the plants stored energy, at least until the first leaves start to photosintesize.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2023, 01:54:10 PM by Plantinyum »

aaronn

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Re: An Interesting Fig Tree in the Neighborhood
« Reply #11 on: January 13, 2023, 07:02:56 PM »
Not fammiliar with your climate, but here i regularly see late figs hanging on the bare trees. If i am not mistaken breba crop grows along with the first vegetative growth, the figs do grow faster the first leaves but they are always growing together.
Here in fall and in winter, in Sofia ive seen trees full of figs, those are eather late figs or caprifigs. The caprifigs are the male figs, in which the fig wasps stay trough winter.
Capris ive heard do not ripen like regular figs and just stay dry and basically unnedible, if the plant that you found doesnt produce an edible fruit sometime next summer, theres a chance it is a male caprifig.
By the way i dont think that cold makes figs sweeten up, guite the opposite! With my fig i just stop harvesting whats ripening on the plants after 15-20 of september, the fruit is just not sweet and rather bad tasting if ripened in cold temperatures. Energy for fruit development mostly comes from leaves, i guess figs are kinda an exception with their breba crops, which i think are nurtured from the plants stored energy, at least until the first leaves start to photosintesize.

I agree with this assessment