Figs (2nd attempt)

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by RichardM, Mar 26, 2010.

  1. RichardM

    RichardM Junior Member

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    Anyone know owt about figs?

    I'm currently espaliering a (Green?) Genoa up against my north facing coloration garage wall; the soil is a nice, well structured clay-loam about 450mm deep over a light-medium doleritic clay.

    It's been in 2 years now and has grown about 5m along the bottom wire, 3m on the middle wire and I'm hoping to run a couple of shoots up along the top (head height) wire next year.

    We are about 50m ASL, 10km south of Hobart.

    When can I expect to see some fruit on it?
     
  2. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Is it a white Genoa or a black Genoa? that's a lot of growth in two years. Are you giving it a lot of nitrogen? That can sometimes cause the plant to leaf out with greenery instead of "bloom", in this case start little figs. Are your levels of phosphorus okay? i have a black Genoa, about 4 years old, and it's not growing that fast, but it does have a few little figs each year. Is it possible the birds or getting them, or they are dropping off when tiny?
     
  3. RichardM

    RichardM Junior Member

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    Actually, I reckon it would be the Black One.

    Nope, I've not given it much at all, although I did put a couple of buckets of worm compost (read recycled dog, cat, ferret sh!t and compressed recycled newspaper cat litter with veggie scraps); it was pretty good stuff.

    I don't mind it growing lots of wood at the moment, I want it to get to a decent size anyway; I'll just keep on pruning it back once it's covered the wall - does the fruit grow off the new wood or last year's wood? There's definitely been no fruit, even tiny fruit on it, I check it almost everyday.
     
  4. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Maybe it's shy and wants some privacy? ;-)

    I thought figs fruited in the first or second year? We just put one in here last spring but I guess it will be next summer before it flowers.
     
  5. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Richard, that's super high in nitrogen, animal poop, worm poop, cat litter is full of urine, which is full of nitrogen. Some people in here don't want to believe that their plant is telling them exactly what's going on in the soil, but your fig is telling you, it's too busy with nitrogen :) Are you okay with putting carnivore poop on plants? Are you composting it first? It's the stuff that could possibly have disease carrying organisms in it. You could be tracking it into your house on your shoes, dogs can roll in it and come inside, kids like to dig in it, babies grab handfuls of dirt. :(

    Figs are blossoms turned inside out. All plants need phosphorus in order to bloom. You might want to make up a batch of compost tea and add a dozen eggs to it, beat it up. They are a great source of several things, a nice organic mix, that will up your phosphorus. :)
     
  6. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Richard, actually, the best thing you can do for a fruit tree is spend the first 3-4 years not letting it bear fruit and getting the biggest, deepest root system you can. Make sure you water it deeply with drippers for several hours so the water penetrates deeply, and then hold off for a while, a week or two (assuming you are mulching it and not letting the soil dry out) and then the roots will have to go deep for the water. If you water it shallowly and too often the roots will stay near the top, which is not what works for trees :)
     
  7. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    Figs

    I know they like a lot of lime in the soil, so sprinkle some dolomite regularly. Essentially you need to look to reproduce their natural habitat which is mediteranian. Personally I would wonder at its success south of Hobart, but I'd love you to prove me wrong.
     
  8. RichardM

    RichardM Junior Member

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    It was worm compost, from the worm farm, the pet droppings go in the worm farm with veggie scraps and were at least a year old and I put it in the bottom of the hole when I planted, the soil surface on top is mulched with pebbles.

    We're only a short distance south, 15 mins in the car; I know of an old house in North Hobart which has a huge fig in the garden that bears masses of fruit, so I don't think it will be that unlikely - Hobart is actually a lot warmer than people think, we get less frosts here than we used to see when I lived in Central Victoria and the summers are pretty good. I'll certainly give it a crack with the dolomite though.
     
  9. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    Is there anyway you could go and talk to the people with the big productive tree, pick their brains and/or get a cutting or two from their tree?
     
  10. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Richard, why are you mulching with pebbles? :)
     

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