This drop is because the heat we had about 10 days ago.
Some cultivars as celeste will drop when hot sommer.
I do have another three cultivars : Melanzana,Ta Cenc,and Osborn Prolific droping fruits for about a week now.
They change color and slowly drop,one by one.
Other cultivars as Hardy Chicago,Brown turkey,Sal's,some no name figs do not have this problem.
It is the heat i am sure they can't take it.
If you like the fruit and want to keep the tree any way i would replant the tree in a spot that gets shade in the afternoon.That should be a good remedy for this problem.
Hope this will help

I haven't had that problem with my celeste which is in a 20 gallon container. But, I just read in the Paradise Nursery newsletter that letting the containers get too much direct sun can damage the roots inside, preventing it from getting enough water and nutrients. The solution was to move something (chair, another pot, etc.) in front of the container to provide shade to the roots from the direct sunlight.

Vin

Thanks for the input. My trees are in the ground. One gets afternoon shade. Both behave the same way! This was a problem in the last two years, as well. I ended up with two of these poor performing trees because I bought a mislabeled tree! I know how I will solve this problem. Will I likely be happy with Petite Negra, or will its virus infected tissues produce an ugly plant? Thanks for any input on the Petite Negra [Negri?] variety.

I do have a Petite Negra in the ground.It is in the third year and i can see it is getting stronger.
But i do not see only a handfull of figs on it.
I will have to wait more time to make a judgement on it.
Last year the dozen fruits were of very good quality,but this year it looks like it is late.We will see.Regards

Herman,

Did your Melanzana's fruit look like this before they dropped?

Mine began changing color early in the fruiting season then they shriveled up and began falling. Given your experience, I'm wondering if it is just too hot in Houston for this tree. This is the second year it has abandoned the crop. I bought this tree from Italian Fig Tree in NJ. Maybe I need to take it back to NJ and let it grow there.

~james

Nice pictures. My Melanzana did the very same. I agree that the heat had something to do with it. I will be planting mine so as to eliminate the hot afternnon sun but I fear that the atmospheric temperature alone may cause the fruit to drop anyway. Keep in touch. Maybe these trees need to mature a few years. This variety seems to produce a very abundant crop of figs. Last year, my trees dropped about half their figs. The ones that finally matured were by far some of the best tasting and sweetest figs in my collection.

Yes James the fruit on my Melanzana looks exactly like those you presented.Also the other two cultivars do the same.
Interesting enough Osborn Prolific had Seven Breba fig and it matured them all and they were juicy and well flavored,while the main crop is dropping.!!!!!!.

Leon and Herman, thanks for the response.

Well, I'm kind of glad to know what's going on... but I am bummed that I had this kind of response in May. I wonder if I can build an air conditioned room for it. LOL

~james

Wait a minute, let's talk about the heat some more. I have a Celeste that has always done beautifully throughout the long, hot summers of San Antonio. If temperature has something to do with fruit drop, maybe it's fluctuations in the temperature rather than heat.

I have five fruiting Celeste trees, and to date heat has not seemed to be a factor (and it does get hot here in the DC area). All of them are pretty well loaded this year, again, but I did notice several little figs on the ground this afternoon. Also, my five-year old granddaughter, an adament fig fan, pointed out a 'different' fig yesterday, one that looked shrivelled. We were in double digits two days ago, maybe we will feel the effects of this sometime soon. Time will tell.....Elder (Lou)

Hi Nicolo:If you have a Celeste that do not drop fruits that is good for you.
You also have to take in acount that there are five different Recognized Celeste Cultivar:Regular,Improved,Golden,Blue,and Giant Celeste.
Also there are some orher Celeste wanabe.
So is very posible that the Celeste i discarded last year for droping fruits is not the same as yours,or plumfan's,the person that started this thread.
Hope this will Help