Hi Leon,

Nice looking fig...particularly for the first one :)

I look forward to hopefully having figs next year from the tree I got this year.

Henry

Hi Henry:
You will get figs off your tree next year. I watched this fig for the longest time then suddenly it started ripening!
I'm quite impressed by it. Someone said it could possibly be the same as Sal's Corleone but I have nothing to compare it to. Leon

Leon,
Nice fig!

Looks like some 'versions' of Black Jack I have seen.
Unlike mine BJ from Monrovia (via James), which looks
totally different.

>>> Someone said it could possibly be the same as
>>> Sal's [Corleone].
Definitely different from my EL.Sal'sFig (back-traced
to Gene). JR's description of his SB is almost identical to
Belleclare's #31 in their 2006 (last) fig list pamphlet.

It shall be VERY interesting when the first guy/gal posts
a picture of BC#31 to see the difference (if any)...
Not me this year, maybe next season.

George (NJ).

George:
Remember the issue about nematodes and JR's plants? Well, you were right. Initially when I received the bareroot Sicilian, the roots looked ok. I pulled my little plant out of the one gallon container yesterday after posting the photos. Sure enough, I noticed a few galls on the roots. Oh well, now I gotta airlayer the whole thing come Spring. However, this fig is worth it. I have had Blackjack in the past. BJ is a longish fig, similar to San Piero. This fig is somewhat flat. I believe the Sicilian Black has a better flavor than Blackjack. Just me.

Leon,

My Black Jack figs are just as you describe - longish - and the flesh is more dark amber with less red than this fig. This one looks like it has a lot of potential. I wonder if this medium sized fig will be the norm. For some reason I was thinking this fig was supposed to be a bit larger.

Henry

Leon, I got this fig from Mr. Robin last year (and after seeing your pictures, I'm very glad I did). Mine hasn't grown much either (17 inches), but it's healthy.

I've been calling it Sal's Fig as that was one of the synonyms Mr. Robin had listed for it. He seems to put a good deal of effort into keeping his figs correctly labeled, so I didn't question if it might not be a true Sal's.
It seems this topic keeps coming up. Mike McConkey has been doing this for a long time. If he says his "Sal's" is Hardy Chicago, I'd believe him. Which isn't to say Sal's is Hardy Chicago. It is very easy to make a mistake with cuttings that all look very much alike, and very difficult to rectify it.
I checked Figs4Fun and the leaf shapes are not exactly like mine. But then, my Sal's was not growing vigorously, and the leaf shapes tend to be simpler when that happens. And I'm not sure of the the Figs4Fun sources. Are there pictures of both Sal's (EL and Belleclare) there?
This is my Sal's leaf:

And this is a picture with the newer leaves showing:

Right now we've got at least 3 Sal's - EL's, Belleclare's and Robin's out there.
Can anyone who got a Sal's directly from Belleclare post any photos of fruit/leaves?

Hi Fignut,
Belleclare had two Sal's figs, one which was the same as the Sal's from EL (which is the one that is shown on Jon's Figs4Fun web page), then a second distinct one. Then there is Robin's Sal which I believe to be a third variety -- but this will be better know in a year or so when people have more experience with Robin's fig.

I received both my (1st) Sal's and Hardy Chicago from EL. They are somewhat similar, but the Sal's I think is superior. This year George gave me one each of the second Belleclare Sal's and Robin's tree -- so I'll be like everyone else watching to see how they compare.

Oh, my! Belleclare sold two different "Sal's"?? And EL has a Belleclare Sal's, but Mike McConkey thinks it looks like Hardy Chicago (or it got mixed up at some point after you got yours, and his is a Hardy Chicago now?)??? And Mr. Robin's fig looks like another fig altogether?
Even by figgy confusion standards, this is a good one! LOL
Have I got it straight?
OK, a good fig is a good fig - no matter the name. But if Sal's will produce in the NE, and the beauty above turns out to be a little too late, having a correctly named tree is important.
Any suggestions on names to keep these things straight? Would it be better to call Mr. Robin's tree Scilian Black as he had it listed, and avoid the "Sal's" altogether?

Fignut,
Do not worry too much about the Sal's fig!
By next season, the TRUTH about it should SURFACE up!
Looking up,
George( NJ).

Fignut:
Your little tree is exactly what mine looks like with regard to the leaf shape. I will try to take a photo of the leaves soon. I like your nematode treatment. You're some smart gal!

I didn't realize this fig was thought to be Sal's...interesting. When my two bare root SB plants arrived from JR this spring one had RKN, and the other did not. I waited about a month and airlayered the RKN-infected plant a few inches above the soil level. Fortunately the airlayer flourished this summer. I'll be repotting the other plant next spring and checking it carefully when I do. My plants were a little heat-stressed from being shipped during a very warm couple of days, and they didn't grow much this year. However, the roots have developed very well, so hopefully next year will be a good year for them. Again Leon...a VERY nice looking fig.

Leon,

Do the marigolds keep the nematodes away?

Richard

Yes, see the link I've attached here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Marigolds versus Nematodes

I purchased two of these trees from JR two years ago. One of the trees I purchased then had a round jet black shiny fig on it with a closed eye. I posted a question on this forum regarding this shiny characteristic. The fig was growing outdoors at JR's place exposed to rainfall and his irrigation sprinkler system. The fig was excellent tasting equal in taste and sweetness to my VDB. That fig looked like Leons's photo above ....only shinier. This year my two trees produced seven figs that ripened. None looked like what I saw on my tree while it was growing at JR's place or as Leon's picture above. This years figs were quite a bit larger and flatter, still very good tasting....juicy, sweet, but not as rich tasting. This years figs had a slightly open eye but was sealed with honey. The figs from my trees did not split from the rains. These trees are definite keepers for me.

I do not believe this fig is the same as Sal's from Belleclare nursery and agree that we should refer to this one as a Sicilian Black.

Dan

Dan, That sounds like a good idea, and since there are probably a few Sicilian Blacks out there - Robin's Sicilian Black.
Was the shiny fig on your tree at Mr. Robin's a different crop?

Regrettably I did not pay attention as to whether these figs were breba or main crop.

Dan and Fignut: I have an inclination that this fig is different than the Sal's Corleone as well. Why? The leaves are different. Robin's SB is a young plant, don't get me wrong. But so is the Sal's Corleone that I have. Both plants are of the same height. The Corleone has obvious multiple lobes even on the smallest younger leaves whereas the Robin's SB leaves are consistently one lobe.
My photos are not all that good but in direct morning sun, my only SB was dark purple. In low light, it appeared almost entirely black with a shiney skin. Granted this was the only fig this plant produced this season, it tasted very good for what I consider a mutant fig. I am looking forward to next season to evaluate the potential of this fig.
All due respect to George. He is right in that time will tell if both the Sal's Corleone and Robin's SB are the same. It will be interesting for all of us to compare notes. For now we should call it Sicilian Black until a final ID is established.

Yes There is at least 2 Sicilian Black,Because Italian Figs,in northen New Jersey sold a Fig Named Sicilian Blk,and i have a very Small (2 leaves),rooted cutting of that,from George M (wich refuses to grow,Period),but,i can see it got five lobes leaves,unlike J Robin Sicilian Black,wich has more ,entire to Three lobes leaves.
Not that i want to confuse anyoane.
(Only trough detailed discussion,we can figure out the fig.)
Take care.

Herman: You are absolutely correct about the leaf observation. I should have been more precise on the number of lobes but you can see from Fignut's photo that the Robin's SB produces no more than three lobes max. I have yet to see any Sal's fig leaves come close to this pattern, whether it be Sal's (E.L.) or Sal's Corleone. We may very well have a totally different fig variety here.

I agree Sicilian Black from James Robin is a distinct cultivar,and it's own variety.It is not identical with any of the Sal's from Belleclare.
Best regards

leon_edmond

Dear friend ! Could you contact me regarding Figs matters at evladi7654@aol.com

I am in the USA