What I meant was that..

I am done with growing them..I have lost just about all interest in growing them anymore for the lack luster few I get every year(

I understand what you mean; my figs ripened in August and were nothing to crow about, after hauling the bush in and out for several years. I've only got the one bush (well, I have another but it is a baby still) but it has gotten large enough that taking it into the basement is out this year. I will put it in the garage and wrap it up well and see what happens next year. (If it survives and) the fruit is lackluster again, I will find a new home for it.

Figs from a new tree are often not that good from what I've been told. They take a year or so for the fruit to really get that great figgy taste. Sorry to hear of your frustration, it's not really a cold hardy tree and its got to be really tough up where you are.

All my trees have fruit that almost made it to maturity size but not enough time to ripen..I have to click them all off just to hope I get some next year before the summer is over...It really stinks! That is why I bought as many ripe figs at the store as I could

Mike, do you spend too time on your other tree's? To learn the best method to make a productive tree is not hard.I know that you already have a excellent knowledge of soils, fertilizer, so what is left is pruning. If your tree,s is growing too healthy you might have to prune twice to develop more branching. Do not worry of the breba,s.

Keep the tree trunk short and make sure no lengthily branches.

I would suggest trying different varieties. Ones that will ripe in June and July, even up north. Different Celeste varieties, LSU Tiger, Ronde de Bordeaux, etc.

Or varieties that have a large breba crop, like Desert King or LdA, or maybe even Eastern/English Brown Turkey.

Check Figs4Fun or Ourfigs, for more help on choosing better varieties for your area.

The sad part is that I have ALL of those varieties..Supposedly early fruits and ripening and yet only one tree did it for me...I spent so much money and invested so much time into getting the best early ripers possible and nothing...It makes me very sick. I can't enjoy them unless I move to a different climate than here in Southern New England..

To be honest, the support here stinks from anyone that lives in my area....I am getting the feeling there is just no one with success here in New England.....I can post something and only a couple of people will help, sometimes the same person and that's it..I think that I am the only one that even grows them in my area since you never get any input from anyone local here.....Thanks to the ones that helped...This will be another thread that will fall by the waist side..

Mike, can you get 6 hours of full sun and with any of your containers sitting on concrete up against a building which would create a micro climate for them.

If not and withing your budget another suggestion if i may would be a small type of green house to jump start the season and or help finish them towards the end of season when the nights are much cooler in fall and slow down the ripening of figs.

If you can do any of the above along with pruning the limbs after the 5th or 6th leaf in early spring and prune any new shoots that appear after you prune limbs gets the plant to start putting on figs earlier than if one lets the individual limbs grow longer as they will then set the fruit later which then is a hit or miss to ripen them.

Pruning of the limbs and setting my plants on stone and some on concrete patio in my climate same or slightly colder than yours gives me the figs by season end .

I do my best to shuffle them in and out of garage in early spring to awaken them as well.

The rocks and or cement they sit on once plants are out of garage for good radiate heat to the root system helps them a great deal.

Martin

I hear you brother, I live in LongIsland, NY, and have not enough sun to grow anything that wants 6 hours plus due to all the evergreens I needed to plant for privacy and Joy. . It is very frustrating seeing all these folks growing wonderful fruits , and to be stuck with a short growing season. If I could, I would live in the tropics.

I just sucked it up and sprung for a grow room setup for my tropicals, just for the joy of growing. I don't expect to get any fruits worth eating, if they fruit at all. But it is a blast having a grow room 86 in the day with 50-60% humidity. Everything grows so fast, only have it set up since September, and Wow! I dont have any fig trees, yet, but I think they would be the easiest to get to fruit, compared to my Jack seedlings , I can't stop eating Jackfruit and growing the seeds. So far , i have, a haden mango seedling, a dozen kack seedlings, tamarind seedling, date palm seedling, and a few Eucalyptus species, jasmine, huge bird of paradise, majesty palms, philodendron selloum and clereodendrum ugandense, I don't expect anything to go dormant, for nights are 77 degrees, with 16 hours of light a day. The jacks and eucs grow out of their pots in a month We have so many squirrels, that I can't even bring out plants in spring, unless in a cage. Only the bird and palms go out, because they are 7' tall.

Jon

If you think the support for figs stinks here, you need to go to a dedicated fig forum. There are two that I know of:

Ourfigs

Figs4fun

If you are really giving up on figs, I'd suggest hauling them in one last time until they go dormant. Then, take cuttings and sell them online or gift them for postage to others.

I have been at it since the seventies and i have to say i really don't read to much in forums. I have enough knowledge about fruit growing,being low budget,low tech, lots of selftaught experiences and ready for anything plants and etc. I have tons of plants,tree's of you name it and they are all growing pretty good, including figs which is a no-brainer. There are so many fig forums and info it make my head spins, many sells their stuff and then you those goofy names, give me a break!

Visrow, not the support in general, but the support from local people that live in my area...lol

Visrow, not the support in general, but the support from local people that live in my area, I think that's what I said...lol

The support with those that do not live in my area is actually quite nice as you can tell above!

Jon, you have quite the set up there! I love it..What is the tree forefront to the left? Nice job there!

Thanks Mike, that plan that I think you're talking about is a Clereodendrum Ugandense,(blue butterfly flower). Its becoming a jungle, and I have yet to bring in my 2 palms.

Growing figs does take some work but they are easier to grow than other sub-tropicals.

I am in zone 6 and have had a banner year 2016 for figs. Picked a few figs today and have been eating figs since end of June. They are pretty well finished now except a few stubborn late ripening figs I moved to the greenhouse.

The largest success factor that impacts how many figs you harvest are the cultivars you select. Choose the ones that do well in your zone.

The problem is that many of the so called hot figs don't have time to ripen in cool climates.

Of course if you have a greenhouse or grow them in pots and start them early and do the fig shuffle spring and fall you will get a fig or 2 and some bragging rights from these late ripening figs.

I forgot to ask and mention if anyone that is nor having there fruits ripen in time this question.

Are you folks pruning when each limb when it first produces its 5 or 6th leaf and then pruning off any new shoots that develop on those limbs?

If not thats a problem because the plant will keep growing in its vegetative state and when the figs do start to come out its much to late for them to ripen.

By doing the above it almost stops the vegtative growth and forces plant into fruiting.

I been doing this for many years and thought it was also done by most folksin our cold area's.

Martin

Martin that is a great point! No I have not but then mines don't grow leaves after they fruit...It's just the fruit taking for ever to grow then finally mature by September, growing all summer just ti get hard and stop ripening by cold nights...My trees are nice and tight and not lanky at all..Lots of fruit, but such a waste(

Yes once fig trees goes into fruiting stage vegetative growth slows to a crawl as it concentrates on fruiting.

Getting it into fruiting stage is why in cold zone is beneficial to prune as mentioned otherwise one relies on the plant's timing instead of the grower intervening and forcing it to do otherwise.

Martin

Martin, because of you I decided to give it one more chance..I brought them all in and I will take this advice..I will also post pics along the way..Please, see me through when spring comes and I post a thread about my trees waking up and what to do through the growing season? Thanks!

Good to hear and yes i will help as best i can.

Martin

Way to go, Martin!

I am rooting for your figs to produce lots of delicious flowers-fruits!

Jon

Thank you guys..I am glad you have helped me well..)

Thank you guys..I am glad you have helped me well..)

Hi, I'm from MA as well.

How close do you live to Lowell ?

And I am in Medway.

Randolph

Mike spring according to calendar has just begun , tomorrow i will
take a few pictures
and if you like we can compare a few fig plants and start from there and
progress as the season does to help you .

I may bring them out again as weather is favorable according to 10 day forecast.

Martin

Dartmouth

Mike ok can you take some pictures of yours ?

Mine came out today as weather is favorable for them least for now.

Here to compare how far a long to yours are hardy chicago and ronde .Hardy Chicago below

Few HC buds.

Ronde de Bordeaux picture and below that a few buds .

Martin

Martin, how many tree's are you growing now? I am staying with 10 potted tree's(20 or 25 gls containers) that all my garage can hold. Those tree's has to be the best tasting ones, because it is a lot of work in comparison with my in the grounds. My ingrounds are in good shape and they are decent varieties.

That is so nice of you Martin!

I am in zone 7 , we had a few sunny days around 40 F but at night still to cold for fig trees. My are still in garage.

Mike whats going on with your fig tree's can you share some recent pictures?

Had to bring mine in garage as the weather forecast rain mix with snow late tonight into morning. Friday they come back out perhaps for good as weather is taken to springtime temps and above.

How many do i have not a lot nowadays as i'm only one to eat them except giving some to next door neighbor.

Martin

all the struggles that you guys mentioned above are miniature comparing to my struggles but do I give up? Oh no way, the whole point is to have a hope what will that fig make next spring and many times it's not to have many many figs to eat? it is to see what's going on and even if i see just 2 figs at least i see how do they look like, and i live in a a very very cold climate, and yes I do the same like some of you: in-out-in-out-in-out :-) , ouch it's cold tonight