Z Man,

They are tissue cultured fig trees. All the multiple wire thin 'trunks,' are growing from the same root stock. They are all one single plant, not several individual fig plants growing jammed together.

I suppose they could be cut apart but I would not recommend it....to delicate a procedure, fraught with likely failures.

Most of my fig trees came like yours, with multiple trunks. Under my multiple trunk, potted fig tree culture method they work out perfectly. I like multiple trunks to keep tree under 5-6' tall. The canopy is close to the ground where it is warmer, less prone to blow over in a wind, and easier to harvest figs. Also, if a trunk fails, there are others that survive.

Tissue cultured fig trees are almost a guarantee that they are Fig Mosaic Virus free. They start life clean, with no inherited problems, so to say.

Whenever possible I prefer tissue cultured figs, unless the cutting propagated figs certifiably came from virus free stock.

I just got a cutting grown Madeleine des Deux Saisons, and pheh!, it is virused! When a tree is virused it can decline in health. The word is that as long as excellent care is maintained the tree should grow and fruit well.

If you grow your figs to single trunks, just select the most robust stem, remove the others where they emerge from the crown, and stake that stem so it grows straight.

Moses

Moses, thanks for that outstanding reply! I think I'll just leave the multiple stems then. How do you know if a fig has virus?

Z

Z Man,

A few leaves or all of them on a virus infected fig tree will have a mottled appearance. The entire tree is virused even if some leaves are normally colored.

The mottling is lighter green colored than the rest of the leaf. The usually numerous mottles are irregularly geometric in shape (squarish, triangular, and rectangular), arranged in a pattern on the the leaf of a disorganized, variously random sized, and haphazardly placed mosaic tiled surface.

The mosaic pattern appears early in a fig leaf's development. On a current year's stem one leaf can look and be virused, and the leaf above and below it may look perfectly normal. They are all infected with FMV, seen or unseen.

Once a visually infected leaf is fully expanded, and ages, the lighter green 'mosaic,' sections deepen in color to the point where they blend in visually. A closer look shows that the mosaics are still there, and have darkened up, but do not get as dark green as the normal visually non-virused areas on the leaf. I believe virused looking leaves are at first not photosynthesising as efficiently as a normal, unvirused appearing leaves do. However, as the iinfected leaf in question ages it strengthens and partially overcomes the negative effects of the virus somewhat, but does not cure itself.

Virused leaves can be contorted, or perfectly normally shaped. If contorted, they stay that way all season long then fall off normally at season's end.

Fig Mosaic Virus has a number of variations/mutated forms that exhibit different mottling shapes. Fine, lighter green, freckle like dots on a leaf are symptoms of FMV seen in one of its variations. Multiple visual forms of FMV can be seen on the same fig tree or even on the same infected leaf. It's like a human having the flu, the common cold, a seasonal allergy attack, and bronchitis all at the same time!

FMV is transmitted to healthy fig trees by virus carrying mites. Mites that ingested sap from an infected tree take up the virus into their bodies. They apparently are unaffected by the virus. It does not seem to harm them. If virus carrying mites relocate to a clean tree, usually carried by the wind, and consequently suck its sap, their saliva containing virus infects the previously uninfected fig tree with FMV.

Cuttings taken from a virus infected fig tree will make virus infected new fig trees. This is another means of spreading FMV. That is why tissue cultured fig trees are a very good way to obtain virus tree plants.

The tissue cultured trees, although tiny when purchased, grow extremely quickly. Comparing a well rooted cutting grow fig tree under a year old, to a tissue cultured tree of the same variety and of the same age, in just two more growing seasons the tissue cultured free will in most cases be the larger tree.

The word is that virused sap clinging to cutting tools will not spread FMV from a just pruned infected tree to a virus free one, but I think this needs further study to positively confirm it.

Moses

Moses, for some reason I don't see your reply on the thread here but I just saw part of it in an email notification. Anyway, I shouldn't worry about fig mosaic virus on my first figs that are tissue culture. I'm excited to to see what they get up to this summer. Our growing season isn't the longest and while it seldom gets super hot here, it definitely never gets super cold here.

Z

Z Man,

Technology still befuddles me. Glad you got my response anyway.

Growing figs in a short season climate requires growing early ripening varieties.

What zone, climate type (cool and humid; hot, dry summers with moderate winters, etc.,) do you garden in? Are you an in ground or container culture budding fig orchardist?

Moses

Moses, I will be growing them in fabric containers. I'm on Whidbey Island on a cove which is NW of Seattle. Our summers are cool (low 70s in the daytime during the dead of summer). The good news is I'm actually in zone 9a and get half the rain of Seattle.

Z

Z Man,

You may have considerable success growing your figs in ground as well as in pots (the fiber pots are excellent for the figs...but require more watering and are hard to move around), but your coolness prolongs ripening which may add too much time until ripeness occurs, resulting in never ripening or tough skinned insipid, but ripe figs.

Some folks in your situation grow figs that produce an abundant breba, early mid/late summer crop, and no fall crop at all. Only certain varieties (I think Desert King is one of them,_probably more), respond well to this method. Breba figs DO NOT form at the base of each of this season's green leaves. They form this summer at the leaf scars of last year's long shed leaves, on stems grown last year.

My computer skills are scanty, so I cannot link you, but there is a particularly informative video on YouTube of a fig grower out your way that you should watch.

"How to prune figs in a cool climate for first (breba), crop of figs." Bob Duncan. 8:19....one of the best spent 8+ minutes of my gardening life was watching this expert demonstrate his method of growing figs successfully in a cool, but mild climate.

Moses

Moses, did you write the bible on fig growing? You're loaded with information! I know figs like hot weather so that might be a problem but maybe our late first frost date will balance that out. Who knows...at this time it's just something I'm trying out. I'll definitely check out that video on brebas!

Z

Z Man,

I'm a distinguished, honor graduate of the School of Hard Knocks, with a specialty in trial and error, and have done extensive post graduate work in failure. These are my credentials.

By all means, try every avenue possible to hit on the best culture methods, and best fig varieties for your growing conditions.

The work involved in finding what works best for you is not drudgery but fun. Getting there is half the fun. Just think of how much knowledge you will amass.

Let me know what you think of the video.

Moses

Moses,

I watched Bob Duncan's video. He described everything very clearly and definitely makes one excited about figs. Of course I'm starting out growing in pots... What's great is his microclimate growing conditions are very similar to mine as I'm close to Victoria, BC also but in the States.

Here as you alluded to, apparently the regular crop of figs never has time to ripen. I plant to purchase (it depends on how much overtime I do) a hobby greenhouse before summer's end and I can move the pots in their then. It will be fun to see what happens as the figs grow up. Right now I'm concentrating on my seedlings and other perennials.

Z

Z Man,

A greenhouse can turn the clock back and cause spring time to come months earlier, primarily by the use of heat to break dormancy. You want to push back spring, not prolong fall by keeping your figs in a warm fall greenhouse. Progressively shortened day lengths after June 21st. actually prolong fig ripening causing dry, flavorless, tough skinned figs as the days get shorter and shorter through fall.

For best quality figs you want the figs to ripen quickly, beginning in the heat of July, August through September, not into October and certainly not into November.

Figs, depending on the variety, take 90-120 days to ripen from the time tiny figlets start to show. Early ripening fig tree varieties are crucial.

It takes new spring growth, starting from totally dormant buds, no sooner than 40 days of new extending growth for the first figlets to begin forming at leaf axils when you pinch off the growing tips right above where the 5th. to 6th. leaf has formed on a stem. This hastens earlier and more uniformly concurrent figlet formation and their timely ripening. The oldest leaves start growing figlets first, and progressively up the stem as the leaves mature. The figs ripen up the stem in the order that they were formed corresponding to leaf age.

In a greenhouse you want your trees to start breaking dormancy in February to no later than March.

Greenhouse growing is no cakewalk. Humidity as in greenhouses, is a developing figs mortal enemy...fungus=rot=no figs. Figs love dry heat, lots of heat, and as much sun as you can give them.

I would strongly suggest you grow you figs in both manners, greenhouse container and in ground as Bob Duncan does. I think Bob's method is the easiest and possibly best.

Fig growing in temperate climates is challenging. Desert and Mediterranean climates are the most ideal for figs.

Moses

Which mail order nursery do you like to get figs from? I'm looking to replace 2 of my varieties that haven't resprouted from the winter dieback and I'm too late to the cutting season :(

Kvetch,

I have gotten fig trees from quite a few online sources.

First, the Amazon merchants Hirt's, Wellspring, and Hello Organics have sent good stock, mostly little, tissue cultured fig trees which are ideal, being FIG Mosaic Virus free.

Logee's, Garden's Oy Vey, and Edible Landscaping sent very nice fig trees also.

Moses

Thank you Moses! I've recently come across Hello Organics and their stock seems impressive. I haven't heard about Gardens Oy Vey yet so I'll make sure to check them out. Thank you yet again!

So far, the TCs from Wellspring haven't started growing yet but I just think it's still too cold. Here it is June now and we barely get over 60 degrees in the day and low 50s at night. Being on an island surrounded by water keeps things cool and windy too. Hopefully they don't get root rot before they take off growing. They're in fabric pots so it shouldnt be a problem.

Moses, you've had good results ordering from Hirts? I've wanted to order several things from them before but the numerous bad reviews steered me away from it.

Z

Moses, it is good to hear about your personal experience with Hirts. I will have to consider again possibly ordering from them.

My two favorite online nurseries are Logees and Annie's Annuals and Perennials. Logees is quite pricey but the quality is unsurpassed in my book.

Z

I've considered ordering from them since they care more uncommon types of plants but there is a a lot of mixed opinions about Logee's especially when you search on GardenWeb about them. It's good to hear your opinion on Logee's is a positive one!

Wow I didn't even know there was anything negative about Logee's but I never actually searched on gardenweb, only just general internet reviews.

Z