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theycallmedave

Fig leaves looking weird

8 years ago

Is this that fig virus I hear so much of or just "rust"

Most of the leaves look great. Just these few towards the bottom... Different shades of green.

Comments (4)

  • 8 years ago

    TCMDave,

    It sure looks like mine that have FMV, sorry. The light blotches, having a mosaic pattern on the normal, darker green of the leaf, is how the virus got its name. Not all the leaves on a virused tree will show symptoms. Symptomatic leaves often become more evenly green, the light blotches getting just about as dark as the normal green on the leaf, as the leaf matures.

    You know, the consensus is that there currently is no cure for FMV, but I question that, having no evidence supporting my questioning, though, just a doubt in my mind.

    What variety is it?

    Moses

  • 8 years ago

    Strawberry Verte. I just got it this year. Is that all the virus does? Or does it also do anything to the fruit or the trees long term vitality?

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    TCMDave,

    My virused Black Mission produces perfectly normal, large, and delicious figs.

    The virused Panache and Conadria, although younger trees, have perfectly normal looking figs on them as I compose this comment.

    The very young Madeleine des Doux Saisons came as a gallon size, early this past spring. It has a couple figlets that are too small yet to tell if they are normal.

    I have heard conflicting statements about fruit production from virused fig trees. Some say the fruit amount and quality is compromised, while others say that there is no effect. I think it has to do in part, with the care the tree gets.

    I will say that if my black mission was not virused, I would not expect it to produce better or more abundant figs than it currently does. If it did, I would be astonished, because my virused BM is super productive as it is. I recently got some tissue cultured black mission fig trees, a few years yet to be productive, just because I am so impressed with the virused black mission. I'll see the difference, if any, in time.

    I got a Strawberry Verte this past spring which is growing vigorously and has no signs of FMV at this time. I hope it stays that way.

    Dave, just go with the flow, and see how your Strawberry Verte performs. I bet it will be great. I've read that poorly cared for virused fig trees really suffer badly, and that virused fig trees kept in top shape do just fine.

    Moses

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Dave, when I first got my Negronne cutting from a nursery it had the same pattern on leaves, but as it grew taller, the leaves started to look normal. I have made air layers and taken cuttings from that tree and everyone of them is fine, the tree itself is healthy with normal leaves. It grew "out of it".

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