Elittlefield
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Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:17 pm
Location: Maryland

Fig tree out of synch with seasons

Greetings. I would appreciate advice on a confused fig tree. Planted only last year, it is thriving, but it produced dozens of figs all up and down branches only in late october. They did not ripen of course and are now frozen. ( I live in Maryland) First, how to I get the fig tree to produce in season? Second, should I remove the stunted little figs to encourage it to produce new ones in the spring?
Many thanks, Beth

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

What variety is it? Truth to tell, I have no experience with figs except that I've wanted to grow them for years. I finally bought a potted 'Petit Negri' in fall that, at 12" whip, is sporting three baby fruits in my kitchen window.

My understanding is that some varieties only fruit once a year on new wood and others can fruit 2nd time. Could it be yours came into 2nd fruit too late? ...or did it fruit untimely -- thinking its already spring -- due to the weird warm winter we're having along mid-Atlantic coast?

JONA878
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Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:14 am
Location: SUSSEX

Just so Elittlefield
If you can grow figs in a climate were they are not subject to winter chill they will usually give you two crops a year.
With a winter to contend with they do produce the embryonic figs that would give you a spring crop ...but they never have the chance to develope.
I have grown figs for years under glass and even there the winter chill was always anough to lose the spring crop.
I have found that it does pay to cut the excess growth back to a couple of buds in late summer as soon as the summer crop has finished so that the tree doesn't waste effort on these fruits that will never produce.

Elittlefield
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Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:17 pm
Location: Maryland

Thank you! Will pluck figs, trim and wait for spring!



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