Pruning regime (years 1- 4)
for training the fig for fresh
fruit prduction
Bud-wood for propagation by
striking is collected in winter.
The figs would be removed to
prevent the wood being
exhausted
Remember to plant cuttings
the right way up!
Unripe Capri figs which
contain the pupae of the fig
wasp for its overwintering
phase
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Known as ‘The tree of life’ by the ancient Egyptians
and much enjoyed by Cleopatra and Ulysses, the fig is a wonderful and delicious
species.
There are several fact sheets on figs (Ficus carica)
available from Departments of Agriculture around Australia and many entries
in books on fruit growing. This sheet merely summarises information I have
had as personal communication from various sources and is not, to my knowledge,
available elsewhere.
If you have a fig which never produces a crop
it may be a Capri, a San Pedro or Smyrna fig without a nearby pollinator
(see 'caprification') or a poorly adapted
Common Fig. Whilst Smyrna used to be the main drying variety grown in South
Australia, its management is somewhat tricky and I have not seen one for
sale in any nursery. One presumes that there are still a lot of old Smyrnas
and their pollinators (Capri) on old fruit blocks in the Riverland in South
Australia.
Despite the fact that figs have been in cultivation
for over 3000 years they remain somewhat of a mystery crop. They are extraordinary
producers of high energy food.
No responsibility is taken
for the accuracy of information which follows as much of it is from other
people.
Glace figs: Virtually all figs can be
successfully glaced.
Dried figs: Varieties favoured for drying
are generally those that have high levels of sugar and usually make good
jam too.
Dessert or fresh-eating figs: Those with
an agreeable flavour and texture… sometimes good for drying too.
At the time of writing we have a collection of
all varieties listed below and stock of some of them for sale in our nursery
for about $10 per tree.
Varieties
White Adriatic
An early fig suited to cooler areas like the
Adelaide Hills, one crop which ripens February, medium to large fruit,
brownish-green skin and pink flesh, excellent fresh and very good for jam.
A spreading tree.
Deanna
A large fig suited to the fresh market, greenish
skin, very popular in the USA.
Archipal
A large greenish-yellow fig with a very thin,
edible skin and honey-coloured flesh. Early to mid season. One of our best
and most reliable bearers at The Food Forest.
Flanders
A shy bearer, but good quality green skinned
fruit with pink flesh.
Black Genoa (San Piero)
A medium sized, pear-shaped fruit, purplish skin
and red flesh, good for fresh eating but not suitable for drying. Vigorous
tree, ripens Dec-Feb.
White Genoa
Mid season and good in cool areas with large
greenish-yellow fruit with amber flesh, good fresh eating variety and favoured
for jam making. Light crop in Dec and more in Feb-Mar, unique flavour.
Preston
Seems to have trouble maturing Dec-April, somewhat
hairy, large green-brown fruit, white flesh, vigorous grower, high quality
fruit.
Brown Turkey
Medium sized, late season (March), brownish striped
fruit with pinkish flesh. Excellent for jam. Second crop is main crop.
Hardy tree.
Spanish Dessert
Late maturing, spectacular dark purple skin and
dark red flesh. It now seems quite likely that this is a fig that needs
caprification..ie needs to be planted with a Capri fig for
pollination.
Yellow Ischia
Small, possibly useable for jam.
Excel
Small, early season, light yellow skin, amber
flesh, limited value for commercial market because of yields but good flavour
for fresh eating.
Celeste
Commercial variety in USA, violet skin, light
coloured, firm flesh.
Persian Prolific
Strong grower, mid season fruit, light purple
skin and honey coloured flesh.
Cape White
Early maturing, ripens Jan, medium-sized fruit,
green skin, cream coloured flesh. Great for jam, compact tree.
Sugar Fig
Is it another name for White Adriatic, the White
Genoa or a separate variety? There is much confusion and misnaming of figs.
Our Sugar fig is great for jam and drying and is a medium-sized, sweet,
green-skinned variety obtained from a local nursery!
An Australian collector with an extensive collection
of figs and a remarkable data-base on figs was Tony Stevens. Here is a
link to a list of his varieties.
Growing Figs
The fig is a deciduous, sub-tropical tree producing
its best fruit in hot, fairly dry areas with extra water provided to the
root system. The Riverland in South Australia provides the ideal climate.
Too high summer temperatures can result in pulpless fruit and cool, damp
conditions during ripening give rise to splitting and fungal attack. It
doesn’t like cold but can survive temperatures of minus 10 degrees C when
dormant. Late frosts hurt it badly.
It is tolerant of alkaline soils of many textures
but will not put up with wet feet or very acid soils (under pH 6). It is
somewhat forgiving with respect to salinity accepting water of up to 1000
ppm salts.
Figs are not nearly as tough as many people
would have you believe, so kid-glove treatment is in order for the first
year in the ground particularly but even beyond that time they need plenty
of water and fertilizer to be productive.
The fig dislikes wind but loves creekside locations
and high fertility sites (and is adept at cracking its way into underground
sewer pipe systems).
However too much Nitrogen can cause excess leaf
production and slower ripening of fruit. Its spreading root system is quite
shallow and competitive, giving nearby trees a fairly hard time. It doesn’t
appreciate having its roots torn up by cultivation.
Prune the tree up on a single trunk of at least
75cm and don’t allow sucker growth or you’ll end up with an unpickable
thicket. Generally annual pruning for form is all that is required. Bear
in mind that the fruit is borne new wood. The Californians have some new-generation
orchards which look almost like vineyards with the trees trained to just
a couple of metres in height in a hedgerow. This helps with picking
and with netting the trees.
Fig Leaf Mosaic is a common disease in figs and
reduces vigour but does not lead to the death of trees.
On current prices you would not grow rich growing
figs for the dried market and if you decided to chase the fresh market
your bird netting arrangements would need to be of a high standard. Birds
are enormous fig-lovers.
Figs often produce two crops annually; the early
picking, often in about Dec, is known as the Breba crop (these are frequently
big fruit) and the later picking is the Higos or main crop.
Traditionally figs for drying were allowed to
drop on the ground to ensure absolute ripeness and maximum sugar. We tend
to pick when the fig softens and droops. Judging ripeness in the Common
fig is a bit of an art. The milky sap which oozes from the stem of unripe
or not-quite-ripe figs when picked can be irritating to the skin, so you
may want to wear gloves.
Drying is an efficient way of storing these very
perishable fruit but you lose about 40% of the Vitamin C and B group by
so doing. In his great book ‘The complete book of growing fruit in
Australia’ Dr Louis Glowinski notes that, like dates, dried figs have so
much sugar in them that diabetics are warned not to eat them.
Propagating Figs - its easy
In the winter, when the fig trees have lost their
leaves, take cuttings about 25cm long from the trees you want to multiply.
This can be conveniently done when you are pruning trees. Make sure you
label the bundle of cuttings from each variety.
To make sure your cuttings have their requirement
for winter cold satisfied it is not a bad idea to put them in the fridge
for 2 or 3 weeks (this doesn't seem completely necessary but helps set
the wood's biological clock). This is also a way of temporary storage while
you get propagation materials organised. To do this wrap the bundle of
cuttings in damp newspaper and then put in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Don't forget that it is there!
Striking the cuttings should be done in coarse
sand or similar - plasterers sand or the commercially available propagation
mixes work well - and the cuttings should be planted at least 2 or
3 buds deep (you only need a couple of buds above ground). Ensure that
the cuttings are planted the right way up! You can do this in pots, bags
or in the ground itself but I prefer to do it in containers so you can
keep them all in one spot in the nursery for watering etc.
Before planting the bud sticks are dipped in
one of the hormone powders or liquids that encourage root development (with
indolebutyric acid - available through nurseries) and planted in the propagation
material. Keep moist but not wet in a shady place until leaf shoots emerge
and as the plant develops full leaves feed regularly with a fairly
dilute liquid fertiizer. When it has a lot of leaves (maybe after a month
or 2) carefully transplant (avoiding root damage) into a bigger container
with potting mix. Keep in a shady spot for a week or 2 to avoid transplant
shock. Grow on and plant the tree in the field the next winter.
We have a small range of bagged trees available
and can supply cuttings of a larger range in mid-late winter
Acknowledgement is made for images drawn from the
Fruit Gardener vol 23 6 1991
The World’s best fig recipe
This is the most amazing and delicious way of
keeping figs I’ve come across and was collected by my grandfather Tom Bowen
who worked with dried fruit growers in the Riverland when figs were a significant
crop up there.
Grandfather Bowen’s Figs
6 lbs figs, 4lbs sugar, 2ozs ginger (half that
will do), 6 wineglasses vinegar,
1 wineglass water
Boil figs in the above ingredients until clear
(about 2 hours)
Drain dry and press-roll in castor sugar
Bake in hot oven for 5 minutes and allow to cool
Store in an airtight container
Feedback
If you have any experiences or further useful
information about fig varieties, recipes, cultivation etc please let me
know so we can continue to improve this fact sheet for everyone’s benefit.
Links
The best site on figs that I have found is Ray
Givan's homepage (California) http://www.raysfiginfo.com/index.html
Other links may well be available through the
California Rare Fruit Growers website at http://www.crfg.org/
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