Planting a Fig Orchard in the Pacific Northwest Ep. 4 | Fig Tree Growth After 2 Months in Ground
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- Опубликовано: 8 авг 2021
- Planting a Fig Orchard in the Pacific Northwest (Part 4) Fig Tree Growth After 2 Months in Ground. I've been getting a lot of requests for an update to the fig orchard so here it is. This one is a long one and will go through all the varieties I have as well as answer some questions about spacing, watering, and deer issues.
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Hi Mike. You made me laugh when you remarked how planting the fig trees in the ground worked better than the pots. When you said, "The ground is just so big." I got a good laugh from that (Maybe that's why God didn't use pots. 😂) Your trees look really good- have a great day
Haha, sometimes I state the obvious. The trees have grown even since this video. It's been hot the past couple of weeks and they're really starting to take off.
Hi mikeonce again you blow me awaystunning video yes i learnt a lot especialy re watering i have 6figs in pots close to 3 yars old. Having never grown figs before i thought they would flourish in dry conditions. So wrong this year i changed there positions and watered them frequently what a difference beautiful big figs just waiting for sunshine for ripening as we are in the laninja phase. Will be digging them into the soilvery soon i am 80yrs on this earth still learning nature is supreme. Look for your next video thanks a milllon noel nz.
Good Point. Watering by hand has many benefits. You get to observe and care for the plants. Pruning, fertilizing etc. The botanical gardens here in Denver CO. Plants in their greenhouse collections receive daily monitoring and care from horticulture staff, All plants are watered by hand as needed.
Mike, I don't grow figs, have never grown them, and at this point in my life (71 years old) will never grow them, but I watch and enjoy every one of your videos. Your enthusiasm for propagating plants is contagious and extremely delightful! Of course, figs probably wouldn't grow in my harsh 5a climate. I hope you and your family have a fantastic week! ~Margie
Theres a few you can grow in that zone
Thanks Margie, I love having you here and seeing your comments.
Your figs look great, Mike. What you said about figs is true - they have an enormous water requirement mid-summer. If you mess up even once and let them get too dry, their leaves will take damage and rust can overwhelm the tree. There is a myth that figs are drought tolerant, so therefore they don’t need a lot of water - it isn’t true!
Figs grown in containers can fruit early and profusely by becoming rootbound, but you need to supply them with a constant supply of water and soluble fertilizer for this to happen, or they’ll stall. If you aren’t hitting them will full strength water soluble fertilizer with significant phosphorous every 7-10 days when grown in a pot, they can suffer. If you don’t have the time for that, you’ll have far more success in-ground since the trees don’t have to rely on you to feed them and they can find their own food source.
Figs are actually poor trees for container culture, but we love them so much and there are so many varieties we want that we suffer through it 😂
Spot on. I used to think that because figs are considered drought tolerant that they didn't need as much water as they do when grown in pots. After years of poor performance I have planted practically all of them in the ground and the difference is astounding!
Just a quick add on.😄
I made amazing fig jam, big lumps of chewy fig, fresh ginger and added for texture lots of chopped glac'e ginger
AMAZING 🤣 and over ice cream 👌😋🤣👍🤗
Dang, sounds good!
Love your videos!
I’ so tired of learning everything the hard way!
I have been collecting seeds from all over (I figure if it’s hanging over my neighbors fence & outside their yard, then it’s fair game!)
Anyway, construction has prevented me from adding plants to my back yard, but l rested in the knowledge that my seeds were safe inside filed in boxes!
Well I went into the hospital, and then had to rest for a long time. By the time I was able to walk again, I couldn’t find my seed box! Nobody knew where the box went, of course!
It is 3 years later & fthey are still not found! I was & am sick over it😰😨😩😖!!!
I have been hiring a gardener to keep the rest of my plants alive while I am gaining strength & have given considerable thought to propagating instead!
I discovered your videos while on RUclips and am just thrilled with the information you have taught me!
This is better than seeds!!!
My Grandfather was a nurseryman and my father taught me allot too, but he was always going to teach me propagation, but never made it that far as he died rather young instead.😢😓☹️
Listening to your teaching is filling a big spot in my life that has been empty for years!
My heartfelt gratitude is yours!
Thank you for what you have restored to me. I know my Dad would be proud of you teaching me what he was unable to complete.
Did you know that tending the garden was the first job God assigned to the first human in paradise?
God bless you,
Elisabeth Rose Perdue🌹
Portland OR
I'm honored, Elisabeth. Thank you for the very kind words and I hope that you heal up quickly so that you can get back out into your garden this summer. Have fun!
My dog and the deer love my fig trees. Figs is their first choice
Bummer. For some reason the deer won't touch these trees and I'm pretty happy about that.
I envy the warm climate, in Poland I have a fig on my windowsill 😜
We have a unique climate here. We're further north but because we live close to the ocean, it's more of a cooler The long awaited orchard update........and it's a long one, get your coffee. Mediterranean climate. Some years don't produce as good of figs but some years are great. We are right on the edge of good weather for them but it mostly works out.
How you remember all the names is amazing Mike. Same with your roddys. Dont worry about when you get older... You'll still be planting stuff. The grandkids will prune for you. Almost time to get that trackhoe back an clear more. Looks nice what was done. Big improvement.
Thanks Dean, I'm definitely happy with the cleared land and getting this orchard planted. We plan to get that pond area finished before winter but we'll see how money and schedules line up. I like the idea of grandkids doing all the work someday, haha.
I use labels on the trees and a garden map of the yard with the tree names. For some sections I try to plant in alphabetical order just in case some labels are lost or damaged and I can't find the map for that section it is easy to deduce the missing piece. I also keep *all* of my old nursery receipts in a file so I can double check info and year of purchase.
I have never found labels alone to be reliable. I have a dozen unknown grapes varieties as I never got around to making the map and the labels were destroyed with time. While I have the receipts they were not planted in alphabetical order.
I have found that I can ( in 8b western Oregon) propagate easily by cutting off large branches of King or Desert King varieties, up to 6' long, rough up the bottom 2 ft. of the branch, just stuff in deep into the ground anywhere, and have 90% take off really well. Go figure, I had been just using 8 to 10 inch cuttings to start plants, but now I know that I can jump-start larger plants to save a lot of time nursing them while small.
Yes! I love the largest cuttings the best. Lots of stored energy for the cutting to pull from.
Absolutely phenomenal
figs are alot of fun. great video thank you
Thanks Troy. I'm really enjoying working with these plants. Fun to propagate and grow. Looking forward to some figs.
Thank you for sharing so much valuable information. I’m in zone 8B as well. I think I’ll order a BLACK MISSION Fig tree.
I'll keep you updated on how it does. Good luck with yours, Donna.
They get huge, good luck, they are delicious
1st year fresh soil, figs do well. 2nd year, older soil, fewer figs. 3rd year, the soil is spent. Remember the parable about the gardener and the fig? The tree wasn't bearing and the owner wanted it gone, but the gardener wanted to dig in manure. Figs love rich soil. When in Penna, ours were planted at the lower end of the chicken yard every spring, then cut back and dug up each fall. Almost every new leaf formed a fig. But! I'm back in Arizona, thank You, God. The breba crop was scanty, but OK. Now the main crop is coming on the B. turkey and the Violette. A Tex. Everbearing is in another part of the yard, but shaded by Tarahumara Amaranth. the amaranth only get 5 feet tall, but sends up a flower bracket 2-1/2 to 3 feet tall. Viva Arizona!
It almost feels like Arizona around here lately with all these heat waves we've been having.
@@MikeKincaid79 You're welcome! we'll send more so you can enjoy it even more! It's cool enough here, only made it to 85 F! Had a dun day, went to Lowes garden center. No fruit trees, but did pick up 60 lbs of sulfur pellets. It takes about 40 to do the yard and garden. tomorrow, I guess, and then the shovel to take care of that disgusting grass coming up. Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Tropical Storm Keven is supposed to unload on us, then Tropical Storm Linda. I am praying for it! We're still 5 inches below normal for the last 12 months. hasta la manana, neito!
Love love love the orchard!
Can't wait for next summer to see what it does.
I’d recommend black cloth tree mulch rings. That straw can reflect sun and heat whereas black cloth will heat that soil up like they want
I agree and am changing my focus in this orchard.
Very cool video still working my way through it.
It's a long one, that's for sure. No shortage of babble.
This was great Mike thank you.
Mike, after the extremely hot temperatures we had in June, my potted figs really suffered while my in-ground trees stayed looking good. I'm planning on planting a lot more of my trees in the ground next spring. Just for the record, my Hollier and hardy Chicago both ripened their first main crop figs saturday (August 7). I love the way you've got your orchard set up. Will be interesting to see it's progress over the coming years!
Thanks Steve, I'm really happy with how things are going with this set up. I know some of the varieties may not perform as well but I love growing the trees as much as the fruit. I really appreciate the Stella and Hollier cuttings you sent me a few years ago. As you can see, they are doing fantastic and I think they may turn out to be staples here. The Hollier is absolutely loaded with figs. Definitely loving having them in ground now and it's renewed my excitement. It was just too much for me to try and care for them in pots with everything else going on around here and they're doing infinitely betting in ground. Glad to hear you got ripe figs on your Hollier and hardy Chicago. I'm sure your trees will be a few weeks ahead of mine due to the temp differences but we've still got plenty of hot weather to come over here. These heat waves we've been having are pretty bizarre but the figs seem to love it.
Wonderful to see you are experimenting so widely with many varieties. I'm looking forward to seeing how they each do, as I am in 8b western Oregon 17 mi from the coast, somewhat similar to your situation. I'm trying only a few varieties, but have a couple of hundred King, and a few DK. These are all in ground.
Yeah, it's fun to experiment when you have the space. I'll keep the updates coming through the years. We live in a unique climate that just may allow for some of these more tender varieties to do well in ground. I think it'll be a few years before they really start developing well, although I'm impressed with how well they're doing in such a short time after planting out, compared to pots.
Mike! I did the mulberry, they are growing amazing, did some Goji berry growing great and now I guess I’ll try Fig! Thanks Mike keep it up.
Right on! You'll have fun with the figs
WONDERFULL...CONGRATULATIONS
Thanks, Patty!
I agree... so much easier to take fare pf in the gtound! Thanks!
Yes, very much so!
BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO YESSSSSSSSSSS!
Mike, with your black mission fig, maybe add more hay around the outside to its height right for wind protection. That way you're giving it time to establish its roots better to be able to handle the elements as it grows bigger. I do appreciate the tips. I will definitely water mine more once the soil warms up in a few weeks. I love your fig orchard. The deer are waiting for the ripe fruit LOL. I'm excited for you, your wife and the girls, and your awesome farm. Cheers, matey! :)
Thanks Mary! I'm so much more excited about the figs now that they're in ground. The increase in watering has definitely helped a ton with my figs. Hopefully the deer will leave a few figs, haha.
Great video Mike! I will be following your updates with interest as I am growing about 25 varieties on our rooftop garden area in Victoria, BC. I keep track of my figs on an excel spread sheet where I note the dates of first leaf buds, ripening dates for brebas and main crop and other such things
That's awesome, love the attention to detail. I need to start doing the same thing here so I can get a better understanding of the different varieties in my area. We're pretty close so we should have similar results. I'm in Yelm, Wa. Might get a little colder being that we're further inland.
@@MikeKincaid79 Actually you probably get more heat than my site because I am only less than half a mile from the cold pacific ocean on two sides; we don't get may real hot days here except this week :D
I also try to keep a spreadsheet garden log. I miss a lot of general entries but usually I catch the important parts of specific projects, like conditions for seeding or testing rooting methods. Dates of bud swell, pests, and ripening in some years.
The most useful info is amount of fertilizers and then later a note about the result(too much or too little growth, other imbalance), and dates of shoot emergence for bamboo, asparagus, and such (so I know when to stop mowing and walk with caution)
You can use that brown turkey as rootstock since it's so vigorous. I know you said no grafts in the orchard but if you ever change your mind that's the same tree Harvey in California uses as rootstock and he recommends it.
Thanks for the tip. I may play around with grafting some more in the future and keeping them in pots but for the in ground trees I really want to keep them true to type all the way to the roots.
Very cool, thanks for the video.
Looks good Mike, it's quite an experiment you got going there. I'll be planting some of my varieties in the ground this year too, I hope you're right about the deer resistance.
So far, so good. I may pour some deer repellent around the orchard for added protection.
This was great, Mike! Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Mike, I’m loving the fig orchard. I hope your luck with the deer continues. I have a much smaller version, maybe 1/5 the size of yours, orchard in my front yard. The only tree that has ever suffered deer damage is my yellow long neck. Last year the deer ate all the leaves off of it and I have no idea why that was the only tree that was touched. Regardless, best of luck, and I look forward to seeing future updates. Cheers from South Carolina.
Thanks. I'm hoping they stay away too. I wonder if they ate your yellow long neck leaves only to realize that it caused stomach problems for them due to the latex, and then they left the others alone. Hopefully I don't have problems with that. So far so good.
@@MikeKincaid79 I hope they regretted it. Your fig orchard is awesome. Congratulations on its success thus far.
Very enjoyable video Mike. You have peaked my interest in propagating a couple of fig trees. What has stopped me at this point is, in 65 years other than Fig Newtons, I have never tasted a fig and Newtons I can take or leave. I really don't want a tree that produces something I don't care for. So my wife is on a quest to find a few figs for us to try. I'm cutting down my 26yr old apple trees this fall and looking for something different to put in their place. Thanks for the video.
What part of the country do you live in? That would make a big difference on the varieties you can grow successfully and get to fruit well.
@@MikeKincaid79 PNW. Gig Harbor. WA. We've talked before on F/B.
So cool upload
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Mike add a silica supplament to your figs. My Chicago Hardy fig had same issue with water,added silica it stopped the crazy water race with my figs. Thanks for the vid Mike
Thanks for the tip. I'm always learning new things about these figs.
I usually mix mineral soil in my bigger pots, maybe this is why I don't seem to have the permanent wilt issue. Bamboo leaves are loaded with silicon, so compost of these in the potting mix should also be a good source (actually most grasses have elevated silicon to some degree, bamboo is just at the high end.)
Mike, I follow Robbie and Gary on RUclips. They live in Southern California which I believe is Zone 9 something. They have drought issues. Gary plants his in pots but then he places the pots in blue baby pools. He also has fish in the baby pools and they do keep the mosquitoes away. There is no filter or heat source. He does not water but will just top off the baby pools.
I love the baby pool idea. I've thought about building a long shallow pool with pond liner for all the potted figs.
I have been using large plastic lugs to put the pots into, add three or four inches of water a week, and they seem to do very well. I had been trying to top-water each pot, but bottom watering seems far better, especially for time spent.
As I add water to the lugs, I spray the top of the pots as well. I'll experiment with adding a bit of fish fertilizer to the lug water next year.
I also have found that just letting the lug water get down to nothing left for a day, allows the mosquito larvae to all dry up, contributing to lower populations locally.
great job😊
Thank you! 😊
Thank you. I get so excited when I get a new Fig started. My hubby says there isn't anyone as crazy about getting more figs than me, he was wrong. I found someone. It is so exciting to go into our yard and see Figs growing. Thank you for the great videos. My dad got me started on figs and before he passed away, he started me a Brown Turkey from his trees. He lived in Brookings, Oregon and I live in Trail, Oregon. We are also an 8B zine. Oh, by the way, he told me you can't kill a Fig. I hope he hasn't seen the ones I lost because I have lost a few. I think I have 20 some planted in the ground and not sure how many potted. When should I plant in the ground and will straw protect them if I do. Thanks again.
I like to put them in ground in the spring so they have all summer to get established. I don’t do anything to protect mine in the winter and they handle yelps down to 12 degrees.
Thanks. I really appreciate the feedback. Can't wait to see the next video on your orchard.
Next week I was going to be driving south to Oregon. I have a Pakistani mulberry cutting I would like to give you. Also a big leaf maple I've been pruning and training as a bonsai. If you're interested.
Finally got through the video been real busy. Very good video enjoyed it a lot cool that the deer haven't messed with it but I bet goats would. Yeah who knows if you will be able to prune those trees when you're 70 3 years from now. Lol I know you're not that much older than me by any means. And yes I'm the one with arthritis hahaha
Yeah, I'll be the goats would love the taste of fig branches.
Do you have a Brown Turkey fig? I just saw it. If yours does as well as mine you will red to be ready to eat as many as you can and get the canning jars ready. I just can’t believe how much it produces and the taste is heavenly!
Love your program!
It's in the video
I love it
Thank you for the vid! I currently have a billion figs I need to get into the ground as well. Lol
This was a huge relieve to get these in ground. I've been watching them go downhill for a couple years, as I just couldn't give them the proper attention they needed. Since planting in ground, they have really taken off and I have a renewed excitement for these trees. Take my advice, get them in the ground as soon as possible and next year you'll be happy you did.
@@MikeKincaid79
Thank you again…
I like to take trips and go fishing and such. Which, when combined with managing 8 Acres, a garden, and working full time (plus 2hrs commute time every day) equals… potted trees get neglected. Lol
I understand from experience.
Numero 1!!!
You got it, Camelia!
Yey!!!
Good video again Mike! Is there a reason you kept the straw back away from the plant? I would think the closer the better as long as you don't cover the breathing hole(or whatever they call it). Keeping the straw close to the plant helps keep the roots cool and moist so very smart to use the straw! I would water the straw and it will retain moisture and make it available to the plant when they start to dry. Another observation, most of nature sits out the middle of the day. When it's hot they stay in the shade. I utilize pallets on top of my beehives and it produces enough shade in the heat of the day to keep them inside the hive rather than bearding outside the entrance trying to fan enough air to keep the hive cool! Just a thought. Love your videos!
I had the hay up against the trunk but started getting some mold on the trunks because of the lack of air flow. I moved it back a little ways and it all cleared up. Then when I planted the other side, I just left the middle part open where the tree was planted.
@@MikeKincaid79 That's a smart move in more than one way. It keeps weeds down, moisture in, and it rebuilds the soil. I just read an article about using dutch white clover as a living ground cover. Makes a bunch of sense. They even take a Mantis tiller to make rows through it and that gives the plant you put in the ground enough time to grow above it before it grows right back where it was! So many things to try!LOL! Might be good in your orchard so you don't have to cut it as often.
Wade
It’s an exciting time of the year in my zone spring 🌼 in two weeks looking forward to watching the figs I grafted later 🤘🫐🤘 graft some together saving space I used the cleft graft good around tech I notice kangaroo 🦘 and possum won’t eat spuds 🥔 rhubarb or figs they no it’s like a BWS bottle shop
Haha, funny how the animals won't eat those things but we gobble them up.
hallo ! mike ....perkebunan ara menarik dan tidak ada ditempat saya baru kali ininmelihat tanaman itu
Hello sir, I am Italian, from the south, here the figs are spontaneous species. I want to give you an advice (I know that the weather is different from me, but the rules with these plants are the same). I want to say that you don't have to fertilizing them, figs are so good when the weather is very hot and the fruits don't want to take too much water, if it's so, the fruits will be very giant but without a good taste, that's caused by water. Don't fertilize them, add water just for the first times, let them suffering, they will be able to make more figs in a decade. (ah, and remember, don't let too many branches, let one trunk and then go on internet and search for this "coltivazione all'etrusca di alberi da frutto" and see the article. Good luck
Thank you so much. I really appreciate advice from a person who has first hand experience at growing figs in Southern Italy. You would know how to grow them as well or better than anyone else. Thank you, Alessandro. By the way, I spent 6 months in Aviano, Italy back in 1998, when I was in the U.S. Navy. Northern Italy is such a beautiful place. I was able to visit Venice and Verona. Wish I could have traveled to southern Italy but maybe I will sometime in the future.
@@MikeKincaid79 yeah, Italy it's all beautiful, but trust me, figs in the north are more difficult than here in the south for one simple reason. Here, the weather is very hot in the late spring and in summer. In the north the winter arrives very fast, generally in November is already cold, here instead is very cold since January till' March. With the global warming all will be different in 10 or 20 years, so.... Don't worry about the figs! 😂🙏🏻🙌🏻👌🏻🔝Will be hot also in your country surely cause the bad habits of us humans being 😅🤖
Yes. Quite the drama. Delightful and entertaining to. Then I hit the like button.🙂
Put a drip system:) I’m from The Valley and that’s what some farmers use
I'm thinking that may be the best solution long term. In the short term I enjoy hand watering but that will get old soon.
Thanks Mike! I really love this video. All but one of my fig plants are potted and I pondered a lot if I should place them in ground. This video is so timely. Before you put them in ground, how did you fertilize the plants? BTW, some say Ben's golden riverside is secretly a yellow long neck. Any thoughts? As always, thanks Mike!
Ben did a comparison video on his Golden Riverside and Long Yellow. They look and taste very similar. I don't have personal experience with both though so I can't really comment on it. All I know is that his original video about the Ben's Golden Riverside is what sold me on it and I'm glad I have it, especially since he and I are only an hour drive apart so the climates are the same.
Hi
Mr Kincaid have you seen the tools for grafting that seem to be advertised alot on RUclips videos lately. They look like a prunner with an attachment. One video the bloke does a fig. Thought I'd mention it 👍
Seen those advertised for a few years now and have thought about getting one. In the end, the principle is to just match up the cambium and that can be done in all kinds of different configurations. I suppose if you were doing a ton of grafts, the tool would be helpful.
Hey Mike, I can't believe you don't have irrigation man! That's the 1st thing you establish when you have so many plants especially in the 1st couple of years, come on man get with the program! My grandma used to cover the figs... With straw over the winter and even if once in a while will die back that will come back! Being so small will be easy to cover up! Hugs🤗❤🤗
Ps, good to hear Henry🤣🤣
I really love hand watering plants. Makes me feel more connected to them and I get to see how they're doing on a regular basis. That being said, you're right, I need some irrigation around here, lol.
I know you do, I do too but is 87 degrees an 87%humidity.....irrigation is so good. Sometimes when busy is good to have a backup.
Once a plant, bush or tree's roots make contact with the earth, the soil biology, and the energy of planet earth begin to "talk" to them and they take off.
I have seen trees stall and then When I deep mulch and fertilize in a year when we have ample rain... Blam! They take off.
Mike, I am also planning to get a fig tree and planting it in a large pot. Could you please tell me about the sun, soil and water requirements for it.
Lots.
7gallon pot, they seam forgiving of soil, I give them a tablespoon of commercial fertilizer early in the season then a little bit of slower acting organic type to provide more micro-nutrients and maintain a slow extended feed. Water as needed, while Mike has had permanent wilt I have not, if I water the same day I see just a little droop the leaves recover. Just carefully observe, the droop is subtle and not outright wilting.
I mowed a lilac too. 😂
Sucks when that happens, lol. I wish it was the Olympian I mowed and not the Col de Dame Rimada!
Great video Mike 👌.
My questions to you are: do you collect rain water in tanks for watering your plants also,
what the hell are you going to do with all these figs when trees mature.
Do you sell roadside or at a farmers market or intend to supply for drying.
I don't currently collect rain water but have plans to at some point. I really want to build a huge fig drying table for sun dried figs. I'd love to store them for the winter and just add another layer of food stability at my place. I have thought about selling them to locals and restaurants but haven't worked all that out yet. I'm sure it'll be a few years before they really start producing enough to make all that happen, although they are really starting to put on some serious numbers of figs since getting them in ground so it may be sooner than I think.
@@MikeKincaid79 I think you may be right. A friend set up drying racks inside a lightweight tent without the fly over the top. The windows have mosquito netting which also protects from fruit fly but also gives good airflow. She dried a variety of this way. They were dipped in a solution of water, lemon and honey first. Have fun 😄
I’ve been telling people this all the time. They will grow and taste exactly the same in a pot or in the ground. The difference? The ground has living biology the pot doesn’t unless you add it a make sure it’s always there. Whenever water runs out of your pot the microbes and nutrients go with it. I keep my pots in a greenhouse so rain is not as issue. If you don’t have one cover the tops with plastic. I give all my trees and veg compost teas every three to four weeks. I water a cup at a time, wait and check the moisture with a meter. Also the plastic cover keeps it moist longer. Giving massive hits of chemical fertilizers to plants basically turns them into junkies. They can only take up so much then it all runs out of the pots. There waiting for their next fix. Yes they will grow, some years very well but eventually go into withdraw. Food no food on and on. Hence poor tasting fruit, dropped fruit and slow growth at different times. When all they need is there all the time they will take up as much as they need everyday. You can’t fool Mother Nature she’s a bitch……
LOL, she sure can be.
I'm about to plant 20 trees to start my fig orchard and I like your idea with the hay flakes. Have you had any problems with white mold under the flakes where they contact the ground? Our hay barn has a dirt floor and we have to stack the hay on pallets to keep it fresh. But I think when the strings are removed and it fluffs a little, the way you did yours, it would be fine.
It's worked out really well so far. They will definitely mold and that's exactly what I want. I want them to mold and rot and break down into nice soil for the roots. Of course, that'll take a few years, but it's already happening faster than I originally thought it would.
Mike if leaves don’t recovery Do I need to cut the old leaves with brown spots? I got fig tree in 3 gallon pot delivered in the Texas hot summer. Still in pot worry about it’s too hot too move to the ground. 99 degrees. Better to do in Fall? Plz advise. Thank you!
Give that fig you mowed over at least 9 months before declaring it dead. I have thought I lost many figs for various reasons and they keep coming back!
Yeah, these things always surprise me. It's still there and I keep watering it and looking for green. I'll leave it in place until next summer and if nothing happens by then, I think I'll plant something else there.
@@MikeKincaid79 Ninety percent chance it will turn green again IMHO.
I'm curious why you would have second thoughts about planting an Olympian? I've heard it grows large delicious figs in your zone
Good question, and I'm not sure why I do a lot of the things I do, lol. In the end, I made the right decision and planted it. Looking forward to getting some figs on it.
Could the dead branches be fire blight? Spray in spring
Hey mike just wondering, have you ever tried grafting several varieties to one fig tree ? Might make for a cool series.
Figs can be grafted and grafting is common in the heart of their climate range where top kill is not a concern. But it is not recomended at the edge of their range where Mike is located because the trees can be killed to the ground in extra cold years and they will vigorously regrow from the underground part of the stump.
All things to consider. Yes, I've grafted figs but never multiple varieties. It would definitely be a smart idea to graft cold tolerant varieties. I do live in 8b, which is actually a pretty nice climate for figs but some winters are rough here for figs.
My Figs always come back from drooping within 3 hours of watering.
i put my rose cuttings in soil with rooting hormone. i also but them in soda bottles and a plastic container to create humidity. will they be okay?): stores like home depot don’t sell fine bark. they sell only huge pieces of mulch. i left a gap in the containers so air can flow in& out.
If you can’t find fine bark then just use sand.
@@MikeKincaid79 should i remove them from the soil? or would it be to late or not a good idea?
Oh question. Watering out in the orchard do you waster year round forever? Or once they are good(aka two years and roots are set) do you not need to water anymore and let nature take over.
I'm still learning too but I think the answer is going to be that once they are established you can leave them alone since they handle drought well. Of course, the more water, the more lush green growth.
I grow indoors but I have been growing several different varieties of figs for a while and they need the least amount of water out of the rest of my plants which includes limes, olives, pomegranates, tomatoes, and all types of peppers. They start to droop after about two weeks without water 🤷♂️
Also, why don’t you try to shape up the tree structure more by training them in different ways?
I plan to shape them more as time goes by but I just wanted to let them do their thing this year and get good and established. I'm thinking about cuttings them all back really well this fall and working with the new growth come next summer.
Hi Mike my cuttings cooking in my frame , the leaves have turned brown . how do I maintain the correct humidity without overheating them, I have slightly open top but still too much humidity
Shade all day, not super deep shade, just no direct sun. They don't need any direct sun until they have roots and then they get moisture from soil and don't need the humidity. After they have roots start with morning sun before 9 or 10am.
@@mytech6779 Hi Mike thanks for the reply , but I keep the covered or completely open ?
Those death branches are not a good sign at all. Check if you have wood borer attacks or termites. If so I doubt your orchard will survive
Mike, do you have bear problems locally? So far, deer are not attracted to eating very much, but bear might discover the ripe figs. I'm just not sure how much I will need to heavily fence.
So far, nothing is messing with these trees and they're completely unprotected. We get an occasional bear around here but not as a rule. We'll see what happens when they start ripening. I might have a whole new set of problems.
@@MikeKincaid79 My mature trees are fenced, but my newer orchards are not. We have had bear damage locally in apple orchards. I asked a fish and game agency about fencing methods that work at low cost. The simplest suggestion was to try aversion training the bears. If they have not gotten into a new apple orchard yet to be fixated on the apples as a food source, he said that a cheap solution is to place a single electric fence wire at 16 inches off the ground around the orchard. Every fifteen feet around place a 2" by 3" tab of aluminum foil coated with peanut butter. The young bear gets it's nose and tongue zapped before it even gets into the orchard, and avoids the area. This does not work if the bear is an older wiser one. I have had neighbors that shot bears that caused too much damage, but I want to avoid having to do that, though I have benefitted by that reduction in experienced bears. And then, the young ones get trained to stay away by using the peanut butter zap technique. As long as I watch for signs that the dogs barking no longer keeps bears away, I set out the low wire fence. I have not had to that though for the past five years.
My in ground trees fruit much better than those in pots. I also loose branches at times, no big deal, you cut one off and get six new ones shortly afterwords.
Yeah, the branch loss is weird but it hasn't happened to any other branches since those first few with the black mission and violette de bordeax. Those trees are continuing to grow well and look nice despite the couple dead branches. Definitely seeing much better results in ground and loving that we made all this happen this year.
The reason I’ve believe there is a difference in a pot are these. Pots are too small. And Compared to in the ground there is not enough biology in their soil. Too much rain or over watering just run it out the bottom. Most soils carry the nutrients plants need they just don’t have the biology to break it down for plants to take up. So the plants are slower to grow and the fruit may not taste as good as in the ground. Even if you fertilize. That’s why you will see faster growth with chemical fertilizers. Organic need to break down first. But the plants are starving and take it up too quickly. But give the plants the same biology as the ground, same light and water and the plants will grow just as fast and the fruit will taste exactly the same. The size of the fruit may be smaller because of pot restrictions. The plants always have the correct amount of nutrients all the time. Which will let them and get bigger and stronger at their pace. Chemical fertilizers work but what do you think your body would prefer to be fed once a month or every day slowly? I’ve been growing vegetables for 40 years only since I’ve started using these methods have I gotten results that have the size and production with strong healthy almost pest free garden. Check out KNF ( Korean natural farming ) and I’m not Asian.
I feel 100% exactly the same about everything you said here. It's also why I don't like raised bed gardening. Although it's a slight change, it's still one more step removed from growing plants down in the soil at ground level and it's just enough to alter the growth, in my opinion.
You say the figs tree 🌳 need lots of water, do you have a stand pipe near these trees?
Nope, just been hand watering every few days.
Hey Mike,
Figland is coming along!
Are you setting up irrigation or letting them find their own? Fertilizer?
BTW, Ischia is pronounced E-ski-ah (all together).
Thanks for the correction. I've heard that pronunciation as well. I used osmocote fertilizer that I had on hand, don't remember the exact formulation but I can check it out tomorrow. I may set up irrigation at some point in the future but right now I'm really enjoying hand watering each tree and watching them closely. It only takes me about 30 minutes over 2 or 3 days and they can actually go a week or so without watering if I can't get to them. I'm hoping that they won't need constant irrigation as they mature, grow more roots, thicken their trunks, etc. It would be nice to just go out and hand water once a month when they are more mature.
@@MikeKincaid79 no correction we all know the fig 😁 I always think of island when I think of the fig. Ah Naples.
Going to have to get a cutting. I only have the "white" Ischia.
@@MikeKincaid79 I'm in 8B western Oregon Coast Range, 17 mi. inland. I'm growing primarily King variety, genetically close to Desert King. Trying to put everything 'in ground' but some under high tunnel. Most are very young 1-4 yrs old, but a few plants 12 years old. Once the lower trunk diameter gets above 3 inches, the plants become much more tolerant to dropping temperatures. and I find they don't need as much watering or much fertilizer.... but I'm just experimenting. I'm leaning toward training most to low cordon style (like Japanese) both outdoors, and in high tunnel, so that I can do maximum freeze protection, and especially for keeping all breba production low to the ground. I can easily bend the upright growth down along the cordons in order to wrap them and then also cover them with a low tunnel during winter. After late frost threat is passed, I can string them back upright to an upper wire. Late spring frost three years ago nipped back all reba and eight inches of new growth causing three years of decreased production... thus the efforts at learning about better freeze protection. Perhaps I could just not worry about the freezing while the plants are young, as local fig plants that have been allowed to just grow wildly, without water or fertilizer, have also become huge bushy trees. And, still produce a lot of figs, but needing a lot of ladder time to harvest. Once the plants are large they only rarely freeze back a great deal. So far, this is working well. Perhaps I'll find that the outdoor upright tree form, pruned to the Victoria BC style is just as good or better when the tree trunks are larger diameter for more hardiness. That style of tree form is still relatively close to the ground so that most pruning and harvest can be w/o ladders (as I'm 75 yrs old now). In my climate, moderated a bit by the ocean 17 mi. away, it seems fairly similar to your situation. Love your diversity of varieties!
Also, for third and fourth year old plants ( 4 to 8 feet tall) I experimented with winter protection using different diameter foam pipe insulation to entirely wrap each branch and trunk. This does work well to
Mike I promise I won’t ask anymore ok so when are you doing the weigela video?
Don't stop asking, you've come this far. I got delayed a little due life but they are rooted and that's one of the next videos I'll work on. Promise.
@@MikeKincaid79 ok thank you soooo much
Are their squirrels , the y finish the figs fruit .
Yep, we've got them around here. I'm sure I'll be sharing with all kinds of animals.
Deer don’t eat fig leaves because apparently it burns their mouths/throats.
That's what I'm banking on. Hopefully it holds true as time goes by. So far, so good.
How tall do these figs get at maturity?
15 to 20 feet if you don't prune them.
I'm Greek I have to many fig tree s Buk home and I never see ever Geve them a drop of water and every year they are fool off figs. You must doing samthing Rong as far I know Greece has very hat Sameer
Gosh, I think I'm doing something right. They exploded with new growth last year. Once they get good and established I'll probably back off on water.
But...too much water/rain will cause the figs to burst open. We have had heavy rain here and over half of my brown turkey fig crop burst open and attracted flies and yellow jackets.
So far, mine are just soaking up the water but I'm sure I can ruin them with too much as they get closer to ripening. That's one good thing we have going for us in this area. It doesn't rain that much in the summer and we have long and usually hot fall weather that goes until mid October so I can control the amount of water they get. We'll see how it all plays out. Sorry to hear about your brown turkey. Is heavy rain normal for this time of year?
@@MikeKincaid79 We had a full month of rain daily . Mostly afternoon thunderstorms that dropped 1/2 to 1+ inches of rain. As soon as they burst open the flies, birds and yellow jackets set in on them. Now the birds are feasting on my pears! Arghhh!!!!!
Hi Mike! I have a question to you but I don’t want to ask it here, is it possible to get any email or messenger to you?
Besides Facebook do you have Snapchat? Jim Wilson
No snap chat
@@MikeKincaid79 Oh i will Figure this out👍