We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel
with draconian root restriction.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 28/07/18 13:38, Nick Maclaren wrote:
We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

You don't have a wall? Do you live in a hole in the ground?! FWIW, our
fig has been pretty poor this year. Only a few fruits to speak of and
none yet ripe. Although, strangely enough, there's another crop starting
to form now. It is in a SE-facing walled-corner in a 42 or 45 cm pot and
gets very hot, particularly with this year's weather.

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel
with draconian root restriction.

Surely a fig is hardy enough anywhere in the UK (outside of Cairngorm
peaks), even in Cambridgeshire! This is interesting, but I can't see it
needing this sort of treatment where you are
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig#Overwintering. I really don't
know what a fig requires to fruit well in the UK, but other plants I've
seen this year have good crops on them.

Maybe it's just where I am (south central Hampshire), but both our grape
vines (both outside) have been hopeless this year. Just a few bunches of
grapes, while all around the vineyards are expecting perhaps the biggest
wine production ever. And, if the hot weather holds, one of the finest
vintages.

--

Jeff

On 28/07/2018 13:38, Nick Maclaren wrote:
We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel
with draconian root restriction.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I have to say we have 6 different varieties and its a constant battle to
keep control, they are planted in "Fig Bags" which are a neat way of
root restriction, the problem is that I have no real idea how you are
supposed to prune them? all 6 crop, some varieties better than others,
the figs we get all start to form after the winter, those that you can
see in December either fall off or if they do swell are normally empty.

My present method is to cut off most of the shoots without fruit on to
just one or two buds but that is mainly so I can see the figs! otherwise
they can go overripe and fall.

So I am hoping someone tells us both how it should be done!!

--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 28/07/18 13:38, Nick Maclaren wrote:
We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

You don't have a wall? Do you live in a hole in the ground?! ...

Think context. No wall above 2' high that gets enough sun.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , says...

We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel
with draconian root restriction.

Last year a friend who lives 5 miles away showed me her outdoor,
growing in the ground, not against a wall fig tree with plenty of
ripening fruit. I was so surprised I got my own little fig tree which
I'm growing in a pot outdoors. By late spring this year it had put out
two figlets; then we had a gale in May and they blew off :-(

This warm sunny summer I've put the pot against a white south-facing
wall of the house where I hope it's getting a nice baking. If/when it
develops any more figlets I'll keep it better sheltered from wind .

Janet in Costa Scotia.

In article ,
Janet wrote:

Last year a friend who lives 5 miles away showed me her outdoor,
growing in the ground, not against a wall fig tree with plenty of
ripening fruit. I was so surprised I got my own little fig tree which
I'm growing in a pot outdoors. By late spring this year it had put out
two figlets; then we had a gale in May and they blew off :-(

You're on the west coast, aren't you? My problem is periods of warm,
sunny weather followed by cold spells (often with some wind). That's
not good news for many things :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 28/07/2018 13:38, Nick Maclaren wrote:
We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

+1

Although I have my Brown Turkey against a wall and root constrained here
in North Yorkshire. It never seems to get going properly and gives good
vegetative growth but poor or no cropping on a heavy clay soil.

I wonder if it needs to be a certain size in relation to the root run
before it will play ball or else I am doing something wrong.

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel
with draconian root restriction.

I have seen a wild fig tree in central Manchester (on the river visible
from Blackfriars bridge that fruits profusely) and also at places like
Fountains Abbey not that far from me so it is possible on a variety of
soils iff they like the conditions. I'd have thought your sandy soil
would be more to its liking and you have a few degrees of latitude
advantage in terms of sunlight. I think they are fully cold hardy in the
UK once they get established so I doubt that is the problem.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:

I have seen a wild fig tree in central Manchester (on the river visible
from Blackfriars bridge that fruits profusely) and also at places like
Fountains Abbey not that far from me so it is possible on a variety of
soils iff they like the conditions. I'd have thought your sandy soil
would be more to its liking and you have a few degrees of latitude
advantage in terms of sunlight. I think they are fully cold hardy in the
UK once they get established so I doubt that is the problem.

The point is that its young growth sometimes gets cut back fairly hard,
and always gets cut back a bit. It always recovers fast when things
warm up, but that produces leaf and new shoots, not figs.

There are lots of plants that are fully hardy in the UK, but don't flower
or fruit. My understanding is that the fig fruit crop we normally get
in the UK comes from the figlets formed the previous year, and it is
precisely those that don't come through. Sometimes it produces a few
fruit that are both formed and ripen the same year, but not many and
not always.

If my understanding IS correct, then I am definitely onto a loser.
What I am not entirely sure is whether that is how figs behave in the
UK as well as in warmer climates.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sat, 28 Jul 2018 12:38:12 +0000, Nick Maclaren wrote:

We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real problem.
It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost always fail to
develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against a wall (we don't
have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap in winter (wind more
than a frost pocket).

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel with
draconian root restriction.

Years of experimentation indicate that on our Brown Turkey any figlets
which over winter drop off in the spring. It is the new buds which grow
into mature figs.

Our fig tree is in an "Ali Baba" pot (against an East facing garage wall
but does get a lot of sun in the summer) and so is very restricted in
growth. We do get at least one fig most years and have several developing
this year, although the earliest one has been eaten by Nature whilst we
were away. One eaten by us, one about to be eaten, and several more
prospects.

I'm trying to work out how old it is and it is probably coming on for 20
years now. I have promised it that it can have a bigger home when we
finally reorganise the garden.

The fig tree is always outside and has survived some very severe winters,
but the seasons are generally mild and dry here in coastal Suffolk so your
particular location may not suit.

I keep meaning to take cuttings, and perhaps you could take some cuttings
and experiment with different locations outside and under cover?

Do you know which variety it is? Brown Turkey is, as far as I know, one of
the most reliable in the UK.


Cheers


Dave R


--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

On Sat, 28 Jul 2018 16:54:09 Jeff Layman wrote:

On 28/07/18 13:38, Nick Maclaren wrote:
We have a fig tree, which is overleafy and underfruiting because I
failed to restrict it when planting it, but that's not the real
problem. It rarely crops because the overwintered figlets almost
always fail to develop, which I suspect is because it isn't against
a wall (we don't have one), and our garden is a bit of a cold trap
in winter (wind more than a frost pocket).

You don't have a wall? Do you live in a hole in the ground?! FWIW, our
fig has been pretty poor this year. Only a few fruits to speak of and
none yet ripe. Although, strangely enough, there's another crop
starting to form now. It is in a SE-facing walled-corner in a 42 or 45
cm pot and gets very hot, particularly with this year's weather.

Am I onto a complete loser here? If so, I may try in a polytunnel
with draconian root restriction.

Surely a fig is hardy enough anywhere in the UK (outside of Cairngorm
peaks), even in Cambridgeshire! This is interesting, but I can't see it
needing this sort of treatment where you are
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig#Overwintering. I really
don't know what a fig requires to fruit well in the UK, but other
plants I've seen this year have good crops on them.

Maybe it's just where I am (south central Hampshire), but both our
grape vines (both outside) have been hopeless this year. Just a few
bunches of grapes, while all around the vineyards are expecting perhaps
the biggest wine production ever. And, if the hot weather holds, one of
the finest vintages.

Interesting.

This year my fig tree (which is against a wall!) is ripening a large
number of figs for the second time ever (first time was two years ago)
and the tree is more than twenty years old. At least, they would ripen
if many of them weren't going rotten. I don't restrict the roots but I
do prune the branches quite heavily.

As for grapes, I would have had the largest crop ever this year, both
here in Reading and in my place in Normandy. However, I wrote here a few
weeks ago about the fact that, in both places, mildew and anthracnose
was developing. After help here on urg I managed to get hold of some
Dithane (Mancozeb) and have been spraying with that and Bordeaux Mixture
a couple of times since, but to no avail. It looks as though I shall
lose the whole crop.

But good news - I've had a good crop of mulberries this year!

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

In article ,
David wrote:


Years of experimentation indicate that on our Brown Turkey any figlets
which over winter drop off in the spring. It is the new buds which grow
into mature figs.

Thanks. Yes, that's my main problem - and our summers are generally
too short.

Do you know which variety it is? Brown Turkey is, as far as I know, one of
the most reliable in the UK.

Brown Turkey :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.