Never grown figs before so not sure if these are breba (from last years growth?) This is an O’Rourke fig planted about 9 months ago. My Alma fig is pictured below as well and it currently has no figs on it.
O’Rourke
Alma
Yes. Breba figs grow below the leaf node and regular figs grow above the leaf node.
Aha…ok. That explanation makes some sense. Thanks.
Charlie, for me, the easier way to know, is a breba crop will grow on last year’s wood (brown), and your regular fig crop will grow on this year’s shoot growth (green). Per your photos, these are brebas. Not all fig cultivars produce a breba crop. And, brebas often are not quite as tasty as the regular crop.
If the brebas don’t taste as well do people usually remove them?
Oh, they don’t taste THAT bad, Charlie! It’s a difference between “very good”, and “great”. Leave them, let them ripen, then enjoy them.
2 Likes
Sounds like a plan…heh
Charlie, I enjoyed my brebas this year even more than I usually do the main crop, and I really enjoy the main crop. The brebas were huge. The skin was thin, and their consistency was thick with concentrated fig flavor. They were very good. The only negative was that there weren’t more of them.
Plus, some fig varieties only produce brebas. So, keep them and enjoy.
2 Likes
Those don’t look like breba to me. You’re not going to have breba right out to the end of current growth. The figs pictured are on wood with leaves and the leaves and figs go right out to the ends of the shoots. That wood is current season making those main crop. Breba form on wood absent of leaves. Leaves don’t form on last yrs wood.
The brown wood thing isn’t totally reliable. Some wood turns brown soon after formation. Those shoots have stopped growing, formed terminal buds, and turned brown all in short order.
I agree with Steven. Those aren’t brebas.
I just noticed these on my kinda new Negronne. So, not brebas, but weird timing? Should I remove them? I, too, am brand new at all things orchard. I have a full-size Atreano (one, a first) that I’m gona chop off even though it doesn’t fit the description of really ripe at this time. It will probably just rot if left. (Orygun)
What kind of winters do you have? Here, I’d remove them because they will rot/mold.
1 Like
I’m probably not 100 miles south of you and I will definitely do the same. Been a bit wet lately, eh? Thanks.
Figs need 90 days to ripen from that stage. Winter is coming… it’s best to remove them.
1 Like
I’m going to jump back into this post since I now have a new mystery on the Atreano fig, and now it’s Spring. These are happening right now, and there are several factors which seem to be conflicting re: breba and main crop.
This is old growth; Atreanos have breba crops, as far as I know; it’s awfully early in the year; I don’t know if these are above, below, or next to the leaf nodes…almost seems like all three; this is the 3rd leaf for this plant since I’ve had it so maybe 4th overall. I don’t know what these are. The background is the sleeve on a canvas coat, so this is pretty close-up. Help?
It’s hard to tell when the leaves are not out yet, although yes they are all breba figs, and they are all under the leaf nodes or would be leaf nodes. It’s very hard to explain without a digram which I will make one one day, figs can form to the side of the leaf nodes some, and without the leaves it’s much harder to tell.
1 Like
I would agree those are breba, I have a lot of figs with breba this year as my plants are 2 and 3rd leaf, besides the new ones. I’m very excited about this year as I’ll get to taste some new figs. I’m not that fond of Atreano, I used my plant to graft, but left most of the plant alone. I heard they were good dried. I may try drying them, they are so big! Big fig here for sure.
1 Like
Thanks for the replies. It seems to be the case that every item has fans, and the unimpressed. Growing conditions seem to play a big part. My other two figs are a VdB and a Negronne, which for now, I’m saying are different, ha ha…I’m just happy to have a fig that seems robust and hardy here; the N and VdB = not sure yet. My plants are all too young to figure out what is really going to work here, though the VdB died to the ground twice so, for now, it’s inside. Diagrams are nice. The Negronne doesn’t seem as hardy as the Atreano but I haven’t yet owned it a year…who knows? (Side point: fig grafting is in my future either way.) Thanks again.
I think so too. Like Mt Etna’s are OK for most in warmer zones, they come from colder places and here they really ripen to a wonderful fig. I think they are better here than out west. Atreano is very productive for a large sized fig, One reason I grafted unto it was it’s extreme vigor. My plant is so young too, I may change my mind as many get better with age. I have no plans to remove it.
The Atreano in my little orchard had a sucker from last year; it didn’t look so good plus the main plant is only 2.4 feet tall…didn’t need the competition, so I says, cut it. Then I find that it’s green in at least the lower portion so I trimmed it down and stuck it some kind of garden mix and it immediately started to leaf out…not good…zero roots. I could cut the leaves off to help it root better (?)…maybe it’s too late. I do keep a jar over it almost all the time, for high humidity. I think this is a watch and learn scenario for me.
Also, I pulled up my twice dead-to-the-gound VdB and stuck it in a pot. It needs to go back out…getting leggy, not getting enough direct sun. It had several dead stems but they didn’t seem to have separate roots so I removed the stems and left the roots as-is. Sure enough now I have ONE, Two, three, units that still probably shouldn’t be separated. Maybe I should chop the smaller ones?
I signed up in a major fig forum as Feegaro (nice, eh?) and I intend to end up with figs at some point.
Baby Atreano
Indoor VdB(s)
