This is something I’ve stumbled upon.
The Gus #1 and #2 were sent from the “same tree”. But I can tell half of them look like Mt. Etna and half have totally different leaf shapes. So far they still remain distinct from each other. I ask him to check to see if he has two trees mixed together and he could not spot another tree.
It is going to take me a couple of years to tell if they are from the same tree. They are just so different.
Ok, I see what you are talking about now. That is for sure a different variety.
I picked the first ripe figs from this Reservoir clone today.
Looks like I got to it at just the right time- only one fig went bad, even with the recent rain (maybe 10" of rain in one day from Ida last week).
I haven’t checked the original mother plant for a few days, but when I last looked there didn’t seem to be any close to ripe. I wonder if the 10 pounds of brebas set the main crop back by a bit.
I got a few ripe ones from another close at a different property almost a week ago. It was also planted in July 2019, but is much smaller at maybe 4’, unlike the ~10’ monster from the above pic.
Have we figured out what this variety is? Or close to? Some kind of Celeste?
No idea, other than it is in the Mt Etna family. I’m still planting more of them because of how productive and hardy it is. In terms of fruit quality, I’ve had better, but none of those better figs produced more than a few. And Reservoir can still be pretty good. Far better than what I’ve gotten in the grocery store.
It looks like the Breba crop didn’t delay things by more than a few days. In the last 2 days, I’ve gotten about a quart of fruit from the original plant.
WOW… You folks are all so impressive, with your fig propagation and how fast they start fruiting!!!
I’m extremely jealous… I want to be as good at you some day!
I love figs, and only lately have become aware they can ever be grown in America! (Somehow always thought they were on par with dates… though I suppose folks are growing those somewhere, too!)
Anyway, thanks for sharing all the information!
I’ve got a bunch set on my tree from the cuttings you sent last year. Hopefully they’ll ripen soon!
Most of my success came from realizing that not each would take and to start a bunch of cuttings. Maybe some people get it to work each time, but not me. My success rate has improved, but I’m not worried about getting it much higher, at least for cuttings I have easy access to. For example, I just shoved a bunch of cuttings into the ground and pots last week after pruning a Black Bethlehem. I’m interested to see if it works, but it won’t bother me much if it doesn’t.
In terms of early fruiting, that is just a characteristic of figs. And size of plant is quite site dependent. Of two Reservoir figs planted one day apart in July 2019, one is well over 10’, while the other is only about 4.
Wow, that is quite a difference between 10 and 4 feet!!
And that’s great advice about “do lots, and see what lives”!!! That’s a philosophy I can get behind!!
Where my sister and I built our “house over shop”, we made a gray water drain which creates a small, semi-swampy, run at the end fo the pipe there, and we’ve discovered that area is perfect for rooting cottonless-cottonwood and willow cuttings. I’ve tried a rose there (not having a huge success with the rose, I’m thinking of trying an air layer with that, when I get my mind around to it)
But now I’m excited about the possibilities of just having a small “rooting orchard” there, and how many other kinds of tree might work!
I"m thinking of giving it a try with some twigs off the ancient apple tree by mom and dad’s house. Might take! 
It’s so consistantly wet… with every time we rinse garden vegetables or wash the milk pails; seems to be a big factor in success with the cuttings.
That sounds great for willows, but it would probably be too wet for figs, and a lot of other cuttings. Figs in particular are sensitive too much moisture when rooting.
It’s figs are nothing like Celeste for sure.
Hmm… interesting!
I’ll have to keep all that in mind… gotta find a balance, I suppose.
Of course, I just two few ripe figs from a Reservoir that I planted 2.5 months ago and grew from a cutting last year, so sometimes you get lucky. The figs were pretty good too.
At the same time, I got this from the mother plant:
I picked my first ripe one today! No picture, I ate it too fast. Thanks Bob
Is that what is called a closed eye? Can’t tell some look fully closed others don’t
Open or closed refers to whether on not there is a passage to an interior cavity. To really tell, you need to cut the fig in half through the eye.
And some just have a solid interior. So from left to right: solid interior, open eye, partly closed eye.
And then here is a mixture of tightly closed and solid.
Thank you makes it easier, didn’t realize there were actually three types. What variety is the top picture if I might ask
There are 2 Longue d’Aout on the right, and a seedling of LdA that I grew on the left.
LdA usually has an open eye, and bugs can be a problem. But it also produces syrup that can block the eye, or in the fall sometimes it is more like a resin.
Bottom pic from left to right is : Barnisotte, That all (Sicilian) Red, Adriatic JH, Negretta, Easton Purple, and either Aubique Petite or Nero 600m.
@ BobVance
What is the common weight of the figs? Like 30 grams or so? I assume all the figs are not protected from birds etc…
That’s a good guess- I’ll be sure to measure next year.
Nope- I’ve never tried to net the figs or protect them from anything. Ants and wasps seem to cause the most damage.
The extra late season figs from all varieties are much smaller. I’ve been picking any of the leftovers which sag (indication of at least some ripeness) off the leafless plants. Not great, but not much worse than grocery store figs…
While I got some Black Bethlehem yesterday, I got some Reservoir figs at a different rental about a week ago. The original reservoir ripened almost 100% of it’s figs, but this younger Reservoir at a different location had some left, either due to age, or because it is in only half sun (West side of building- you can see a non-astringent persimmon and a MVB fig to the right in the pic).
I’m planning to cut some wood soon before the cold really hits. Anyone want Reservoir or Black Bethlehem cuttings?
