I received 2 cuttings from the same source last spring of Kodota fig. Now on its second year, I noticed these two cuttings have drastically different looking leaves. I read up on the topic and different types of leaves can apparently occur on the same tree, thus making it near impossible to identify the variety using the leaves. However, these are so fundamentally different I wonder if both really are Kadota. So far, each plant have the same leaves throughout, but there aren’t many branches as of yet.
There is always a wide range of variation… FMV and or fig bud mites (first pic?) can also confuse things by adding their own distortions. Pruning and growth rate can make a difference, and look at how different each tree’s internode spacing is… The number and depth of lobes changing is most obvious. But there are other things to look at like the shape of the base of the leaf, texture, overall shape, and color. I see both have some truncate to decurrent leaf bases, and the texture/color looks about the same to me.
The first pic shows vein clearing which is one of the symptoms of FMV. The mites are really hard to detect and don’t always show symptoms but are closely associated with FMV. FMV is not systemic like other plant viruses, so is more reliant on the vector. Thermotherapy is effective in lab experiments and would not be if FMV were systemic, testers have also failed to transfer it mechanically.
There are other viruses but FMV is most commonly associated with symptoms, FLV is thought to be spread by mealy bug, which I’ve never seen feeding on figs but that is another thing to look out for. All figs tested for FBV so far are positive, it has apparently integrated into the genome, is passed to seedlings and is systemic unlike the other fig viruses but only causes symptoms when actively replicating.
Usually FMV symptoms will clear up on most vigorous growths as long as fig bud mites are not there to spread the virus around the plant faster than it can move on its own. If you have wild fig trees in the area chances are you will have to control fig bud mites in the future.
The fig growing community has focused on a single study which found an almost 100% infection rate of trees at Wolfkill and elsewhere in CA. Other studies have shown much lower rates of infection though.
I had no idea there was a specific mite for figs. I hate spider mites and once they take hold, they’re close to impossible to eradicate. However, as far as I can see, no mites exist in the grow room at this time.
You need at least 30x magnification and good lighting (and eyesight) to see them. And unless there is an infestation it is still hard to spot them because they are so small and prefer young leaves which have dense trichomes they hide in. Spiromesifen worked best for me, but the people who sell small quantities on eBay don’t ship to CA and the larger bottles are really expensive and would be 100x what you could probably ever use before it expires. People have had good luck with spinosad, it needs to be reapplied weekly since the residual effect doesn’t last as long. UCD recommends dormant oils and sulfur for fig orchards, there are no pesticides labeled for figs though.
@MockY@hoosierbanana Spectracide Malathion has also worked well for me, specifically on figs cuttings and strawberry plants infested with spider mites. I used to use Azamax (neem concentrate, essentially) but it caused leaf burn even at 1/2 doses.
I should note that the stuff smells like hot garbage when wet so apply it outdoors or in a closed off indoor area with a paint respirator on. This is the one I use.
Eriophyid mites are so much smaller than spider mites that they spend time feeding in closed buds and unripe figs, for that reason it seems to be important for the spray to absorb into the plant for eradication, contact sprays will probably only offer marginal control. Spiromesifen and spinosad are translaminar, so they will kill the mites when they feed even if the spray does not make contact. I’d also opt for a more narrow spectrum miticide since I’ve seen predatory thrip larvae feeding on fig bud mites.
