You may be right, as you can see even back then i was confused! I did have a fig tree as a house plant, but it doesn’t really count. I don’t think it was an edible kind anyway.
I have since eliminated your plants btw, I needed to cut some, and they didn’t make it. Well I still have one, it’s being cut this fall. I still have the cuttings fruitnut sent that rooted. I eliminated one of them, keeping the others.
I respect you as an accomplished grower Drew. I’ve got strong opinions on FMV though, based on my successes and failures.
I took some pictures today of one of my first and favorite varieties, Barnisotte. I got cuttings from the USDA in 2007, this is an original tree. It started out with some pretty severe FMV, but I planted it in the ground and the symptoms got better. I sent cuttings from a vigorous sucker to Art on F4F (he sells cuttings on eBay sometimes under artamyconnor if anyone is interested), and I heard back from him that his plants had no symptoms, which is really what clued me in. It has been through some tough times (I even left it out over winter once in a container after I dug it back up), so you can’t really tell that it is 12 years old. It has had decent vigorous growth recently after dying back 2 or 3 winters ago.
As another example, a tree I bought from Bass about 8 years ago. It came with symptoms and did basically nothing it’s first year, but in the second it kicked out a vigorous asymptomatic sucker that grew to about 5 ft. and i pruned away the older growths. I have not done any serious pruning since then, it is pushing 8ft. but only grows a few inches a year on something like 40 branches. It reliably produces an early condensed crop of figs for me, so I have just left it alone
But 2 years ago I saw symptoms return on a couple lower branches, this year the highest symptomatic branch is at about 4 ft. The top branches remain asymptomatic as they always were, and are producing better.
@alanmercieca this is what necrotic spots on figs look like.
The problem is that a lot of people think that they have FMV when they probably don’t, so it can be very hard to know who to trust to get cuttings and plants from. If the fruit shows signs of FMV as well as the plant, or if a plant is tested to have FMV then it’s obvious. There are some people who have symptoms of FMV in a fig tree of theirs and their tree bears lots of fruit eventually, the figs look normal, the tree looks normal, and their trees eventually grow like weeds/stop looking dwarf. Unless some major FMV testing is done on every tree that shows any FMV like symptoms it will be lots of confusion. I find that most people who have grown fig trees with FMV like symptoms/yet don’t want fig trees with FMV only worry about the very obvious signs like fruit deformity, sick looking trees, fig bud mite infestations, that sort of thing.
Like the trees I showed above though, you might be forced to prune eventually and delay the crop. And there is no guarantee that pruning will remedy the stunted growth. Another tree I have from the USDA has never made a healthy leaf, it’s one more potential problem, I’ve got enough of those already.
Thanks, I have only seen what they look like on ripe or nearly ripe fruit, I forget how ripe, it was so many years ago. Photos on F4F.
The only Etna type of fig I have is ‘Dominick’ from Jim Cooper, it has never shown any signs of FMV, in case you might want a Etna type without any signs of FMV. It grows so well that it has been compared to an elm tree.
Hmmmm, maybe heat treatment followed by tissue culturing, do you think that might rid of FMV?
I have had few problems with infected trees. Well when young it’s hard to get them going. If they really have the virus? I don’t know? I assume they all have it and call it a day. I never ever seen necrotic fruit.
There are some tissue culture techniques that are documented to be very effective at getting rid of some viruses on their own. The most effective from what I understand are called “regeneration”, with various methods such as “embryogenesis”, “organogenesis”, and others I’m sure. Basically what they do is take something like a section of leaf and set it on tissue culture media that has certain growth hormones which make it form callus tissue, then they use a different hormones to make that callus form seed-like structures that will each become a new plant. The problem with that is it reverts the plant back to a juvenile form, and can potentially cause mutations. Based on my early experience buying TC figs I think that is what agristarts did originally, because the plants grew like seedlings with lots of suckers. I’m just making an educated guess though.
When I tried TC on figs the callus at the bottom kept turning brown from enzymes, it was a PITA to keep cutting it off and transferring them to new media.
Thank you for the information on FMV and tissue culture. Your comment gives me hope! I got my first fig plant in 1998. It was a symptom-free potted (1-gal.) cutting. Although it has undergone quite a few periods of stress since then, it has never shown any sign of FMD. So I’m relatively sure (shy of having it lab tested) that it’s FMV-free. The man I got it from lost track of the plant’s origins, but thinks it’s a Celeste of some kind; the fruit is abundant and tastes like strawberry jam when it’s fully ripe. It’s an incredible fig!
I also got a Violette de Bordeaux from the same man (another 1-gal. cutting, no symptoms), and I’d like to round out my collection with maybe 3 others (to lengthen the fig harvest season and broaden the variety of tastes). But where do I turn? Other than the one man I’ve gotten these from, I’m finding precious few references to FMV-free cuttings. Hopefully one day I can get a Craven’s Craving from Padsfan, since he said the mother tree appeared to have no FMV.
What other sources are there? How can I locate tissue-culture’d plants that are FMV-free?
And does anyone know of any efforts to expand the availability of different varieties that are FMV-free? I’d love to add Hative d’Argenteuil to my collection, but every source I’ve come across has the rote disclaimer about being exposed to FMV. If it’s something that’s being done in labs, surely someone’s trying to develop FMV-free versions of the most popular varieties?! Black Mission, etc.
tissue-culture can not guarantee FMV free all by it’s self, it just lessons the chance of FMV, FMV tests are very expensive so most people would not test their plants, which is the only way to know if a fig tree has FMV, unless a fig tree is so sick that it’s obvious.
I myself don’t care about FMV infection. My figs do great even though many are infected. Since I have a few I know for sure are infected I list the disclaimer on all my sales. Also CC is not free of the virus. I got mine directly from padsfan. The plant has a mild case. It’s possible fig mites spread it here, but to think a California plant does not have it is naive. IMO trying to develop FMV free plants is futile. Most figs are sold in the warmer west coast states. Which is where they soon will be reinfected. Just like we have to learn to live with viruses so do figs. Neither virus is going away anytime soon.
I have this plant and it’s hard to grow without grafting it. It has a weak root system. I managed to root it but it took two seasons for it to start growing fairly well. A very slow grower on its own roots. I prefer non grafted figs in my cold environment. I have lost top growth from unexpected freezes. Super happy to have this plant! Yes!! Badly FMV infected no doubt.
If you live in California and don’t spray weekly for mites, I’m not sure how you can keep plants virus free? I try not to get plants or cuttings from California. Although at times cannot be accomplished. Fig mites is the vector for the virus and they cannot survive our winters. Although I do spray for mites once a year.
I do know people who want only clean plants, but that is so limiting for me it doesn’t work for me.
Many of the Pons figs which made there way here are infected. It seems any old fig orchard like Pons, or Thierry’s place have infected plants. UCD is a great example also.
I think I would be more cautious of fmv in LA. The mite lives on feral fig trees so if there are lots in your area a bird or the wind will probably bring the mite in sooner or later. Any trees in your yard with bad symptoms can then pass them to the others. Here as long as I quarantine and treat all new plants and cuttings for the mite I don’t have to worry about FMV spreading. Although, if you have had a fig tree for 20+ years and never saw anything that looked like FMV, it sounds like you do not have the mite in your area either since mite symptoms are very similar to FMV symptoms.
Agristarts is the only company I know that is producing TC trees, you could try asking them about their process and if they have tested them. I remember in their description of petite negra they said that they did test it do be sure it was negative because that variety has a unique leaf shape or something. But it doesn’t look like they sell PN anymore, so I can’t show that to you… Wellspring gardens sells TC plants retail.
I’ve also gotten very healthy plants and cuttings from hermansur on ebay. Only one cutting out of hundreds ever showed any symptoms. hermansur on eBay
It certainly can be difficult getting healthy plants, particularly among collectors a high percentage will show symptoms and or carry the mite. Many of the people growing, and even selling, figs are new to plants and the mite is a very difficult pest to detect and manage so it is a serious problem within the community.
Drew, as I said: I’ve been growing my oldest fig plant since about 2000, and have made multiple cuttings from it and grown the cuttings. I live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. And never has even one of these plants shown any signs of Fig Mosaic. They’ve been through periods of stress (new cuttings, not enough water, etc.). So what do these 20 years of factual experience mean? “Naive” just doesn’t fit.
And with labs developing techniques that look promising, I have hope that I can expand my collection very slowly and judiciously. I’d like to add maybe 3 more varieties. I may have to wait 5 years and be very selective in who I buy from, but so be it.
I have seen what I suspect was FMD in a Violette de Bordeaux cutting someone gifted me. (I had no idea that they were simultaneously giving me a “hidden gift”).
I grew that cutting in a terra cotta pot. Once it began sprouting misshapen leaves I threw the plant (soil and all) into the trash, soaked the pot 5 times in bleach-based kitchen spray, and let it sit in the hot summer sun between treatments. And even after all that, I’m still not going to grow another fig in that pot! (Maybe a mulberry.) I learned about FMV as a result of that experience. But (if indeed that was FMV) it didn’t spread. Fortunately I hadn’t ever used my pruners on the suspect Violette de Bordeaux. It hadn’t gotten large enough to prune. I’ve never seen signs of mites on my fig plants either. Except for the VdB, they’ve all been perfectly healthy year after year.
The main thing I’m trying to say here is that I think it’s likely that many people can grow FMV-free fig trees, depending on some variables. I have control over some of the variables (e.g., how many plants I obtain, which sources I choose, & how I isolate one plant from another – including how I use my snippers). And there are factors that I can’t control (whether mites are invading my neighborhood, whether one of my suppliers lied or was clueless about their plants and FMV.)
I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with FMV. I wouldn’t like dealing with it any more than I already have. Hopefully, with science and labs continuing to work on this issue, it will get easier for us. Whether that will help people who’ve already invested in a collection of 20, 30 or more varieties, and who want to keep trading/selling from their FMV-infected collection … that might be disappointing.
It’s no big deal, nothing to deal with. . I stand by what I said. I have yet to see a mature tree display symptoms even if badly infected. I would not exchange cuttings with you of anything I could get elsewhere. You live in the hot zone, where FMV free trees are a very rare thing. You have the mite, you have the virus. I would trade but only for known infected cultivars. Plants like VdB are mostly free of the virus in most other parts of the country. Mine is very clean. I love these black figs too. My favorite is Fort Mill Dark. Very vigorous better flavor than VdB and produces a very large breba crop.
I recently have added a bunch from California, as you also have the fig wasp! Which is beyond cool. I have a number of new seedlings discovered like Exquisito, La Joya, Surge Unk, , Thermalito, Valley Black, Honey Plum, Cherry Bourbon, and Rodgrod . I need a couple more, and I’m all set. So I do trade enough with Californians like Doug and Eric. Some of the new cultivars appear to have it, oh well, never stopped me from eating the fantastic figs from these very rare plants.
Thank you for the sources, Brent! I found that Raintree Nursery is doing some heat treating and tissue culture also. Here’s an example: Lattarula Fig — Raintree Nursery
“This variety is grown from tissue culture and has been heat-treated to significantly reduce the presence of Fig Mosaic Virus”.
Thanks for posting these pictures. They’re helpful.
How’s the La Joya? I have one but it’s still small and did not produce this year.
Mine had a few fruit. It’s hard to judge young trees. Fruit was OK not great but it is young.
You can ask them, but I think they’d just buy them from agristarts. That is a variety agristarts sells, and they are only a buck or 2 each when you buy a flat so it wouldn’t make much sense for raintree to spend all the startup money to do it themselves.
Maybe it is a clue about the process agristarts uses though. It would be a very simple addition to a protocol that would all but assure that they didn’t run into problems with symptoms further down the line. The average person won’t buy a sick looking plant, so retail nurseries would not accept them.
