Ate some figs from our potted tree today and also found figs swelling on our 2nd season in ground tree today. Had zero die back in ground with minimal protection.
The depth and darkness of the interior color really seems much darker than my HC types also. Same Ripening time as my RDB, Celeste, Little Ruby.
RLBV seems to be the earliest MT Etna type, but the pictures I see online look like a lighter red interior to me.
Is there an earlier MT Etna then RLBV?
Thank you!
In ground tree starting to swell figs:
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That is a nice looking fig… looks similar to my Chicago Hardy.
TNHunter
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Is your hardy Chicago ripening already? I have a hardy Chicago (no swelling figs yet) too and never thought of the two been same before. I’m guessing it’s a MT Etna type, it seems to be my earliest one.
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I rooted a cutting from my CH fig… and gave it to my sister… they planted it and this is year two for theirs in ground. They were getting nice sized ripe figs last week…
My original CH Fig is loaded with figs… 10 shoots averaging 9 ft tall now… with figs at each leaf node…
But none have ripened yet.
This makes me wonder if I restricted my tree to less shoots… 6 instead of 10… if it would ripen those sooner.
Probably harvest less total fruit… but may start ripening them a few weeks earlier.
TNHunter
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Thanks for the info. I have the two growing next to each other so I’ll end up comparing over the next several weeks, and posting pictures I’m sure.
I’ve never restricted any of my figs, I just let them grow the way they want to. Some die back, some don’t. My mystery is 3 years old from a cutting I rooted in the pictures above. Maybe I should look into thinning shoots on some other varieties.
My in ground CH fig… will send up 16-20 shoots each spring… i have been limiting it to 10. It is hard to get good light to any more than 10 shoots even if you stake and pull them like I do.
Those 10 shoots… many will reach 12 ft tall by October… others 9 to 11.
It can push that much growth easily… but with that much growth being pushed and figs developing at each leaf node on those shoots… seems it is taking it longer fully develop and ripen all that fruit. Once they start ripening we get gobs of figs until first hard frost (normally November).
I may experiment some with limiting shoots to 6 or 8 next year…
TNHunter
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I have a half-dozen Mt Etna types in the ground in central NC that are all ripening now. Sometimes relatively younger trees will ripen later than more mature trees. I often also see a fig or two on any given tree that will ripen weeks before the others.
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