The trees they came a one by one

Too bad there isn’t an extra seeded kadota.
Seems that a lot of folks prefer figs with crunchy seeds. Makes for a very interesting piece of fruit. ‘Panache’ is such a fig, with jammy flesh and super crunchy seeds. It’s listed on the all-time favorite DWN taste test winners list.

Yes. But overall, with or without seeds the JSK scores about Kadota in blind taste tests.

LOVE Panache. That was the first fig I ever ate. I have a HUGE Panache tree in my yard. The dang thing was already huge when we bought the house. I severely pruned it back to try to get it in picking height, but it is back up to about 20’ again. I need to buy some sort of pole fruit picker, clipper.

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HQ - How quickly does it grow? We put a 3 ft black mission in the ground last year and it’s the most vigorous grower in my yard so far this year. I thought I left enough room for it–3 ft from fence, 11 feet from nearest tree. Just curious how much I’m going to have to cut it back every year.

Chris, Panache is very vigorous. I have seen them as tall as 30-35’ here in S. California, where they have ideal growing conditions.

I control my height every winter. To do so in temperate climates, cut the whole thing back to 2.5 feet (trunk and all) during January. It will come back vigorously with branch sprouts at that level or lower. Remove any that are less than 1 foot above the ground or graft (if any). Then for every January that follows, cut the plant back to waist high – 3 feet at the most. It will follow with multiple whips that soar into the sky and with a mature root system each will bear 50+ figs in the late summer or fall. The whips are bendable so you can easily harvest upwards by pulling them down towards you. At 5 years of age, the tree should put out about 10 serious whips per year and you will be overloaded with fruit – all of which in your reach.

FYI - I’ve heard many times that Panache fruit develops a poor taste in the traditionally southern states – excluding the majority of Texas.

White Winter Pearmain Apple on M-111 rootstock.

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If I cut this enormous 10 year old fig tree to “waist height” it would take a chain saw and I’d have just a trunk. As it was, when I severely pruned it back 2 years ago, I had no fruit last year. Unfortunately for me, it was not kept small by the previous owners, so, if I want it pickable height, it might succumb to the amount of extremely severe pruning I would need to do at this point. this is a good lesson in how you should keep fruit trees well pruned when they are young. Panache is known to become rather monstrous here in our climate. If you have seen Jon Verdic’s ginormous Panache, you know what I mean, sigh. So, I try to saw off very large branches, and keep it down, but it costs me a season of figs at this point, every time I do this.

The trunk will sprout branches.

If you did it in January at your location you’d have fruits by October. With its root system, the emerging whips will have the diameter of broomsticks. I have no qualms giving this advice for our area – I have dozens of customers who have done this and all with success.

The trunk SHOULD sprout branches, but not always. And I can assure you, I did do this two years ago in January, when the tree was dormant. No fruit that year at all. So, a little hesitant to try, again. The good news is if I have to re-plant a Panache, I have no worries. It is a extremely robust fig cultivar. And, I’d get fruits the next season. And I would have the opportunity to head it right out of the gate, and keep it pruned down. It was well over 20’ when we bought the house. We’ll see how I feel this coming January about taking it down to 3’.

I should have qualified my statement: “with suitable water and nutrients”.

Li Jujube, planted bareroot winter 2014.

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Which is has :slight_smile: In producing years, I have tons of fruit. But, it is a battle to actually get to the fruit, as the Mockingbirds and Thrashers absolutely LOVE fig trees.

Patty,
You and I live less than 3 aeronautical miles apart (I checked). We are at nearly the same elevation and under the same topographic and climatic influences.

In 2012, I had inventory of a Panache Fig in a 5-gallon pot. In spring 2013 I brought it to my present home in Vista CA and transplanted it into a 25 gallon nursery pot.

Please observe the three photos below:

  1. The Panache truncated at 32 inches and transplanted into the ground in February 2015.
  2. The plant in mid-April 2015.
  3. Fruit buds emerging 4/28/2015.

Now since you did not have the same experience in 2013, my question is: what were the possible differences in cultivation techniques?

I would say that since my tree is much older, probably about 10 years old, such severe pruning will affect my tree differently than your very young tree. That would be my guess, Richard.

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In 2007 I was living about 9 aeronautical miles from you in western Rancho Penasquitos, again under nearly the same elevation and topographic, climatic influences.

I had 5 fig trees in the ground ages 5-7 years old. Here I provide pictures of my Janice-Seedless-Kadota Fig in January 2007 and September 2007. At that time it was 7 years old and 10 inch caliper at the base. The harvest from that tree was well over 500 figs, as was the harvest for the others.

It seems that age of tree is likely not a factor in our different experiences. So again I ask, what were the possible differences in cultivation that led to the differing results?

Richard. I water my trees, and fertilize them. I am not sure what the cultivation “differences” might be, between your tree and my tree. All I can tell you is what I experienced - when I severely pruned my Panache, I did not have fruit that next season. Okay??

congrats! that is an heirloom in-the-making. A live one at that. Perhaps only the figs and the mulberry could be a close second or third place in longevity among your trees. Drought or no drought, water rationing or not, and being impervious to fungal/mold/ bacterial/insect infestations(at least in usa), it will outlive just about any other tree in your yard.
will also bear fruit after just 150 hrs of chill time at 44F, just as it will bear fruit after 600 hrs of chill time at -20F, and will also bear fruit during 85F summers, just as it will continue to do so at 120F.

quite certain everyone knows about its virtues, but it sure bears repeating!

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Based on my experience, I believe it’s insufficient.

Izu Persimmon planted bareroot January 2015.

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