Another thing that might be causing it is the tree may have not been ready for a large crop last year, last year one of our fig trees had a much lower quality crop than the year before, the weather last year was much better than the year before, the only two differences I could think of that might of made the figs worst, one I heavily pruned the fig tree, and two it was it’s first time having a large crop. Both can hurt the quality of the fruit.
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Well if you thinned the fruit it wouldn’t be a large crop. With other fruit you have to thin early to benefit much so I would need to know if you’ve ever done that to evaluate your judgement on whether it could be helpful.
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Yes although what I was trying to point out is that, it’s only a problem when the tree is not ready to have a large crop, I am trying to compare to lets say to some types of trees that always need to be thinned to have decent fruit, as a fig tree ages if it does not get too much damage or stress each year it should produce figs with less trouble than the year before.
I’ve been harvesting figs from my trees for about 20 years and last season was the first this was a problem- so my understanding was the same as yours. Now you suggest that the first year a fig tree sets a large crop the fruit can be bland and last year my tree set the heaviest crop in ratio to leaf it has ever set and for the first time the fruit was bland. Maybe this will be the last time this happens, but it seems to be setting a heavy crop again.
My trees have gotten quite large and are in in-ground bags, so every year when I dig them up they lose a lot of their functioning root system. This is massive rootpruning which is a practice that tends to inspire heavy cropping at the expense of vegetative growth. The bags are the same size as they ever were but the trees keep getting bigger.
I now think we may have figured out the source of my problem.
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Iin Solliés-Pont France all of their Violet Solliès trees beyond a certain age have over 500 figs a year, and most of the figs are not bland. The bland ones get used in processed foods. Some varieties of fig trees can be more fussy than others under the same conditions so it can be very hard to figure out a problem some of the time. Like we have a fig tree that has been in the ground for 5 years, it’s in it’s 6th season. It has not had one ripe fig yet when lots of other people get crops within 2 years with it. I am starting to think it’s more infected with FMV than other people have it, yet I will try and give it a few more years chance.
Yes I think we may have figured it out, the in ground bags, it’s a known fact that some fig trees do better in pots and grow bags then others, I myself have tasted a many bland figs from potted fig trees, that alone can do it. I myself plant fig trees in the ground before they produce figs so I have no idea if the figs are better when they are not root pruned, yet I’d imagine that at least with some fig trees that may cause a problem on fig quality. What time of year do you root prune because it takes about 2 weeks for a fig tree to just adjust to being transplanted. What percentage of the roots would you say you prune?
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I really wouldn’t be able to tell what percentage of roots without making a science project of it, but a significant part of the functioning root system grows out of the bags during the season into the very rich soil surrounding them. I’m sure you know what active growers healthy fig trees are and how fast they can grow roots.
At any rate, I’m thinning fruit on about a third of the tree- even if they are the only sweet figs during the main ripening time, it will be enough for me and my wife. Last year the first and last ripening figs were fine, it was the main crop that was bland.
Are you saying that the fig tree has 3 crops a year? Sometimes the 2nd crop of a fig tree can have a pause and then start again.
Were they pasty? Sign of not enough roots/underwatering is pasty figs…Would also be worse during hot weather. I’ve noticed that heat is not always the best for figs, they ripen faster but are less sweet and flavorful, the interiors are also not as dark.
I think that the soil, climate and the roots are a deciding factor in that, Like in Malta, Sicily and Greece that does not seem to be the case. That reminds me of something, in a book that I was reading that has a short entry about figs in it, it says that it’s not good to keep a central trunk on a fig tree, that helps to basically steam the tree, if the center of the area where the vegetation is can breath the figs are better, and the tree suffers way less. Also in any sort of pot hot dry weather makes for bland figs because of the additional watering, especially if they are watered in the sun light, that steam cooks the roots.
Here’s the fig I maybe should have thinned. The set is so heavy the branches are pulled down reducing light exposure of the leaves. I think quality will be good but not great based on the first fig I ate yesterday.
Then I have one fig growing bananas, in a bag no less, how convenient…!!.
In the bottom pic the tree on the right has a big crop but nothing like the one on the left in terms of lbs of figs per unit of leaf area. A huge crop can reduce quality on figs just like on anything else. Figs usually don’t overset to that degree.
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I’m surprised a tree that size has so many figs, interesting to see that. What variety is it?
Strawberry Verte on the left, Luv on the right.
I just read that Strawberry Verte likes to produce heavy in a small tree, that is just the way it is, that is normal for it. On the branches that are weighing down, remove the two top, well in this case the two figs on the bottom of each of those branches and see what happens. That should be good enough I think.
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I think it’s too late to thin. I should have started two months ago to do any good.
The important thing is to not let the branches break, pruning could lower the quality of the fruit, or even cause some of the fruit still on to abort. Do you think you could support the heavier branches with something, are these in a greenhouse? They look like they are indoors to me.
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Is it 10 gallons pot for Strawberry Verte?
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It’s in my greenhouse in a 10 gallon pot.
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Hi fruitnut
Would you consider these fig plants did not get enough water? Or you did this on purpose?
Thanks
No I"m not, I’m saying the first figs to ripen were sweet and then many figs starting ripening at once and were bland and then the last to be harvested were sweet again.
I’m not sure what you are getting at. My potted figs are watered daily.