I gather no one wants to talk about this, but I guess I was right. The leaves are starting to fall off yesterday after turning a golden yellow. I did have a few purple figs fall off today, but I heard them and rescued them for supper tonight!

Yes, you guessed it. I am waiting beside the tree, just expecting something good to happen. LOL

My fig is doing the same. Except mine has some curling on the edges (of leaves) and a black sooty color creeping through the leaves. These leaves DO come off when lightly tugged. I am hoping that this is just part of dormancy and not disease.

I have oiled my figs in the hope to speed up the ripening process. Anyone have any advice for Jroot or me??!

Chops,

My Celeste trees were doing the same before I left Houston almost two weeks ago. The leaves were browning mostly at the tips, while a few started browning within the perimeter of the leaf. Most of the leaves and stems were coated in a powdery black soot. It was much too early/warm for them to be going dormant. I thought it might be rust or another fungus, but didn't have time to attend to them before I left.

This was only happening on the Celeste trees. Those are the only two in the ground. I didn't see any signs of this on the trees in containers. I'll try to call the kid who is watching my trees tonight and find out what the status is.

~james

James,

I'd be interested to know how your tree fares. Let me know when you call home.

I have an Italian Everbearing in a container. I checked my tree again this morning and most of the leaves have this black sooty stuff on them. Is this sooty mold? Many of the leaves also have the reddish-brown color within the perimeter like you've stated. The tree showed no sign of the black stuff a few weeks ago so I'm hoping it's just a function of the cold. We may have had a frost already, the nights have been in the low 40's at the highest and windy.
From where I can see from the fence, my neighbor's inground bush-type fig doesn't seem to show the same signs as mine.

Fortunately, I don't have this black sooty problem. Just nice golden leaves with an occasional brown fleck. Leaves are dropping nicely. Fruit is not ripening though. :)

HI Chops,

I have checked the two Celeste trees in question and they have not gone dormant. The upper two/thirds of the trees are bare, while the lower third still has it's leaves. The tips of the bare branches are blackish in color. I found this in a Q&A on the ND State Univ site:

"That black, sooty stuff is aptly described as "sooty mold." Sooty mold is a charcoal black fungus that appears as a black coating on the surface of leaves, fruits, twigs and the branches of many deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees. This fungus is not pathogenic to plants, but obtains its nourishment from insect honeydew. Honeydew is a sweet, clear, sticky substance secreted by insects, such as aphids, mealybugs, scales and whiteflies. The honeydew drops from the insects to the leaves and twigs. Wind-blown sooty mold spores (seeds) that stick to the honeydew then have a suitable medium for growth. When spores germinate, they send out black fungus strands (mycelial threads) that bring about the discoloration. A heavy coat of black mold may build up on twigs during more than a growing season. To control or prevent sooty mold, control the insects causing the honeydew deposits. The insects have to be in large numbers somewhere, on the infected plants or tree branches overhead. They will not disappear without some intervention on your part."

I have had problems with just about every kind of bug this year. I guess it should be no surprise about the sooty mold. I will try dormant oil once the trees go dormant to see if it helps the situation next year.

~james