I may be wrong but isn't a priming pot (sometimes called a leaf trap) recommended for an external pump that is above water level? I have a Sequel pump (Sequence) and for above ground installations they say you must have a priming pot so that the pump doesn't run dry. I have one on my pump even though it's in a pump house below water level--got it for the extra measure of preventing stuff going through the pump like baby fishes, algae clumps etc. and I am very glad I have it. My check valve is on the output side of the pump because I have a gravity fed system. I also did use a swimming pool pump for a short while last year--real energy hogs! The priming pot and pump were all one unit.

RM, my "Stuttgart" turned out to be a plain leaved green variety! I got it from ebay. Is that where yours came from too? There were two in the package and one of them was rotten when i got it and never came up. Nancy

I live in Southern NJ too In Willingboro to be precise. I know only one cultivar from the common figs that drop part of the crop,and that is Celeste. However it get ripe more than half of the figs that starts with. It looks like you have a Smirna fig,one that need polination by the wasp. If your grandfather lives over sea,Grece Italy Malta,Turkey,or California,that is it,it need polination,if not then is one of those figs that needs a number of years to start producing fruits. I personally do not have the patience to wait. If it did not have ripe figs the third year I get rid of it. I have a small number of cultivars selected for the ability to ripe high quality fruits here in New Jersey. I also have a good number (40) of new cultivar in trial ,to find better varieties,for our climate. If you want to see them or taste them Email me privatelly. Happy Gardening

I have noticed in my area (Hot ol' Texas, US) that when the weather changes from nice, cool, wet type weather very quickly to hot and dry, that I get bud drop. I know that the other thing you might have are itty bitty bugs called thirps. Very hard to see with the nekked eye. They like to hide inside the buds. If you look at a bloomed flower, you would see them waaaaayyy down inside in the throat of the flower. They are kind of a tannish color and about the size of an exclamation mark !! Tiny. Not saying you have this, just one thing to keep your eyes out for.... Hope this helps.