advice about figs - breba or not?
muddlethru
5 years ago
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Comments (7)
muddlethru
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Breba vs overwintered figs
Comments (10)Breba figs arise from dormant buds that form late in the previous growing season. They overwinter if your winters are not too severe, then start to "pop" just as the terminal leaf buds start to break dormancy, or perhaps, just before those foliage buds start to grow. Many of these brebas will drop off, especially if the terminal leaf bud is present. It has seemed to me that the brebas are more likely to grow if the terminal bud has been removed, but I have not thoroughly tested this theory. I suspect that auxins (plant growth hormones) sometimes inhibit the growth of brebas, at least in some varieties. In most years my Celeste loses ALL of its brebas. Desert King is good for holding on to its brebas. That is real good because the next or main crop will likely not ripen without pollination since it is a "San Pedro" cultivar....See MoreThis fig's first breba crop
Comments (16)Gene, I have a Brunswick a.k.a. Magnolia, that I just got from Paradise Nursery so I hope it's the real thing. Most of the figs I see around the city seem to be 'Brown Turkey' or 'Celeste' but I've seen some very elegant-looking figs with very narrow lobes that I think must be 'Magnolia'. I've always wanted this one, not for the fruit, but primarily as a foliage plant. If it produces figs, that's a bonus (but I planted it in a spot that I know will probably be too shady for good fig production). I also have another from Paradise, 'Violetta' or 'Negronne' or something like that, that has deeply lobed leaves and small, very dark figs that are supposed to be especially tasty. This one is still in a pot--it's not supposed to be one of the hardier ones, and I've just run out of places to plant it! I have one other fig, that I grew from a cutting from a friend in Beltsville. He has no idea what kind it is; the figs are light colored (sort of a yellowish brown) and tasty. It was planted by a previous owner and grows huge--it seems to be very hardy, although he said a cold winter will be cut it to the ground every ten years or so. I've had this one in a pot for about 3 years, and just planted it in the ground this spring. Yes, that's 5 figs in a small urban lot (although one is still in a pot)--as I said, I hope to narrow them down to just a couple of favorites before they take over! Feel free to send me a private email--I enjoy showing off my garden, and would love to see your figs sometime....See MoreZumwalt Breba Ripened Fig Pictures
Comments (9)Well Jose the wait was worth it. I give the Zumwalt/Desert King breba figs high marks and I would rate it a 9 out of 10. The fig has a pleasant melon flavor and the skin is tender. I only had 6 breba since I have always heavily pruned my Zumwalts to share with friends. Now that I understand that the breba are the best crop I don't plan on pruning my Zumwalt this fall or spring. I did prune this tree this past spring and I have several young plants. I picked the first breba fig from the Zumwalt too early but I gave the others a couple extra days after I thought they were ripe. I couldn't find a yard stick to lean against my tree so I asked my youngest son who is 5'6" to stand next to it. By the way I gave this tree to my son 3 years ago....See MoreMain Crop Figs or Brebas? (with pics)
Comments (11)Such lovely pix of main crop "figlets" on your Hardy Chicago! Hardy Chicago can produce a light breba crop as plant gets larger. I find that most brebas fall off when they reach a certain size. The loss/removal of the terminal bud seems to enhance the chances of the breba fig remaining on the branch. Interesting that this is NOT an issue with my Desert King. Of course, with that one it is the main crop figs which normally drop off because they require pollination (caprification) in most cases in order to persist and ripen. The brebas do NOT require pollination. This type of fig tree is known as a "San Pedro" type....See MoreMoses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomuddlethru
5 years agoeboone_gw
5 years agomuddlethru
5 years agoeboone_gw
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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