What do you think got yours?
Maybe I’ll take the almost ready ones off before it gets dark.
ETA I just switched from bat deterrent lights to racoon deterrent predator sounds.
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I’m not sure. It was a neat little quarter-inch hole through both layers. It didn’t look like what a bird would do, too small for a squirrel, too wrong for ants, which I’ve had problems with before. We have lizards, but I can’t see one climbing up 3-4 feet to tear a little hole in the netting to chew on the fig.
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What a cutie!
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I was afraid of that. Definitely raccoon(s). The problem with raccoons is they become more determined and remember where they get food, returning. Maybe the predator sounds will work, but don’t be surprised if they get used to it over time. A motion-activated light and noise may be more startling to them, vs. a constant sound mix. They get very determined,
Please be careful regarding rabies. Raccoons are major carriers and handling anything that has been in their mouth is risky. I wouldn’t handle those bags bare-handed. The rabies virus does die/expire once completely dried out for some time.
Sounds like mouse or rat thievery. Both are adept at climbing and generally do so at night.
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Recommendations for fertilizer for fig plants? I have about a dozen potted fig plants, and a few in ground. I tried a basic fruit tree fertilizer this year. Would compost work? Like the black cow stuff I can get at Lowe’s?
Some of the trees struggled this year and had a lot of fruit but they did not ripen. Some did well. It’s my second year trying with figs so they are relatively young but robust, if that makes sense? I live in the Northern Virginia area not too far from D.C. This summer has been close to a drought, in my opinion.
Admittedly, I also did not prune as well as I should have last season so this year I will be diligent to prune. 
So…I guess I shouldn’t re-use the bags. 
“The Guardian” indicates the predator sounds are for racoons, and my neighbor finds the sounds impressive! She’s been having minor deer issues, so maybe it will help with that. This morning there seems to be no new damage.
“Oh there you are. More, please!”
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Hmm. we accidentally brought some mice when we moved here (great horned owl fixed it) and we had some packrats about ten years ago, but I was thinking we’d gotten rid of the rodents. Of course I’m probably wrong, they could come in from the alley under the gate. I’ll have to be on the lookout for signs of them. Thanks for your assessment.
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I read conflicting information online, and our growing conditions are different, but diligence and fig trees don’t seem to go together. At least some of them grow in pretty rugged conditions. OTOH, while mine gets by with little pruning nd no feeding, it could probably do better.
I like this site
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Living in the wildland interface has demonstrated the ever increasing need for the critted’s food. This year the bears are way early and in bigger numbers for their fall migration. They are hungry. The huckleberry harvest was early too, and the bruins were caught short. The whitetails producecd more fawns and have mowed down anything within reach. I seriously am contemplating doing away with the fenced vegetable patch and going with deck containers and limiting my planting. The native plants that didn’t use to be on their munch list are now being chewed to the roots.
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My new fig didn’t bear fruit. I want it to last over the winter, so I’ll move it to a garage to go dormant once it dips to zero °C at night. I found this interesting
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/25/371184053/why-bury-fig-trees-a-curious-tradition-preserves-a-taste-of-italy#:~:text="It’s%20been%20done%20for%20years,cold%20climate%20of%20the%20Northeast.
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I used to live in Fairfax County, VA. For figs, a general all-purpose fertilizer with relatively even analysis numbers, like 10-10-10, 15-15-15, etc. should work well. Once or twice a month, when you have NOT applied the above for a while, give the trees some Cal-Mag. Cow manure can help supply these nutrients, but at a lower level and slower release. The main issue is not causing root disease by burying the roots deeper, adding manure as a top-dressing. I’m guessing an inch deep would be fine, maybe spread closer to the pots’ edges, away from the main stem.
Most figs produce their first crop, Breba, from last year’s new growth. Whatever you prune off now will not bear fruit next year. In Virginia, the season is usually too short to get a second, main crop, which forms on the current year’s growth. So, I’d plan on minimal pruning. Protect this year’s new growth from temperatures below about 8-10°F (-13–12°C). Temperatures in this range will usually kill off the younger, fruit-bearing branches and/or fruit buds.
We are in a full scale drought here, unprecedented. It started in April. I’m about two hours south of NoVA. Trees are defoliating, creeks are dry. The soil is dry more than three feet down. Dogwood trees look like they’re dying. Corn has failed in many places. I’m glad I chose minimal plantings this year. The usual large garden would require around 300–500 gallons of water per day in conditions like this.
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Are those true Yams (Dioscorea) or Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea)? Fewer folks around here (USA) grow Yams these days, with Sweet Potatoes having largely replaced them.
There are wild Yams growing around here, Dioscorea polystachya, the Chinese Yam or Cinnamon Vine. It’s quite invasive and the tuber, to my taste, is inferior to the African Yams. The Chinese Yam tubers are also very hard to dig here, requiring a 3-5 foot excavation to retrieve the main tuber!
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whoa!
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Best wishes for getting through your drought! How would you approach watering watering in-the-ground figs in places were it doesn’t typically rain from say April to November? Would it change your approach to fertilizing?
I planted figs because I figured they would be fairly low maintenance here, but even one that grows on a nearby bike path looks more lush. It grows just outside a yard, so maybe it gets some help.
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Chinese Yam.
Invasive is putting it mildly. And thirsty as fuck.
For some reason the UC websites don’t have much on watering figs in hot, arid climates, or the links dead end
This discussion on “Our Figs” helps.
It occurs to me that the tree in the picture just above grows within 20 feet of a seasonal stream.
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