Grow in full sun for best sweet fruit. Trunk may need protection from sunburn. Can be grown in containers or planted with barrier. If in a pot, shade the containers from sun or paint them white. Figs are huge trees. Can be pruned to keep size down. Prune in autumn after harvest. Fruits forms on second year wood so hard winter pruning sacrifices next years crop. Propagate from dormant cuttings of newish growth 30cm long.
Figs need regular deep watering, however water less when fruit has set to prevent splitting.
It is best to remain conservative with fertilising to reduce massive foliage growth- fertilise only if the branches grew less than a foot during the previous year.
BLACK GENOA
Large fruit, purple skin and deep red flesh. rich sweet flavor, best suited for fresh eating. Vigorous and productive, is grown commercially, fruits early in season, maturing before Brown Turkey.
CELESTE
Small fig with light brown/ violet skin and strawberry pulp. Pyriform with tapering neck. Small, closed eye. The eye remains green until the fig is almost ripe (unlike Brown Turkey) Pale bark. Beautiful tree.Good variety for container.
PERSIAN PROLIFIC
Prolific tree, mid season fruit, light purple skin and light brown fruit.
PRESTON PROLIFIC
Very thick flesh, creamy white and juicy, with sweet flavour. Extremely vigorous. Late season.
BLACK MISSION
Large crops of medium to large fruits. Purple/black dropping fruits, strawberry-coloured flesh, excellent quality good for drying. Breba crop Very large tree and fruits better if not pruned when mature. Mid season fruit.
CONADRIA
Vigorous and productive. Good quality. Tolerates heat and drought.
Fruit pale green, medium, flesh strawberry red. Mildly sweet. Good fresh or dried. More productive than Adriatic but of lesser quality. Light breba crop. Tree vigorous, tends to growth excessively when irrigated
DEANNA
A medium to large, golden yellow fig with strawberry pulp. Breba crop.
WHITE ADRIATIC
Early fig. Fruits well in a range of climates. Mid season. Medium fruit, brownish-green skin and pink flesh. Great fresh or for jam. Italian variety. Light breba crop. Leafs out early so subject to frost damage. Spreading tree, likes a prune to force new growth.
VARDOULIS ?
SURPRISE ?
TONY’S ? Assumably named after the late Tony Stevens of the SA Rare Fruit Society.
ZIDI
Tunsian variety
TENA
Small, skin is light green, flesh amber. Good flavour fresh or dried. Breba crop. Bears heavily. Tree strong, dense.
FLANDERS
Medium, long neck, skin is brownish yellow with violet stripes, flesh amber. Good strong flavour. Excellent all-purpose fruit. Breba crop. Ripens late. Tree vigorous but requires no great pruning.
EXCEL
Medium to large fruit no neck and block shaped. Light greenish-yellow skin, amber inside, very sweet. It is excellent for fresh fruit, preserving or drying- high sugar content. Doesn’t split. Mid season. Vigorous tree.
BROWN TURKEY
Early variety of fig, dark brown /purple skin, pink juicy sweet rich flesh, best eaten fresh. Good for inland dry conditions. Long crop- good for backyard. Small for a fig tree. Berba crop, prune back hard for main crop.
BLUE PROVINCE
Rare fig, Grown in Australia- early 1900’s. Blue / violet skin, blue flesh, red seeds, very soft and sweet. Mid to late season.
WHITE GENOA
Good for cooler areas. Yellow green skin and orange flesh, mild flavour.
