Re: Fig tree and bougainvillea...
- To:
- Subject: Re: Fig tree and bougainvillea...
- From: M* &* L* D*
- Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 05:35:56 -0700
From: Janet Blenkinship:
>Our fig tress in Crete naturally thrive and do well, but locals here say
>that they should NOT be watered. I feel sure that I have also read -
>somewhere - that though they do not NEED water they can benefit from some
>summer irrigation. Does anyone know the answer to this one.
In the mid-1990s a University of California researcher investigated the
water use of Black Mission and Calimyrna fig trees. Basically, fig trees
were given different amounts of water (I think relative to reference
evapotranspiration), and then the fruit was evaluated for amount produced
and quality. I can't remember the exact results, but Black Mission trees
could receive a lot of water with a corresponding increases in yield. The
situation for the Calimyrna trees was not so simple or clear cut. I have
some summaries of the results around somewhere; if I find them, I can give
more details.
Traditionally, commercial fig orchards (at least, Calimyrna figs?) in
California were not irrigated from early June to after harvest (a period
during which typically no rains fall). My understanding was that one reason
was to avoid getting split fruit. Now with drip irrigation, some growers do
give some water during summer, although care has to be taken not to
interfere with the drying of the figs. Some growers apply a lot of water to
Black Mission orchards during summer.
The effect of amount of water applied on the flavor of figs is not so clear.
I've eaten figs off of trees that did not receive any summer water, and
these figs were very, very tasty. On the other hand, I've eaten figs off
trees that had lost some leaves due to lack of water, and these figs were
_not_ tasty (probably due to lack of photosynthates being produced).
I water my own fig trees during summer (I live in an area with a hot and
very dry summer) but less than I do my stone fruit trees.
--Mark
Mark Doster
central San Joaquin Valley, California
USDA zone 9; Sunset zone 9
