This tree has produced very well for at least 6 years. Now it is full of small unripe figs and more tiny figs coming all the time. It looks healthy otherwise.
I am not far from you - I garden in Coquitlam. 1. The second, late season (breba) crop never receive sufficient sun or heat to ripen fast enough before winter sets in. I only expect the first or main crop to produce edible fruits 2. The main crop are good enough to eat by August. These are fruits that start developing during the later part of the previous season. Hard frosts and freezes may destroy these fruit buds during the winter. 3. The fruits need sun and warmth to ripen well and build up sugar content (therefore, increased sweetness). But premature fruit drop can be a problem with excessive heat. 4. What variety do you have? Some types ('caducous figs') need pollination to set fruits successfully. Our Desert King is grown up against a South facing wall.
I do not know the type of fig it is. It was given to me. It always drops the first crop of figs and it is the second crop that ripens but nothing is ripening this year. It is also on a south facing wall. None of the fruit has dropped but they are still green. We are wondering if the tree needs to be pruned back - it is about 12 feet tall.
Pruning live growth from a plant addresses its size and shape, not other aspects of its behavior like how its fruits are developing.
Sharon Jean, You say you don't know what type of fig it is but in the header of your message you indicate "mission fig". Which of the two statements is true? The mission fig grows larger than most other cultivars and has pyriform (vs turbinate) shaped figs, bluish black skin with a pinkish pulp. The mission fig will produce at least part of a second crop in good seasons here and with a favourable disposition (south facing / against house). I am on the west side in the Arbutus region and I know of two Mission figs locally that have produced two crops (breba and main) in both of the last two years (2004 2005), though in previous years (2002-2003) the summers were too cool. 2006 looks like its about a week behind 2005 in cumulative heating days so you might expect to get some figs to ripen in the next couple of weeks.
