FROM TWIGS TO FIGS

7.
Issues and Problems.

	I will leave you to research appropriate figs for your climate, but I will give you some broad guidelines to help you.
	The eye is the opening at the end of the fig opposite the stem. Some are open, some less open than others and some are closed. Closed-eye figs are crucial in humid climates to prevent spoilage. A closed eye is also good for keeping out ants and other insects.
	If a variety ripens very quickly (one such as Brunswick) the openness of the eye is not so much a problem. Slow-ripening figs, such as White or Osborn are vulnerable over a longer period.
	Rust is a disease problem usually associated with the humid Southeast; it affects the leaves and can lead to defoliation of a tree. This is not reported as a problem in California and the Southwest. Other common pests include ants, beetles (Mexican fruit beetle in San Diego), squirrels, rats, opossums, deer, dogs and birds.
	Birds can eat a whole fruit, or just damage several figs. Crows will take the entire fig.
	The most effective bird deterrents are nets... MORE
	... or newspaper - another technique I learned from Richard Watts: protecting near-ripe figs by fastening old newspaper...
	...around them using clothespins, moving the protective cover as you harvest your fruit. This works quite well on smaller trees.
	Organza party favor bags used to prevent both birds and beetles from damaging fruit.
	Close up fruit protected by organza bag. These are 5 x 7 size which was the easiest size to manipulate around the fruit. The 4 x 6 bags were OK for smaller fruit. MORE
	Gophers can be very destructive of many plants, but really love to chew on fig trees. MORE
	Mold is a problem for many varieties when conditions include high humidity or frequent rain during the harvest season. MORE
	Mexican Fruit Beetles, or Fig Beetles and a problem at least as serious as birds, in San Diego. I have been advised that these are actually Green June Beetles, native to the United States. However, I have always known them by the other names, even if not technically correct. Judging by the fruits they eat, they could also be known as Banana Beetles, Peach Beetles, etc.
	Ants are also a problem.
	They will eat an entire fig from the outside, in.
	They do not need a bird peck to allow them to penetrate the fruit.
	Oh, and they eat their favorite figs and ignore others.
	This is Capelas. This past season Portland 1 was one of the ones that they just couldn't resist.
	Splitting occurs in some varieties, which usually ruins the fruit. In my orchard the guilty varieties are Panachée, Black Madeira, Conadria, Rattlesnake Island, and some Brown Turkey or Brown-Turkey-like figs. MORE
	FMV, or fig mosaic virus, while widely debated, will be a fact of life if you collect many varieties. Plants from venerable nurseries such as Belleclare on Long Island, New York, were infected as well as locally grown trees sold at Home Depot. USDA/UC Davis trees are all infected, or potentially so.
	The bottom line is this: the virus manifests itself in misshapen leaves...
	...and splotchy colored leaves, perhaps stunted growth in some varieties and perhaps results in lesser fruit production.
	Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne sp.) affects the roots of the tree and can stunt growth, sometimes severely.
	There is extensive literature about it on the Internet.