Today I acquired an extremely healthy Nixon Peace Fig. This tree was originally a Chinese Honey Fig when it was brought over and presented to President Nixon.

Images

• I'm really hoping I can keep the tree looking this good.
• Lots of healthy new growth.
• I love how figs don't grow straight.

Metrics:

• Height (inches only): 4'7"
• Girth (inches only): 2.3"

Planted this tree today. Images in order:

• Put the tree in the pot in the hole and spun it around until I was happy with the orientation of the tree and the way that it is and will grow.
• Checked that the hole was the perfect depth to have the flare level with the surface.
• Healthy roots coming out of the bottom of the pot.
• Ran a double irrigation loop of six-inch-spaced emitters of 0.8 GPH (total 8.8 GPH) around the base of the tree. I did this many because the leaves are so big and I'm thinking that they will be transpiring a lot. I also sprinkled around fifty black-eyed peas along the line as my irrigation monitor and for nitrogen fixing.
• The leaves are looking a bit dessicated and droopy since yesterday because I haven't watered it in 24 hours.

Also gave the tree some Foliage Pro and Vitamin B-1 Plus Minor Elements and Chelating Agents mixed in two of gallons of water.

Leaves looking plump and healthy again now that the tree is well hydrated.

Progress.

First black-eyed pea pushing through the mulch.

First fig is starting to develop.

The larger figs now about half the size of a golf ball.

The largest fig on the tree is now at around two-thirds the size of a golf ball.

The figs are growing.

Covered all the figs I could find with organza bags. Also sprayed the tree with Pyrethrin because it was covered in sharpshooters and lots of the figs had the powdery white residue from them.

The bags on the ground are from figs that dried and fell off the tree. I think that this is the breba crop which never really ripens.

I've been struggling to grow trees in this five-foot narrow corridor between the block wall and fence. I think that the two factors working against me are the quality of the soil, I think that it's fairly heavy clay, and the heat coming off the wall.

This first image is at 8am and the second at 11:30am. The shadow has swung but an overhead shade will work.

Finished the shade cloth project yesterday evening. Images from today at timestamps.

• 6am
• 8am
• 10am
• 12pm
• 2pm
• 4pm
• 6pm
• 6:30pm - a couple of extra segments needed to be attached to the fence.

The largest of the figs was almost ripe. Had I left it a day or two more I think it would have been perfect. Still tasted pretty good.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 5
• Harvest Start: ✔
• Harvest End: ✔

Fruit ripening. Healthy new growth.

I'm wondering if the organza bags fell naturally as a result of the figs ripening or if they were pulled off by squirrels.

Looking healthy. Tiny bit of green growth coming out of trunk towards the bottom so hopefully it will develop more of a bush shape.

Last night's storm destroyed about half of my shade structure in the Fig Corridor. I'm going to have to work out some way to fix those upright poles to the block wall. For now I've removed the shade cloth and stowed it away so that there isn't further damage before I've fixed it.

Just spotted a bunch of new fruit on this tree.

Seems to be healthy and happy and putting on lots of growth.

I didn't keep a careful enough eye on the fruit on this tree. This one suddenly got ripe and then was eaten by a bird and then a bunch of ants.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 1
• Harvest Start: ✔
• Harvest End: ✔

Leaf fall start.

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed Start: ✔

More yellow leaves. Big fruit on the tree but not going to ripen anymore now that it's cold.

Found the two big figs that were on the tree now on the ground. One of them edible and pleasant but had obviously not had the heat that it needed to ripen properly. The other was unripe.

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed End: ✔

Metrics:

• First Bud: ✔

Spread 50 lbs of Arizona's Best Soil Sulfur at the bases of these trees.

• The height has changed by 5" over the last 368 days.
• The girth has changed by 2.3" over the last 368 days.

Leaves are incredibly green and healthy.

Metrics:

• Height (inches only): 5'
• Girth (inches only): 4.5"

Put up shade cloth along the tennis court fence and it looks like it's working. These images taken at 6:30 PM and it looks like they all got a good chunk of shade during the hottest part of the day and the leaves on the figs aren't looking as wilted as before.

A decent number of fruit on the tree and the tree is looking healthy.

Tried a couple of figs from this tree today. They weren't great. Figs are withering in the heat but the fruit doesn't seem to be fully ripe.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 2
• Harvest Start: ✔

Harvested some more figs. The fruit continues to be a mixture or ripe and unripe parts.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 8
• Harvest End: ✔

The shade structure got removed from the peppers so I put it over this fig that seems to be struggling with the heat.

Shade cloth blew off. Haven't replaced it yet. Tree seems to be doing okay.

New growth at the base.

• The height has changed by 10" over the last 247 days.
• The girth has changed by 1.3" over the last 247 days.

Metrics:

• Height (inches only): 5'10"
• Girth (inches only): 5.8"

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed Start: ✔

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed End: ✔

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed End: ✔

Monterey Liqui-Cop Copper Fungicide - 1 fluid ounce per gallon of water. Made a total of 4 gallons for these trees.

Metrics:

• First Bud: ✔

Spread 320 pounds of Arizona's Best Ammonium Sulfate around yard. Includes all trees tagged on this note which is about 95% of the trees in the orchard.

Growing really fast.

Sprayed with Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron diluted at the recommended rate of 1 tablespoon with 1 gallon of water.

Sprayed with Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron diluted at the recommended rate of 1 tablespoon with 1 gallon of water.

Sprayed with Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron diluted at the recommended rate of 1 tablespoon with 1 gallon of water.

Some of these got a very light spray as they'd just been sprayed a couple of days earlier.

Sprayed with Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron diluted at the recommended rate of 1 tablespoon with 1 gallon of water.

Tree is looking healthy and lots of fruit on it but none of it ready yet.

First fruit from this tree this year. A bit of sweet but mostly bland and maybe a day or two before fully ripe.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 1
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 1 oz
• Harvest Start: ✔
• Average Weight: 1 oz

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 2
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 2 oz
• Average Weight: 1 oz

Found a perfectly ripe fig on the tree. The recipient of the fig said that the skin was bitter but the inside was delicious. I'll have to take her word for it.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 1
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 0.9 oz
• Average Weight: 0.9 oz

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 1
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 0.7 oz
• Average Weight: 0.7 oz

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 2
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 1.3 oz
• Average Weight: 0.7 oz

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 5
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 4.1 oz
• Average Weight: 0.8 oz

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 5
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 4.4 oz
• Average Weight: 0.9 oz

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 1
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 0.9 oz
• Average Weight: 0.9 oz

The birds have discovered the figs. It was a good run up to now with the grapes distracting them.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 2
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 1.9 oz
• Average Weight: 1 oz

The birds have definitely found it.

This was tasty.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 1
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 0.8 oz
• Harvest End: ✔
• Average Weight: 0.8 oz

Losing its leaves far sooner than I'd expect. Hope it isn't dying.

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed Start: ✔

Metrics:

• Leaf Shed End: ✔

Pruned today. Before and after.

• The height has changed by 1'8" over the last 444 days.
• The girth has changed by 1.5" over the last 444 days.

Metrics:

• Height (inches only): 7'6"
• Girth (inches only): 7.3"

Metrics:

• First Bud: ✔

Doing well. Tallest fig tree in yard. Probably matches Marseilles for volume.

Taste is "nasty." Very fibrous.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 5
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 1.3 oz
• Harvest Start: ✔
• Average Weight: 0.3 oz

Bird food.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 5
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 9.8 oz
• Harvest Start: ✔
• Harvest End: ✔
• Average Weight: 2 oz

Spread 42 lbs of Monterey's Dr Iron product around the yard under every tree. Product is 55% sulfur and 22% iron.

Put 0.5 fluid ounces of Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron in a gallon of water and poured at base.

Metrics:

• First Bud: ✔

Figs starting to turn yellow but also lots of them drying out.

Picked the first 3 today. There have been lots that have been ready earlier but just didn't get to them. These 3 need a couple of days to complete ripening so haven't tasted them yet.

Also, the west side of the tree has died so I cut that away today. The images are the before and after.

Metrics:

• Harvest Count: 3
• Harvest Weight (lbs only): 2.1 oz
• Harvest Start: ✔
• Average Weight: 0.7 oz

Spread Fertizona Furst Class 15-15-15 around the trees today. Used a handful for small trees and up to six handfuls for the larger trees. In total used 100 lbs.

Put 0.5 fluid ounces of Southern Ag Chelated Liquid Iron in a gallon of water and poured at base.

Never seen this grow so fast. Tree was touching the fence so trimmed back.

Spread Fertizona Furst Class 15-15-15 around all the trees today. Used a total used 200 lbs of which about 25 lbs went on the grass.

Used the Chapin 20 gallon lawn sprayer to spray Southern Ag Chelated Iron at the base of these trees today. Diluted mixture 50/50 with water.

Sprayed with Polymer AG Anti-Stress 550. Made 4 gallons at a 2.5% dilution ratio and used the backpack sprayer. That amount perfectly covered the trees listed in this note. I was using a fairly course spray and I'm wondering if this product would perform better with a fine spray setting.

Half the plant is dead but the other half looking pretty healthy.