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| Black Mission figs at The Orchard |
This is what I have been telling you guys. This is taken from the publication, California Agriculture, published back in 1999 by David Goldhamer and Mario Salinas from the University of California Cooperative Extension and the Ag Research Center in Parlier. The research was focused on the San Jaoquin Valley in California.
An analysis of tree-water relations and fruit yield indicates that Black Mission fig production responds favorably to a higher volume of water applied during the summer than is currently used by most of the industry. Larger fruit size was the primary yield component responsible for the improved production and profit. Based on historical reference crop evapotranspiration rates and the crop coefficients determined using data from this study, summer applied water should be about 36 inches for maximum Black Mission fruit production and grower profit in the Madera area.
Bottom line. If you are unhappy with the size of your figs or fig production,
- make sure your fig trees are not water stressed when they are producing figs.
- Use surface mulches to conserve water, keep the soil from wild fluctuations in water content that will affect fruiting and the mulch helps keep fallen fruit from rotting on the ground.