SHOP LAZY DOG FARM FIG TREES: lazydogfarm.com/collections/fig-trees 0:00 Intro 0:41 Early Fig Production in Our Backyard Orchard 2:41 How Cold-Hardy Are Fig Trees? 6:39 Expanding Our Fig Orchard with New Varieties 9:40 Amazing Mushroom Compost Results
Mushroom compost is the ONLY compost I use and it does miracles on my garden. I'm fortunate enough to live 20 miles from a massive commercial mushroom producer and can buy mushroom compost by the full size truck load for $35. I almost don't need to fertilize at all my garden each year, as well as it reduces the pest and disease pressure vs bare soil.
I began growing mushrooms a year ago. When the substrate is done flushing, I use it as a cover in my raised beds and fabric planters. It is a definite benefit and the worms, along with other decomposers, love it. Every now and then I get a few volunteers when conditions provide, which indicates my soil is healthy. Additionally, I make spore prints that I mix with water for use when I start a new crop of seeds or while transplanting. Moreover, one bag or tub of substrate provides food for my family, benefits my crops which provide more food, and supplies the means to begin the cycle again for little to no additional expense. Thank you!
It is amazing how much further ahead of me you are. I am just a few hours north in coastal Virginia zone 7B/8A border The secret to cold hardiness is… how far dormant were they when the cold hit? That is the question. All of my 1st year figs were fine and happy when the -0F wind chill (7F actual) hit them. Then we had a false summer and some started to wake up and some fully woke up. Those were the ones that got zapped. The sap froze and burst their trunks on just a night in the low 20s! The copies I made of all of them were fine and they were still dormant and in pots…. And should have been more sensitive. So it is sap flow that gets them.
There is this running advice in gardening that "you should get trees, shrubs, bareroots, etc in the ground as soon as you get them --- the weather is not as important as not being in the ground". you will find this on a lot of online nursery websites. I have done this for a while (in particular with bareroots). I found that I kept killing the plants. There is a local nursery here and I was talking to the owner. He basically told me that he does the opposite himself. When he gets new plants in, he trys to keep them in the same pot for a while to make sure they are "OK" --- shipping is hard on a plant and transplanting is hard. For bareroots, he always recommends putting them in a good light mix and keeping them in his greenhouse until they have a good rootball and it is the right time of year to plant the established version. I have switch to this method and I have not lost a single transplant yet. I use personally use mushroom compost, peatmoss, and perlite as my good light mix.
In my area (6B), I pot up bare rooted plants and keep them well watered until I plant them in September, when they get 3+ months of mild weather to establish roots. Our hot summers are very stressful on newly planted trees and shrubs.
I don’t even like figs but received two cuttings free with an order from IV Organicals. I couldn’t let them go to waste so I tooted them and they are growing nicely in a large deep grow pots. A good addition to my food forest.
It may be just as well that I'm far outside the natural climate range of the fig tree or that obsession could drive me to ruin. I tip my hat to you with respect for all you've accomplished and for your vision. You and Cajun B do priceless work. Of course, another propagation greenhouse will soon be in order. I foresee the day when you'll have some rare fig cultivars growing right up to the kitchen door. I was able to obtain "virgin" rather than "spent" bagged mushroom compost through the blue Box and at a good value compared to a loose bulk sale. It comprises about 20% of my container and raised bed soil blend to feed the fungus amung us.
When the trees are fully dormant they can handle really cold temps, especially if they are well-established. Ours in central NC handled 8 degrees and sub-zero windchill during the arctic blast no problem, but then it leafed out early with the warm weather we had in late February and early March and a 25 degree night in late March killed it back to the ground
I've incorporated roughly 25 cubic yards of mushroom compost with a little manure into my gardens. It has taken my gardens to a whole new level. Fortunately here in Southwest Louisiana we have a place buy it in bulk at a very reasonable price.
I use mushroom compost from the big box stores but I have to mix it with a cheaper soil. Mushroom compost can become hard and crusted on the top of the pot unless mixed with another product. That's the only problem I have with it. Other than that I really like it.
I use my own mixture of my home made compost, potting soil, peat moss and perilite for all my seed starts and the fig cuttings I started last year with great success. I tried it on blueberries too but that was a flop.😢
@TMesser74 - I just read that blueberries are just 1 of quite a few plants that don't like mushroom compost. Just search "plants that don't like mushroom compost". Good luck & I'm sorry about your blueberries. Happy gardening!
I got better red potato results in beds amended with mushroom compost vs. regular garden soil. Unintended experiment. Great fig update! My trees are loading up also.
I use mushroom compost in my raised beds and things seem to produce well for me. I’m in coastal SC and we got in the high teens this winter and my potted fig trees did just fine. I didn’t even think to move them into the garage.
Travis, was your mushroom compost a bulk type or the big box store bagged type? I know there is a garden supplier not too far from us who sells the bulk type by the 1/2 yard, but bags from HD or TSC are easier to store and move around. Thanks...
I found Lowe's has bagged compost and really cheap bagged soil. Home Depot on the other hand has cheaper spent Humus but their cheapest bagged soil is more expensive. For me, I went with Lowe's compost and cheap soil. So far so good and I am getting great results. Except that I am getting lots of mushrooms growing where I don't want them.
@matthewjbauer1990 - All the bagged Miracle Grow products I've bought this year (@Lowes) had thin stemmed mushrooms growing in them & also a LOT of sticks & even small rocks. I'm not impressed with Miracle Grow products anymore. Higher price & some of the same "fillers" that much cheaper brands have. Good luck with this year's harvest!
@@sandijammes7761 I think MiracleGro soils and composts are overpriced for what it is. I've had decent luck using the cheap stuff. I just have to deal with lots of mushrooms in the cheap compost.
Very nice looking orchard, not sure where we would get mushroom compost around here but guess will keep my eye out . Not sure about cold hardy down here but My Conardia fig I got from you was hurricane hardy and while not to big it is loading up nicely.. just ask the birds… going to have to net it I guess …lol
Travis where do you get the pro mix for seed starting? I'm hoping to get some discounted during the heat of of summer when no one is starting seeds. I have decided to pot my unknown fig and get it in a sunny spot.
Who knew living soil would benefit tree growth 😜. Forest floors are leaf litter, needles, and fallen tree wood. They are fungal dominant soils and trees thrive in them. A lot of the vegetables grow in bacteria dominant soils. Bacteria break down higher nitrogen ingredients such as green waste over a shorter period of time while fungi break down carbon rich ingredients over a longer time. Those are the two players and you'll have a mix of both but one will be more dominant depending in where you sampling the soils from. Vermicomposting will create even more bacteria dominant soils.
That varies with variety. Some varieties produce nice figs in 1-2 years. Others will make hard figs that don't ripen for the first couple years, and then start to make tasty figs in year 3.
Hi Travis, I am in AZ and unfortunately cannot buy a fig from you. I have an issue finding good selections here. Do you ever use molasses and mycorrhizae to replant them? I saw it on TH-cam and had not heard of it before. I also have a problem with leaf burn in the sun here. I tend to overwater because of it and my first 2 didn't survive. I have 2 more now and they both have leaves so I'm feeling lucky. Thanks for the videos.
We like to eat them fresh, but make lots of jelly with them. I also just like to share them because most folks have never tasted a honey fig or a berry fig.
Has anyone had any problems with herbicide residue in mushroom compost? The main ingredients are horse/cow manure and straw/hay which can have lots of herbicide residue
I've never had any issues. There's a lot of fear-mongering going on out there about herbicide residue. It exists, but not as prevalent as some want you to think.
Unless Arizona changes their laws, I can't do much about it. They require a "phyto" test on each shipment. If we were shipping a truckload of trees over there, that's easy -- one test. But shipping individual trees would require a test for each tree, and that would be cost prohibitive.
I have had some limited experience with the Sangue Deaday selection of the Sangue Dulce variety and mine looked exactly like yours and with a similar yield. There are some fervent debates in the Ultra-Orthodox Vegan community as to whether figs can be considered truly Vegan since so many fig cultivars require the assistance of pollinator wasps that die within the fruit after pollination leaving their little insect bodies behind to be eaten along with the fig. The purist Vegan often consider figs to be Taboo for that reason. Is that keeping you awake at night?
Most all the fig varieties being sold online are "common figs," which are parthenocarpic and don't need the wasp. Only the native fig varieties require wasp pollination. I've never eaten a fig wasp to my knowledge. lol
SO BACK TO GARDENING..U SAID THAT U CAN EVEN GET 3 CROPS OF CORN IN ..HOW DO U TIME THAT.???????????? HOW DO U TIME EVEN 2 WITH THE HEAT?..???.?.??.? ?????
SHOP LAZY DOG FARM FIG TREES: lazydogfarm.com/collections/fig-trees
0:00 Intro
0:41 Early Fig Production in Our Backyard Orchard
2:41 How Cold-Hardy Are Fig Trees?
6:39 Expanding Our Fig Orchard with New Varieties
9:40 Amazing Mushroom Compost Results
Mushroom compost is the ONLY compost I use and it does miracles on my garden. I'm fortunate enough to live 20 miles from a massive commercial mushroom producer and can buy mushroom compost by the full size truck load for $35. I almost don't need to fertilize at all my garden each year, as well as it reduces the pest and disease pressure vs bare soil.
We cannot get mushroom compost😖
We have a place near us but will only sell 1200 pound sling bags😞
I am a HUGE fan of mushroom compost
Your gardens and rows are so beautiful. I can tell you love what you do. God was a gardener😊
Thank you. Wish I had room for figs. Have used mushroom compost for years, love it.
I began growing mushrooms a year ago. When the substrate is done flushing, I use it as a cover in my raised beds and fabric planters. It is a definite benefit and the worms, along with other decomposers, love it. Every now and then I get a few volunteers when conditions provide, which indicates my soil is healthy. Additionally, I make spore prints that I mix with water for use when I start a new crop of seeds or while transplanting.
Moreover, one bag or tub of substrate provides food for my family, benefits my crops which provide more food, and supplies the means to begin the cycle again for little to no additional expense.
Thank you!
Mushroom compost is my favorite go to!💚
Fig orchard looks great! Great results with the mushroom compost, might have to try it
Thanks! Doesn't take much. Just a small handful in each pot seems to make a big difference though.
@@LazyDogFarm I will try to get my hands on some.
Time to set up a road side fig stand😂 looks awesome!!
So happy to see this! I just planted mine with mushroom compost! Yay!
It is amazing how much further ahead of me you are. I am just a few hours north in coastal Virginia zone 7B/8A border
The secret to cold hardiness is… how far dormant were they when the cold hit? That is the question.
All of my 1st year figs were fine and happy when the -0F wind chill (7F actual) hit them.
Then we had a false summer and some started to wake up and some fully woke up. Those were the ones that got zapped.
The sap froze and burst their trunks on just a night in the low 20s!
The copies I made of all of them were fine and they were still dormant and in pots…. And should have been more sensitive.
So it is sap flow that gets them.
Good point about them being fully dormant.
There is this running advice in gardening that "you should get trees, shrubs, bareroots, etc in the ground as soon as you get them --- the weather is not as important as not being in the ground". you will find this on a lot of online nursery websites. I have done this for a while (in particular with bareroots). I found that I kept killing the plants. There is a local nursery here and I was talking to the owner. He basically told me that he does the opposite himself. When he gets new plants in, he trys to keep them in the same pot for a while to make sure they are "OK" --- shipping is hard on a plant and transplanting is hard. For bareroots, he always recommends putting them in a good light mix and keeping them in his greenhouse until they have a good rootball and it is the right time of year to plant the established version. I have switch to this method and I have not lost a single transplant yet. I use personally use mushroom compost, peatmoss, and perlite as my good light mix.
Good advice!
In my area (6B), I pot up bare rooted plants and keep them well watered until I plant them in September, when they get 3+ months of mild weather to establish roots. Our hot summers are very stressful on newly planted trees and shrubs.
I don’t even like figs but received two cuttings free with an order from IV Organicals. I couldn’t let them go to waste so I tooted them and they are growing nicely in a large deep grow pots. A good addition to my food forest.
We get a truck load of mushroom compost every winter and dropping it on the garden beds works wonders
Great video Travis and looking forward to placing my fig tree order. I use mushroom compost mixed with my grow bag mix and it has worked well for me.
It may be just as well that I'm far outside the natural climate range of the fig tree or that obsession could drive me to ruin. I tip my hat to you with respect for all you've accomplished and for your vision. You and Cajun B do priceless work. Of course, another propagation greenhouse will soon be in order. I foresee the day when you'll have some rare fig cultivars growing right up to the kitchen door.
I was able to obtain "virgin" rather than "spent" bagged mushroom compost through the blue Box and at a good value compared to a loose bulk sale. It comprises about 20% of my container and raised bed soil blend to feed the fungus amung us.
Yeah I don't use enough of it currently to justify a bulk load. I just get the Black Velvet stuff and mix a little of it here and there.
When the trees are fully dormant they can handle really cold temps, especially if they are well-established. Ours in central NC handled 8 degrees and sub-zero windchill during the arctic blast no problem, but then it leafed out early with the warm weather we had in late February and early March and a 25 degree night in late March killed it back to the ground
I use mushroom compost on everything, and dip the roots in mycorrhizae . A 4ft peach tree I planted in the spring is now about 15ft
I've incorporated roughly 25 cubic yards of mushroom compost with a little manure into my gardens. It has taken my gardens to a whole new level. Fortunately here in Southwest Louisiana we have a place buy it in bulk at a very reasonable price.
I’m in Louisiana. Where do you get it?
I'm trying mushroom compost out for first time. So far it's doing good 👍
Whenever mushrooms grow in my soil, I chop them up and add them back to the soil or add them to compost tea.
I use mushroom compost from the big box stores but I have to mix it with a cheaper soil. Mushroom compost can become hard and crusted on the top of the pot unless mixed with another product. That's the only problem I have with it. Other than that I really like it.
I use my own mixture of my home made compost, potting soil, peat moss and perilite for all my seed starts and the fig cuttings I started last year with great success. I tried it on blueberries too but that was a flop.😢
I avoid mushroom compost with acid-loving plants
@TMesser74 - I just read that blueberries are just 1 of quite a few plants that don't like mushroom compost. Just search "plants that don't like mushroom compost". Good luck & I'm sorry about your blueberries. Happy gardening!
@@LittlePieceOfHeaven.65 it’s not mushroom. Just my food scraps, paper products and weeds.
@@sandijammes7761 it’s not mushroom. Just my food scraps, paper products and weeds.
I actually believe it’s a moisture problem. I’ve read you’ve got to keep them in a humid environment when doing cuttings.
I just bought a fig tree from you! I need a beginner's video. Can you send me the link? Very excited to try my first fig tree :)
It's really easy, but I'll try and do a video planting one in the next few weeks. Thanks for your order!
I got better red potato results in beds amended with mushroom compost vs. regular garden soil. Unintended experiment.
Great fig update! My trees are loading up also.
I use mushroom compost in my raised beds and things seem to produce well for me. I’m in coastal SC and we got in the high teens this winter and my potted fig trees did just fine. I didn’t even think to move them into the garage.
What varieties ?
@@LittlePieceOfHeaven.65 I believe they are brown turkey figs.
@@amyhood6562 thanks
Travis, was your mushroom compost a bulk type or the big box store bagged type? I know there is a garden supplier not too far from us who sells the bulk type by the 1/2 yard, but bags from HD or TSC are easier to store and move around. Thanks...
Store-bagged
@@LazyDogFarm Thanks
I found Lowe's has bagged compost and really cheap bagged soil. Home Depot on the other hand has cheaper spent Humus but their cheapest bagged soil is more expensive. For me, I went with Lowe's compost and cheap soil. So far so good and I am getting great results. Except that I am getting lots of mushrooms growing where I don't want them.
@matthewjbauer1990 - All the bagged Miracle Grow products I've bought this year (@Lowes) had thin stemmed mushrooms growing in them & also a LOT of sticks & even small rocks. I'm not impressed with Miracle Grow products anymore. Higher price & some of the same "fillers" that much cheaper brands have. Good luck with this year's harvest!
@@sandijammes7761 I think MiracleGro soils and composts are overpriced for what it is. I've had decent luck using the cheap stuff. I just have to deal with lots of mushrooms in the cheap compost.
Very nice looking orchard, not sure where we would get mushroom compost around here but guess will keep my eye out .
Not sure about cold hardy down here but My Conardia fig I got from you was hurricane hardy and while not to big it is loading up nicely.. just ask the birds… going to have to net it I guess …lol
I just get the Black Velvet stuff from the big blue store.
Using it for the first time this year in my tomato buckets.
Geaux Tigers!!!!
I need to get an Olympian fig.❤
Could you please tell me what flavor profile is brown turkey fig's? My dad used to have that type of fig tree and my daughter wants one. Thank you.
Brown Turkey is a sugar fig. Here's all our sugar fig varieties: lazydogfarm.com/collections/sugar-figs
What size pot do you recommend if you're going to keep it in a pot?
I'm in zone 7a and false springs are not uncommon
Depends on how strong you are. I'd put it in as big a pot as I could find, but that I could still move without hurting myself. lol
Hey Trav😊
Travis where do you get the pro mix for seed starting? I'm hoping to get some discounted during the heat of of summer when no one is starting seeds.
I have decided to pot my unknown fig and get it in a sunny spot.
I get mine from a local greenhouse supply store about 30 mins away. I think it's around $35 a bale, which is a good deal for that much.
Where do you get your mushroom compost from
I just use the Black Velvet bagged stuff from the local big blue home improvement store.
HA On your short of how many ears of corn per stalk the wife says: Hey Trav, the caption says: Hey Child. C'mon, a little respect please. lol
😂
What do you do with figs?? I’m from central Missouri and we don’t have them here.
We mostly eat them fresh off the tree and make jelly with them.
graco has good stuff i get 40 yards a year
Who knew living soil would benefit tree growth 😜. Forest floors are leaf litter, needles, and fallen tree wood. They are fungal dominant soils and trees thrive in them. A lot of the vegetables grow in bacteria dominant soils. Bacteria break down higher nitrogen ingredients such as green waste over a shorter period of time while fungi break down carbon rich ingredients over a longer time. Those are the two players and you'll have a mix of both but one will be more dominant depending in where you sampling the soils from. Vermicomposting will create even more bacteria dominant soils.
Great fruit trees,
Im new to using Mushroom compost in my vegetable beds, could anyone give me advice?
Thank you.
Brad.
im in NJ .
We put a $5 bag of it in our raised beds each time we plant something new. It works great.
In your experience, what year did the figs actually start tasting like they should?
That varies with variety. Some varieties produce nice figs in 1-2 years. Others will make hard figs that don't ripen for the first couple years, and then start to make tasty figs in year 3.
Hi Travis,
I am in AZ and unfortunately cannot buy a fig from you. I have an issue finding good selections here. Do you ever use molasses and mycorrhizae to replant them? I saw it on TH-cam and had not heard of it before. I also have a problem with leaf burn in the sun here. I tend to overwater because of it and my first 2 didn't survive. I have 2 more now and they both have leaves so I'm feeling lucky. Thanks for the videos.
Never have tried molasses. The ProMix soil we use does have mycorrhizae in it though. We use rooting hormone and ProMix on all our cuttings.
I know you sell the cuttings from your figs, but what do you do with all the figs? Im considering getting more trees and the figs seem to grow well.
We like to eat them fresh, but make lots of jelly with them. I also just like to share them because most folks have never tasted a honey fig or a berry fig.
Do you have help doing all this work or do you do it all by yourself?
My kids and wife help me some, but it's mostly just me.
Did you have a specific brand of mushroom compost you used, or was it a " big box store" variety?
I use the Black Velvet stuff from the big blue store.
@@LazyDogFarm thanks
Where is the miracle compost located?😮
At the big blue store in a yellow bag that says "Black Velvet."
Has anyone had any problems with herbicide residue in mushroom compost? The main ingredients are horse/cow manure and straw/hay which can have lots of herbicide residue
Watch out for grazon in hay which animals eat, David the Good and Deep South Homestead talks about.
I've never had any issues. There's a lot of fear-mongering going on out there about herbicide residue. It exists, but not as prevalent as some want you to think.
Are you working on shipping to Arizona?
Unless Arizona changes their laws, I can't do much about it. They require a "phyto" test on each shipment. If we were shipping a truckload of trees over there, that's easy -- one test. But shipping individual trees would require a test for each tree, and that would be cost prohibitive.
Can you give us some ideas of what to do with figs once harvested? You probably get 100s of pounds and I don’t think you eat them all fresh.
We don't get that many. We eat many of them fresh off the tree, then use the others to make jelly and use them for charcuterie boards.
Do you use mushroom compost in your garden? I have just recently acquired a bunch of it.
Yes, we use it in our raised beds quite a bit.
I have had some limited experience with the Sangue Deaday selection of the Sangue Dulce variety and mine looked exactly like yours and with a similar yield. There are some fervent debates in the Ultra-Orthodox Vegan community as to whether figs can be considered truly Vegan since so many fig cultivars require the assistance of pollinator wasps that die within the fruit after pollination leaving their little insect bodies behind to be eaten along with the fig. The purist Vegan often consider figs to be Taboo for that reason. Is that keeping you awake at night?
LOL😂
Most all the fig varieties being sold online are "common figs," which are parthenocarpic and don't need the wasp. Only the native fig varieties require wasp pollination. I've never eaten a fig wasp to my knowledge. lol
from my understanding, mushroom compost is a little more acidic than most composts.
the opposite ! Mushroom compost is alkaline
Mushroom compost is a very loud smelling horse manure
SO BACK TO GARDENING..U SAID THAT U CAN EVEN GET 3 CROPS OF CORN IN ..HOW DO U TIME THAT.???????????? HOW DO U TIME EVEN 2 WITH THE HEAT?..???.?.??.? ?????
You have to plan ahead and plant corn every 3-4 weeks.