I hit the like button before I even watched...you have given me confidence I can get black maidera to ripen figs here in GA before the weather gets bad without a greenhouse. I also have a kk version
Thank you! Where in GA are you? If you are south or coastal, you definitely have enough time. My growing season is about 250 days, and I was able to fruit a BM KK from cutting in a single season, and I still have 2 months left. We have PLENTY of growing degree days here.
Here, too. It has been so incredibly hot I can’t wait for the cool season. 90 every day for the last 2 weeks, and looks like more of the same next week. I think it’ll break after next week, though.
I laughed out loud at, “A very strange looking BM.” A non-fig person would take that sentence differently! My I-258 and Olympian put out odd figs for the first few weeks, then they became more typical. I may have to wait another year for the Black Madeira to normalize due to its lateness, but it’ll get there eventually. Thanks for watching!
Awesome informative video as always :)) but I would try to ensure that this is in fact a real black Madeira as mixups do occur sadly. It’s so easy for a reputable seller to mix up a cutting for a different cutting by accident. My black Madeira has dark red jammy pulp and dark blue chewy leathery skin, and I live in a colder more humid climate, but it looks identical to the stunning pictures posted by Moonlight on ourfigs.
Yes, they’re all from the same mother plant. However, the UC Davis version seems to have a bad case of Fig Mosaic Virus. I went with the KK version because it isn’t affected much by it and it is more vigorous. It seems like many of the UC Davis versions are afflicted by bad FMV. I also believe Figo Preto to be exactly the same as Black Madeira.
They aren't comparable, in my opinion. Black Mission has a basic flavor profile that, in my opinion, tastes sort of like a light, sweet berry. Black Madeira is a much more complex and sweeter fig. Black Madeira has deeper, more complex notes of dark berry, caramel and molasses, and it's really syrupy. That's not to say there is anything wrong with Black Mission, but Black Madeira is a much stronger flavor. The downside is Black Madeira is a very late fig and doesn't hold up well in rain, so it's more challenging to grow.
I hope so. I’m not experienced enough to be ranking these figs by number, though. I think over the next year or two these figs are going to taste a lot better. I can’t imagine something beating the I-258, but I would love to see it happen.
How did you check to make sure that this is a black madeira, besides getting it from a reputable vender? I have a fig that someone gave me, and I would love to find out what kind it is. Do you have a link to a resource on how to identify them?
There is no way to figure it out sans sending it to a university for genetic testing, and there are very few DNA profiles available. The only way "to be sure" is to purchase only from a reputable vendor, grow it out and make sure the variety matches the profiles in Pons' book, and websites like Fig Database and Figaholics. If you do not know the exact origin of your fig, there is no way to name it. It has to be an Unknown.
Frank K nothing genetically. Black Madeira, from my understanding, is a variety that UC Davis has and propagated, but it was always known as being a terrible, weak grower due to a bad case of Fig Mosaic Virus. A gentleman named Keith (whose initials are KK) got a cutting from this tree, and for whatever reason, the branch he got a cutting from didn’t exhibit such a bad infection and grew much more vigorously. The ‘KK’ sport of the tree is thought to be more vigorous. It is ultimately the same fig from the same mother tree.
@@itsarni it was by far my slowest grower, except for Azores Dark (which was grafted onto Chicago Hardy, so that's probably why it was dwarfed). All my other figs, except those two, were huge. The Black Madiera was by far my slowest grower except for the grafted anomaly. It was, however, prolific. Every inch of that tree was loaded with fruit. Too bad my season was too short to ripen them all!
I got 1 small BM-tree and 5 Figo Preto cuttings which seem to root quite well. I258- cuttings are also being rooted right now. My balkony‘s microclimate here in Vienna/Austria is about zone 8A (-9 to -12 Celsius/ 15 to 10 Fahrenheit). This winter -0,9 Celsius was the lowest thus far 5 days ago. Rain and windprotected southfacing balcony. A huge fig tree is growing vigorously at one of my neighbors. Concentrating on the „best“ figs now and getting rid of other ones as I ran out of space on my balcony ;). Thanks for your great videos. Keep on your great work! My other figs are RdB, Rouge de Bordeaux, LdA, Osborn Prolific, Negronne and some italian from Bolzano in the dolomites called „Bolzano‘s blue“. My fig addiction started just 6 month ago. :)
@@itsarni that sounds like a nice collection. Thank you, I am glad you're enjoying the channel. One bit of advice: I know people claim to love Black Madeira and Figo Preto, but they are very, very late ripeners. How much heat and growing season do you have? You may be very disappointed in the performance of Black Madiera/Figo Preto because they may not ripen for you unless you have long, hot summers. You may want to get an earlier ripening fig, like Colonel Littman's Black Cross, which is reported to have a flavor similar to Black Madeira, but ripens weeks earlier. I think I-258 will do well for you because it ripened earlier for me.
This is the KK version, but it's the same variety as the UCD. The 'KK' version is just thought to be less infected by Fig Mosaic Virus than the UCD version, but FMV is pretty easy to "grow out of" in my experience.
@@TheMillennialGardener I like black madeira and live in another country. I have done some searching on UA-cam. Some said their UC Davis black madeira didn't grow up well, more like being stunted
I offer cuttings each year after Christmas. Cuttings are taken in the dormant season. My Black Madeira had been reduced to a stump, so it needs to re-grow all season. I always announce when I’ll have cuttings, usually in early January.
I cannot send fig cuttings internationally. They will be confiscated by Customs and destroyed, or arrive dried and dead. I would recommend looking around for a local source. It's a pretty common variety these days.
Micheal Tran it is Black Madeira KK, which is the same as the UC Davis version. My source is 100% reliable. The tree is only a few months old, so it’ll change as it ages.
The Millennial Gardener Well I don’t know your BM KK is different than mine and others who have BM KK. Try search for JFE BM, then you will see yours looks like JFE BM
It’s just young and one of my smallest trees. It’ll get larger as the tree grows. It is from Off The Beaten Path Nursery, so it is definitely true to type. The leaves are a dead ringer. Figs change as they mature.
Define “overrated.” If your growing season is short, it may not make sense to have, but if you have a long season and ample growing degree days, it is worth a shot. This was good for its first fig ever. I’m reserving judgment until the tree produces proper figs.
@@TheMillennialGardener you summed it up well. this fig was so hyped up for me i was disappointed in my first tasting. without going into many long rants about this fig, you could say im in the hater camp.
MRgreen I think that’s relative to your climate. A black madeira needs a longer growing season and a lot of growing degree days. My growing season is about 250 days, and I receive over 5,600 growing degrees a year. If you’re in Connecticut and have a 190 degree growing season with 2,300 growing degrees, this is not the fig for you. I think it’ll do well for me. The taste was very good. I want to test a few more mature fruits later. What’s driving me nuts about the plant is the splitting. It has tried to ripen 8 fruits for me so far and 7 split. It is very annoying. I am not having this problem with any of my other figs. I am hoping it “grows out of it.” Long season figs are inappropriate for much of the US. If this fig stops splitting, it should do well for me.
@@TheMillennialGardener beautiful. i would like to see figs listed by there growing degree days. depending on what base you use im a little over 3,000 degree days. i bet this would eliminate tons of unnecessary figs in peoples collections lol. crazy how some figs open up like that. had same issues with verte, its in fig hell now. i have used lights and greenhouses to help my lack of degree days.
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I hit the like button before I even watched...you have given me confidence I can get black maidera to ripen figs here in GA before the weather gets bad without a greenhouse. I also have a kk version
Thank you! Where in GA are you? If you are south or coastal, you definitely have enough time. My growing season is about 250 days, and I was able to fruit a BM KK from cutting in a single season, and I still have 2 months left. We have PLENTY of growing degree days here.
I’m in central ga about 2hrs from savannah. We still got temps in the mid 90s everyday.
Here, too. It has been so incredibly hot I can’t wait for the cool season. 90 every day for the last 2 weeks, and looks like more of the same next week. I think it’ll break after next week, though.
Wish I had a tasteavision. that looks yummy.
It was. I can’t wait for the next one.
A very strange looking BM, but some of my young trees do weird things. Looking forward to seeing more as the tree matures!
I laughed out loud at, “A very strange looking BM.” A non-fig person would take that sentence differently! My I-258 and Olympian put out odd figs for the first few weeks, then they became more typical. I may have to wait another year for the Black Madeira to normalize due to its lateness, but it’ll get there eventually. Thanks for watching!
This is the tree I have , really productive!
Awesome informative video as always :)) but I would try to ensure that this is in fact a real black Madeira as mixups do occur sadly. It’s so easy for a reputable seller to mix up a cutting for a different cutting by accident. My black Madeira has dark red jammy pulp and dark blue chewy leathery skin, and I live in a colder more humid climate, but it looks identical to the stunning pictures posted by Moonlight on ourfigs.
Your videos are nice. thanks!
Glad you like them! I appreciate that!
Love your videos.
Thank you!
Do you think this fig type is worth it to buy a cutting for $60 or it the Nero 600m similar enough?
Where is a good place to get a BM kk?
Is Black Madeira the same as Black Madeira KK?
Yes, they’re all from the same mother plant. However, the UC Davis version seems to have a bad case of Fig Mosaic Virus. I went with the KK version because it isn’t affected much by it and it is more vigorous. It seems like many of the UC Davis versions are afflicted by bad FMV.
I also believe Figo Preto to be exactly the same as Black Madeira.
How does it compare to a black mission fig?
They aren't comparable, in my opinion. Black Mission has a basic flavor profile that, in my opinion, tastes sort of like a light, sweet berry. Black Madeira is a much more complex and sweeter fig. Black Madeira has deeper, more complex notes of dark berry, caramel and molasses, and it's really syrupy. That's not to say there is anything wrong with Black Mission, but Black Madeira is a much stronger flavor. The downside is Black Madeira is a very late fig and doesn't hold up well in rain, so it's more challenging to grow.
Great review! Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
listening to you eat that was unbearable but great bud otherwise lmao gonna go pick a whole tree of figs today 🙏🏼😅
Believe it or not, I cut out most of the audio...
I love to hear when you bite the fig.
Haha, thanks! I try to edit out some of the chewing because…yuck 😆 But you need some kind of real reaction to stay!
9 out of 10 is a pretty good start so 10 out 10 is hopefully a given from a more mature tree.
I hope so. I’m not experienced enough to be ranking these figs by number, though. I think over the next year or two these figs are going to taste a lot better. I can’t imagine something beating the I-258, but I would love to see it happen.
How did you check to make sure that this is a black madeira, besides getting it from a reputable vender? I have a fig that someone gave me, and I would love to find out what kind it is. Do you have a link to a resource on how to identify them?
There is no way to figure it out sans sending it to a university for genetic testing, and there are very few DNA profiles available. The only way "to be sure" is to purchase only from a reputable vendor, grow it out and make sure the variety matches the profiles in Pons' book, and websites like Fig Database and Figaholics. If you do not know the exact origin of your fig, there is no way to name it. It has to be an Unknown.
what is the difference between Black Madera and Black Madera KK
Frank K nothing genetically. Black Madeira, from my understanding, is a variety that UC Davis has and propagated, but it was always known as being a terrible, weak grower due to a bad case of Fig Mosaic Virus. A gentleman named Keith (whose initials are KK) got a cutting from this tree, and for whatever reason, the branch he got a cutting from didn’t exhibit such a bad infection and grew much more vigorously. The ‘KK’ sport of the tree is thought to be more vigorous. It is ultimately the same fig from the same mother tree.
The Millennial Gardener
Thank you 🙇
Do you sell cuttings from your Black Madeira?
I offer cuttings in the dormant season, and I always announce to my subscribers when they become available. It is typically January.
Is this the small BM-tree you did the pinching video with on June 8th, 2019 and showed its small figs forming at the nodes?
Arni yes, that is the one shown at about 11:30.
The Millennial Gardener so it grew alot within this 3-4 month. Thought its a slow grower....
@@itsarni it was by far my slowest grower, except for Azores Dark (which was grafted onto Chicago Hardy, so that's probably why it was dwarfed). All my other figs, except those two, were huge. The Black Madiera was by far my slowest grower except for the grafted anomaly. It was, however, prolific. Every inch of that tree was loaded with fruit. Too bad my season was too short to ripen them all!
I got 1 small BM-tree and 5 Figo Preto cuttings which seem to root quite well. I258- cuttings are also being rooted right now. My balkony‘s microclimate here in Vienna/Austria is about zone 8A (-9 to -12 Celsius/ 15 to 10 Fahrenheit). This winter -0,9 Celsius was the lowest thus far 5 days ago. Rain and windprotected southfacing balcony. A huge fig tree is growing vigorously at one of my neighbors. Concentrating on the „best“ figs now and getting rid of other ones as I ran out of space on my balcony ;). Thanks for your great videos. Keep on your great work! My other figs are RdB, Rouge de Bordeaux, LdA, Osborn Prolific, Negronne and some italian from Bolzano in the dolomites called „Bolzano‘s blue“. My fig addiction started just 6 month ago. :)
@@itsarni that sounds like a nice collection. Thank you, I am glad you're enjoying the channel. One bit of advice: I know people claim to love Black Madeira and Figo Preto, but they are very, very late ripeners. How much heat and growing season do you have? You may be very disappointed in the performance of Black Madiera/Figo Preto because they may not ripen for you unless you have long, hot summers. You may want to get an earlier ripening fig, like Colonel Littman's Black Cross, which is reported to have a flavor similar to Black Madeira, but ripens weeks earlier. I think I-258 will do well for you because it ripened earlier for me.
Is your black Madeira from UC Davis, JFE, or KK?
This is the KK version, but it's the same variety as the UCD. The 'KK' version is just thought to be less infected by Fig Mosaic Virus than the UCD version, but FMV is pretty easy to "grow out of" in my experience.
@@TheMillennialGardener I like black madeira and live in another country. I have done some searching on UA-cam. Some said their UC Davis black madeira didn't grow up well, more like being stunted
Yo man, could I get a few cuttings....I'll pay if need be, I just can't find anyone reputable to get a real black madeira KK.
I offer cuttings each year after Christmas. Cuttings are taken in the dormant season. My Black Madeira had been reduced to a stump, so it needs to re-grow all season. I always announce when I’ll have cuttings, usually in early January.
I need cuttings or come back from the Black Madeira fig
I'm Saudi Arabia in Riyadh
Plez sent
I cannot send fig cuttings internationally. They will be confiscated by Customs and destroyed, or arrive dried and dead. I would recommend looking around for a local source. It's a pretty common variety these days.
It is JFE Black Madeira. UC Davis and KK Black Madeira don’t have long neck
Micheal Tran it is Black Madeira KK, which is the same as the UC Davis version. My source is 100% reliable. The tree is only a few months old, so it’ll change as it ages.
The Millennial Gardener Well I don’t know your BM KK is different than mine and others who have BM KK. Try search for JFE BM, then you will see yours looks like JFE BM
It’s just young and one of my smallest trees. It’ll get larger as the tree grows. It is from Off The Beaten Path Nursery, so it is definitely true to type. The leaves are a dead ringer. Figs change as they mature.
the overrated Black Madeira lol
Define “overrated.” If your growing season is short, it may not make sense to have, but if you have a long season and ample growing degree days, it is worth a shot. This was good for its first fig ever. I’m reserving judgment until the tree produces proper figs.
@@TheMillennialGardener you summed it up well. this fig was so hyped up for me i was disappointed in my first tasting. without going into many long rants about this fig, you could say im in the hater camp.
overrated - lacks overall performance.
MRgreen I think that’s relative to your climate. A black madeira needs a longer growing season and a lot of growing degree days. My growing season is about 250 days, and I receive over 5,600 growing degrees a year. If you’re in Connecticut and have a 190 degree growing season with 2,300 growing degrees, this is not the fig for you. I think it’ll do well for me. The taste was very good. I want to test a few more mature fruits later.
What’s driving me nuts about the plant is the splitting. It has tried to ripen 8 fruits for me so far and 7 split. It is very annoying. I am not having this problem with any of my other figs. I am hoping it “grows out of it.”
Long season figs are inappropriate for much of the US. If this fig stops splitting, it should do well for me.
@@TheMillennialGardener beautiful. i would like to see figs listed by there growing degree days. depending on what base you use im a little over 3,000 degree days. i bet this would eliminate tons of unnecessary figs in peoples collections lol. crazy how some figs open up like that. had same issues with verte, its in fig hell now. i have used lights and greenhouses to help my lack of degree days.