Tasteless figs?

Question

My wife and I are turning a suburban backyard into a mini-food forest. We had a couple of fig trees on the place when we bought it. One of them does a good job of producing edible figs. The other tree crops prolifically, producing a large number of good sized figs. But they're tasteless! They have a white pulpy interior (which is cardboardy in texture and lacking taste) with little of the juicy, purple interior that table figs have.

The tree looks very healthy. It is in a brick corner facing open to the south and east. It gets a lot of morning sun and the upper leaves get afternoon sun as well. Is there something we can do? Perhaps a missing nutrient?

Thanks

David

Answer 1

You're in good company. Here's some historical info about
how... "too much water"... can cause figs to be tastless:

" Landon Carter was surprised at how "prodigious" summer rains had rendered Colonel Tayloe's usually "remarkably fine and luscious" figs "tasteless" in 1775 at Mount Airy on the Northern Neck between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers."
http://www.twinleaf.org/articles/figs.html

"Figs hate too much water, the roots will rot. You will also not like the figs if you over-water. They will be watery and tasteless."
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg051806425181.html
Do not overwater in areas of poor drainage.

They might need more sun to fully rippen: maximum sun is required for best fruit. "Figs like lots and lots of sun to ripen their fruits, so if your summers are mild, plant your figs against a south-facing wall. A microclimate that allows warm air to sit in a pocket in your garden is excellent fig-growing territory."
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/perennials/14339
http://www.raintreenursery.com/how_to/FIGS.html

Figs require full sunlight for maximum fruit production. When choosing a site for figs, select an area that has sun for most of the day, or, expect reduced performance from the trees.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/fruit/figs/figs.html

Perhaps that one fig tree is a different variety from the other & is a tasteless variety ..no matter what you do? The Texas A & M site above cites a non-edible type of fig.

Answer 2

Two theories:
1)The tasteless one is not getting the same moisture as the other, either from a drip line off the house etc..
2)The roots are bottomed out too shallow and so the plant cant produce the nutrients it needs to create full fledged fruit. If you think it is the secnd you may try one season where you douse it with lots & lots of kelp, and manure/compost teas etc..