Can you cut the top of a fig tree?
Cut off the top of the newly planted fig tree about 24 inches from the soil. Act in late winter or early spring before the first buds appear. Trim all remaining branches back to 6 inches.
How tall can a fig tree grow?
15 to 30 feet tall
Are figs really full of baby wasps?
It sounds like an urban myth – figs contain the bodies of dead wasps. But in this case, the story is completely true. Figs and wasps have a strange, mutualistic relationship: Figs rely on wasps to pollinate the flowers that are inside the fruit, and fig wasps need a safe place to lay their eggs.
Does a wasp die in every fig?
If the fig is a male, she lays her eggs inside. If the wasp climbs into a female fig, she pollinates it, but cannot lay her eggs and just dies alone. Luckily for us, the female fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely.
Do Fig Newtons have dead wasps in them?
Figs have an enzyme called ficin that breaks down the deceased wasps into protein, which become part of the ripened fruit. Nothing of the actual wasp body remains. The crunchy parts of the fig fruit are actually seeds and not leftover wasp pieces.
Can figs grow without wasps?
Figs Without Wasps? Most commercial figs, like the ones you buy at the store, are grown without wasps. While wasp bodies may add some crunch to a tasty fig, you probably won’t find a wasp inside a fig you are about to eat, even if you look really hard.
What figs dont need wasps?
“Common” figs, including ‘Brown Turkey”, ‘Celeste’, Brunswick’ and ‘Mission’ do not need pollination. Their fruit develops with insect help. “Caducous” figs, including ‘Smyrna,’ ‘Calimyrna’ and ‘Marabout’ require a tiny wasp to crawl inside and perform pollination.
What is the relationship between figs and fig wasps?
Figs have an obligate mutualism with tiny fig-pollinating wasps (family Agaonidae). Female wasps enter receptive syconia, where they pollinate female flowers. They also lay eggs into some flowers, where their larvae induce galls.
What type of relationship do modern day fig wasps have with fig plants?
obligate mutualism
What is the benefit to the fig tree of the fig fig wasp mutualism?
The parasitic wasp is an important member of this relationship. By limiting where the fig wasp lays its eggs, the parasite allows the fig tree to produce seeds to make the next generation of fig trees. This in turn benefits the fig wasp, as it has another generation of trees to pollinate and lay eggs for its young.
How long do female fig tree wasps live for?
The wasp is carrying pollen from the flower where she was born. Once inside the syconium, she deposits the pollen, fertilising the flowers. Then she lays her eggs in the female flowers, using long tubes called ovipositors. The mother wasp now has only 24 hours to live.