FIG CUTTINGS AVAILABLE FOR 2011

Please read this carefully AND COMPLETELY. It is lengthy, but it is important. It reflects our desire for you to be fully informed, and to explain our commitment to good stewardship of the varieties we have collected and to the fig community which we enjoy and serve.

There are some new things this season, and there are some things from previous seasons which are not available. A second season of unusual weather has produced little growth on some trees. However, this year we have also accessed some private collections in the Southern California area for additional cuttings and varieties.

Cuttings range from 6-8" in length, with most pieces close to 7-1/2". Tip cuttings tend to be on the shorter end of the range. Some varieties have characteristically thick growth (as much as 1"), while others tend to be fairly slender. Most cuttings have at least three nodes/buds. Some will only have two, because of their growth characteristics. Almost all cuttings are from the most recent season's growth, but in a very few cases may have been taken from a prior season's growth. Use of prior season growth will be the rare exception. Some cuttings will appear to be from two years growth, but are not. Weather last season caused two growth flushes in one season on many varieties. The cuttings have not been cleaned or treated in any manner, and should not have any pesticide residue. The three Portuguese varieties and Blue Celeste JN are from very large, old trees and may have as much as 5 season's growth in one cutting. But they are unmatched in quality or rarity.

One of the objectives of making this scion available is to distribute it widely, for the benefit of the fig loving community and the preservation of these varieties in many collections. This is one of the reasons why we cannot accept orders for large quantities of any one variety. For some varieties, only one or two people will likely, receive scion this year. Many of the source trees are still young and/or small, and still do not produce large amounts of scion.

Information about each variety is available at Figs 4 Fun . If there aren't any pictures, they have most likely not fruited for us, yet, and information is, therefore, minimal (some 2009 season pix have not been uploaded yet). Letters suffixed to a varietal name, such as "JN" indicate their origin. We grow about 20 "Celestes", for example, but they all have their differences. These suffixes are important in identifying the correct pictures at Figs 4 Fun . Not all material from the other private collections has been documented, yet. Some of these are heirlooms and/or unknowns, and will only be able to be evaluated when they fruit. We continue to experiment with the numbered selections from USDA/UC Davis, and we are finding that some are real gems. Because we have received scion from a number of sources, including USDA/UC Davis, all of our material has either been exposed to or infected with Fig Mosaic Virus (FMV). If this is an issue for you, please refrain from ordering. There were some surprisingly wonderful selections which fruited for the first time this season, and we hope to be able to share cuttings next season. We continue to add new varieties with the goal of trialing them and making them more widely available. If you have heirloom or other varieties which are not generally known, we would be interested in obtaining cuttings as you have them available. Figs continue to be a passion and a joy and we very much appreciate the sharing spirit of the fig-loving community.

Cuttings are taken one variety at a time and individually packaged. We are very careful in our preparation, but sooner or later we will probably make a mistake. Because we deal in small quantities and almost all are sold out each season, there is no real remedy apart from giving you priority to reorder in a following season, assuming that particular variety is once again available. Cuttings which have come from other local, private collections are believed to have been taken with equal care. We have personally participated in taking most of these cuttings, but not all. While we are satisfied with the integrity of the collections and their owners, we have not been in a position to verify the cuttings and the accuracy of their varietal names. Correctly identifying figs is a very difficult task. The pictures at Figs 4 Fun are your best guide to what an individual fig looks like, but they can vary widely when grown in a different climate, so these are only a guide.

If a variety has more than one stock number, then the cuttings came from more than one tree. In most cases the trees are identical. In those cases, we may substitute depending on availabilty. Where there are differences, we will advise before substituting.

We made some changes in our pricing, ordering, and distribution procedures.

*** We will be releasing our cuttings list in two portions this seaason. They are not as hardened as we would like, but the reality is that they are as hard as they will get as they are about to break dormancy (and some already have). In order to ship the freshest possible cuttings, we will offer and ship these initial cuttings, while we continue to take cuttings of the balance of the Figs 4 Fun collection. We will release an additional list in perhaps a week or so. Most of the cuttings on this initial list have no more than a half a dozen available cuttings. We will set aside your requested cuttings, and then advise you about items which we are able to ship along with shipping, pricing and payment information. Please order carefully and thoroughly. To keep our sanity, it will be necessary to process additions to orders as separate orders, including separate shipping charges. To facilitate filling orders, please list the varieties which you are requesting in NUMERICAL order by their stock number, followed by the varietal name. Orders not properly filled out will have to be set aside for later. Please include you name and shipping address. For example:

Pricing:

For this initial list, all cuttings are $3 each, and you will receive 1-3 cuttings of a variety depending on what is available. It is not practical to list a quantity for each variety at this time.

Shipping for 1-5 varieties is $8; for 6-20 varieties as $14. For larger quantities, please inquire. Shipment is by Priority Mail. We can also ship by UPS, if desired, but it is generally not cost effective for small quantities.

E-mail your want list to Encanto Farms. We will set aside what is available and advise you of the quantities and pricing, including payment instructions. We are currently only accepting checks and Paypal.

Orders will be filled more or less in the order that they were received, but cuttings will also be shared in a way that we believe will best facilitate our goal of wide distribution, in the interest of the larger fig community. We expect to ship once or twice a week, as quickly as orders can be processed. If you do not hear from us for a few days, please do not panic. Pleased understand that this is an extremely busy time of year for us.

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