The Fig Tree Guy

Author: Evan Panagiotopoulos

  • Battery Operated Pruner

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    On November 20th, I posted about my new RYOBI pruner. While using it earlier today, I heard a rattling sound coming from inside it. I returned it to Home Depot of Newburgh, and they replaced it. Upon testing the new one at home, I found no unusual sounds. Phew! Please use my contact form to…

  • Green Fig Preserves

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    What do you do with all of end-of-season green figs? Don’t throw them out! I have an easy-to-follow recipe that will use these green figs and turn them into something delicious. You can find this recipe on my YouTube Channel. Please use my contact form to contact me privately. Subscribe to receive blog updates by…

  • Processing a few Magnolia Cuttings

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    In its first year, my Magnolia/Brunswick fig tree produced 19 sweet, dormant cuttings, most of which were very thick and full of energy. To prepare the cuttings, simply wash them with clean water, scrub them with a brush, and dry them with paper towels. After that, I mark the top of each cutting with ‘MAG’…

  • My Battery Operated RYOBI Pruner

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    If you have to prune several trees, and each tree has 10 to 30 branches, having a battery-operated pruner is a great idea. The purchase was a bit stressful, but I survived it. I went to a local big-box store where they had them in stock and bought their very last pruner. The box contained…

  • Getting Hay to Winterize Trees and Raised Beds

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    Here I am transporting three bales of hay from the Orange County Arboretum for our suburban garden. I first received permission from the Arboretum officials in charge to make sure I wasn’t stealing. By the way, I buy all of our vegetable seedlings from them every year because they offer such high-quality varieties. I also…

  • Wood Chips for your Garden

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    I found this amazing mountain of wood chips off Route 208 in Orange County that has been sitting there unattended for a couple of years. Well, I go there once or twice a day with four buckets and a pair of gloves. I fill the buckets and take them home, where I use them to…

  • Cuttings Everywhere!

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    These are the cuttings I am currently rooting at home. I use 15 Starbucks venti cups, and each cup has four cuttings being rooted in water. Not to mention Mario Fabrizi, who has his very own grande Starbucks cup. I change the water daily, and I try to handle them as little as possible. Please…

  • My YouTube Channel

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    Just in case you haven’t noticed, I have a YouTube channel where I post videos and shorts very often about figs, Greek recipes, and the Greek language, among other topics. As of today, November 18, 2024, I have 1,720 followers. I created the channel on Jan. 9, 2013, but it remained dormant and unused for…

  • My Philosophy on Removing the Apical/Terminal Bud

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    The apical bud of a fig tree is the growth tip responsible for producing new growth and elongating the plant. It is common practice to remove, cut, or pinch this bud to encourage earlier harvests and increased branching. While the apical bud is a type of terminal bud, not all terminal buds are apical buds.…

  • Introducing Mario Fabrizi

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    Evan Panagiotopoulos

    About three weeks ago, I began rooting a tiny cutting from a large fig tree that I ‘inherited’ from a family in Brewster, NY. The cutting was very thin—so thin that I initially tossed it onto the compost pile. But then I decided to give it a chance. Normally, I root thicker fig cuttings because…