A Complete Guide to Growing Figs

Not too many people consider figs as a backyard plant, but growing figs is actually quite easy if you live in the right climate. In the United States, figs can be grown in the warmest USDA zones, down to around zone 8. Figs need two things to grow--the first is warm weather and the second is lots of sunlight. A fig tree needs at least eight hours a day of sunlight to produce fruit.

Growing figs is possible in the southern and western portions of the U.S. Figs come in many varieties though most of us only think of figs as the type you find in the middle part of a cookie. Figs are not terribly particular about the type of soil; just remember that they must be placed in a spot that is sunny all day long. An ideal spot would be the south side of a building.

Figs should be planted in spring while they are still in the dormant stage. It is always best to start with a small plant. If your fig plant was grown in a container, you can place it in its new home just as it is, but if you have a bareroot fig, you should remove the top fifty percent before planting.

Don’t prune your figs the first year, but in the spring of the second year, you can prune down to around four strong shoots, which you should choose to be leaders. After this you can prune back every spring before the fig tree starts its growth for the new year. Figs should be cut back by about one-third each year. Remove any shoots or branches that have died.

It is also possible to take a cutting from a fig plant. It should be in the 8-10 inch range with year-old wood. Suckers can also be planted right into the soil to start new fig plants. As for watering, fig trees should have in the neighborhood of one inch of water every week. They should not need any fertilizing unless for some reason the plants just refuse to grow in your location.

When growing fig trees, mulch in the summer to keep in moisture and in the fall for winter protection. They require a hefty four to six inches of mulch. Figs are ready for harvest when the fruit starts to droop. They also produce a milky-type liquid right before they are ripe. Some people who suffer from allergies might find this white secretion bothersome.

There are really very few diseases or pests which bother fig trees. The two biggest frustrations are that your plants fail to yield fruit or that they grow fruit and you have to battle with birds to harvest it. Birds love to eat figs. That’s why it is best to pick you figs before they get too ripe. You can cover the trees with nets to keep birds off the fruit.

Often people think their fig tree is just not going to produce any figs but you have to have a lot of patience with figs. It can take as many as three to four years before a tree sets with fruit. For others, sometimes the figs either do not ripen or the figs drop off the plant prematurely. If your figs fail to ripen, you may be fertilizing them too much. They require little fertilizer.

In the southern United States, the cultivars Celeste and Brown Turkey are the most popular ones. Celeste will always drop some fruit just because it is one of the plants characteristics.
Propagate A Fig Tree From A Cutting

There are actually several ways to propagate more fig trees for yourself or others. However, some methods are easier and have a higher success rate than others. For example, growing from seeds is very hard and often results in failure. Growing from cuttings from a healthy fig tree, on the other hand, has a 50% or higher success rate.

Step 1 – Choosing Your Tree

There are several things to consider about where you get your cuttings from. You may need to purchase some new fig trees from a nursery if you don’t already own them, or know somebody else with fig trees. If bought locally, you shouldn’t have too much trouble about picking an appropriate fig tree, but bear in mind that there are many varieties, each with their own climate and conditions that they will flourish in. A fig tree that grows superbly in Texas, for example, likely won’t grow at all in California, and vice versa.

Step 2 – Choosing Your Cutting

If you’ve purchased fig trees, you should wait about two years before getting your cuttings, to give the tree a chance to establish strong, vigorous and healthy growth.

Take your cutting from a vigorously growing stem. They should be rather woody and not entirely green, and have little to none of last year’s growth. Softer, greener stems are more likely to rot. The cutting should be about 6 to 8 inches in length, and about the diameter of a pencil.

Step 3 – Pot the Cutting

Remove most of the leaves, or at least the bottom leaves past the first 2 nodes. You can dip the cuts into a rooting hormone, but be aware some growers advise against it. Place the cuttings in a plastic pot, about 4 inches in size and filled with a light, airy soil. Moisten the soil and cover the cutting to hold in moisture. A 2 liter pop bottle with the bottom cut off and the cap still on makes for easy moisture insulation. Don't water the cutting again until it is extremely dry. Place it outside in mild sun, or under the shade of a mature fig tree.

Step 4 – Hardening Off the Cutting

In time, you’ll see vigorous growth with newly formed leaves as well as roots growing. Wait until a complete root system is formed, then you can begin to harden it off by bringing it outside uncovered for several hours a day, and bringing it back inside at night. It will take about two weeks to fully harden off and become accustomed to its new climate.

Step 5 – Transplanting

This entire process will likely start in the late summer or fall, and last until at least the following spring. Once a fig tree has hardened off, it is possible to transplant it permanently outside. However, some say that it should be left for another year from spring before transplanting.

Follow these steps, and before you know it, you’ll have a wonderful new fruit tree in your backyard!

Chinese culture

For survival needs, all men everywhere could eat the same food, to be measured only in calories, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. But no, people of different backgrounds eat very differently. The basic stuffs from which food is prepared; the ways in which it is preserved, cut up, cooked (if at all); the amount and variety at each meal; the tastes that are liked and disliked; the customs of serving food; the utensils; the beliefs about the food's properties -these all vary. The number of such "food variables" is great.

1. Chinese cooking is, in this sense, the manipulation of these foodstuffs as basic ingredients. Since ingredients are not the same everywhere, Chinese food begins to assume a local character simply by virtue of the ingredients it uses. Obviously ingredients are not sufficient for characterization, but they are a good beginning. Compare, for example, the above list with one in which dairy products occupy a prominent place, and one immediately comes upon a significant contrast between the two food traditions.

2. In the Chinese culture, the whole process of preparing food from raw ingredients to morsels ready for the mouth involves a complex of interrelated variables that is highly distinctive when compared with other food traditions of major magnitude. At the base of this complex is the division between fan, grains and other starch foods, and ts'ai, vegetable and meat dishes. To prepare a balanced meal, it must have an appropriate amount of both fan and ts'ai, and ingredients are readied along both tracks. Grains are cooked whole or as flour, making up the fan half of the meal in various forms: fan (in the narrow sense, "cooked rice"), steamed wheat-, millet-, or corn-flour bread, ping ("pancakes"), and noodles. Vegetables and meats are cut up and mixed in various ways into individual dishes to constitute the ts'ai half. Even in meals in which the staple starch portion and the meat-and-vegetable portion are apparently joined together, such as in . . . "wonton" . . . they are in fact put together but not mixed up, and each still retains its due proportion and own distinction . . ..

3. For the preparation of ts'ai, the use of multiple ingredients and the mixing of flavors are the rules, which above all means that ingredients are usually cut up and not done whole, and that they are variously combined into individual dishes of vastly differing flavors. Pork for example, may be diced, slice shredded, or ground, and when combined with other meats and with various vegetable ingredients and spice produces dishes of utterly diverge, shapes, flavors, colors, tastes, and aromas.
Another feature of Chinese food habits that contributed to their notable adaptability is the large number and great variety of preserved foods . . . . Food is preserved by smoking, salting, sugaring, steeping, pickling, drying, soaking in many kinds of soy sauces, and so forth, and the whole range of foodstuffs is involved-grains, meat, fruit, eggs, vegetables, and everything else. Again, with preserved food, the Chinese people were ever ready in the event of hardship or scarcity.

4. The Chinese way of eating is further characterized by the ideas and beliefs about food, which actively affect the ways . . . in which food is prepared and taken. The overriding idea about food in China -in all likelihood an idea with solid, but as yet unraveled, scientific backing-is that the kind and the amount of food one takes is intimately relevant to one's health. Food not only affects health as a matter of general principle, the selection of the right food at any particular time must also be dependent upon one's health condition at that time. Food, therefore, is also medicine

Figs (无花果)

Figs on a branch arching over the water's edge.
Explains why there are so many squirrels on the Lower Peirce Trail.
Ficus auriculata
[Broad-leaf Fig, Elephant Ear Fig, Roxburgh Fig]
Figs (无花果)
If you are interested to use any of the image(s), please read the conditions carefully.
A Complete Guide to Growing Figs
Not too many people consider figs as a backyard plant, but growing figs is actually quite easy if you live in the right climate. In the United States, figs can be grown in the warmest USDA zones, down to around zone 8. Figs need two things to grow--the first is warm weather and the second is lots of sunlight. A fig tree needs at least eight hours a day of sunlight to produce fruit.

Growing figs is possible in the southern and western portions of the U.S. Figs come in many varieties though most of us only think of figs as the type you find in the middle part of a cookie. Figs are not terribly particular about the type of soil; just remember that they must be placed in a spot that is sunny all day long. An ideal spot would be the south side of a building.

Figs should be planted in spring while they are still in the dormant stage. It is always best to start with a small plant. If your fig plant was grown in a container, you can place it in its new home just as it is, but if you have a bareroot fig, you should remove the top fifty percent before planting.

Don’t prune your figs the first year, but in the spring of the second year, you can prune down to around four strong shoots, which you should choose to be leaders. After this you can prune back every spring before the fig tree starts its growth for the new year. Figs should be cut back by about one-third each year. Remove any shoots or branches that have died.

It is also possible to take a cutting from a fig plant. It should be in the 8-10 inch range with year-old wood. Suckers can also be planted right into the soil to start new fig plants. As for watering, fig trees should have in the neighborhood of one inch of water every week. They should not need any fertilizing unless for some reason the plants just refuse to grow in your location.

When growing fig trees, mulch in the summer to keep in moisture and in the fall for winter protection. They require a hefty four to six inches of mulch. Figs are ready for harvest when the fruit starts to droop. They also produce a milky-type liquid right before they are ripe. Some people who suffer from allergies might find this white secretion bothersome.

There are really very few diseases or pests which bother fig trees. The two biggest frustrations are that your plants fail to yield fruit or that they grow fruit and you have to battle with birds to harvest it. Birds love to eat figs. That’s why it is best to pick you figs before they get too ripe. You can cover the trees with nets to keep birds off the fruit.

Often people think their fig tree is just not going to produce any figs but you have to have a lot of patience with figs. It can take as many as three to four years before a tree sets with fruit. For others, sometimes the figs either do not ripen or the figs drop off the plant prematurely. If your figs fail to ripen, you may be fertilizing them too much. They require little fertilizer.

Health Benefits of Figs


]Figs are pear-shaped hollow fruits, with sugary pulp and a large number of small seeds of golden color. Figs are variable in size and color. The ripe fresh fruits are juicy, wholesome and delicious. However, being highly perishable, figs are sold in the market in its dry form.



Food Value of Figs

An analysis of the fresh figs shows it consists good amount of moisture and little protein, fat and carbohydrate. The dry figs have a high nutritive value. Its most important food element is sugar which forms s1 to 74 percent of the whole fruit. Figs are excellent source of potassium, dietary fiber and manganese. Potassium is very helpful to control high blood pressure; dietary fiber supports bowel regularity and helps to maintain sugar and cholesterol levels normal. Manganese helps to control infertility, weakness, heart disorders, memory loss, muscle contraction.

Health Benefits of Figs
Constipation: Taken either fresh or dried, the fig is regarded as a dependable laxative on account of its large cellulose content and its tough skin. The tiny seeds in the fruit possess the property of stimulating peristaltic or wave like movements of intestines which facilitates easy evacuation of faeces and keeps the alimentary canal clean.
Asthma: Figs are considered beneficial in the treatment of asthma. Phlegmatic cases of cough and asthma are treated with success by their use. It gives comfort to the patient by draining of the phlegm.

Sexual Weakness: Figs can be beneficially used in the treatment of sexual debility. They can be supplemented by other dry fruits like almonds and dry dates along with butter. Their use has proved effective in such cases.

Weight Loss: Fiber and fiber-rich foods are helpful to lose weight. Figs are excellent source of dietary fiber and a great food for weight management.

Hypertension: Deficiency of potassium or low intake of potassium-rich foods can lead to high blood pressure. Figs are very good source of potassium which helps to control high blood pressure.

Figs are considered a restorative food which helps in quick recovery after prolonged illness. It removes physical and mental exertion and endows the body with renewed vigour and strength.

Drinking soya milk

Very good info. Important is to make it a consistent habit to reap the benefits. Drinking soya milk should be at least 1 hour before sleep, to complete the first level digestion. Fruit is better eating whole, fruit juice may have only 30% of the nutrients. Vegetables are very power food if eaten raw, because of the chlorophyll which absorbing solar energy. Good quality water is the best drink for human. Better drink less coffee and tea for the caffeine inside. Potato is one of the most powerful foods on earth, another highly recommended will be brown rice. You can't get fat by eating more of them but get thinner..., testified by yours sincerely. We can't choose to have a good life but we can choose to live a good life =)

How to stop cough in 5 minutes!

I like to share some of the medical tips which I have learn from article or book which I have come across. It maybe useful if one day you may need it. Below are some of the learning.

To stop night time coughing in a child (or an adult, as we found out personally), put Vicks Vapor Rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime and then cover with socks.  Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about five minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. This works 100 percent of the time, and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.  I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children, as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure.

I would like to wish you and your family healthy and happy.

I am preparing my work

I am doing my work. It is Electrical design on building. Look it time to Relax for a few minute.

I just received a project. I doing my planning.

It Christmas eve Celebration

We are enjoying together on christmas eve. We have plenty of food and it is party time. What a wonderful time. Disco dancing and play game together with all our colleague.

Happy moment of my vacation.

We have friend gathering and camping in the Chalet.
Swimming and BBQ is wonderful. We enjoyed together as good friend.

Happy moment at friend house

I was invited to my collegue house during the Chinese new year second day. We have lunch and chit chat session.
As at all traditional Chinese gatherings, food plays an important role in the Chinese New Year Festival. Dinners tend to be very elaborate involving tables laden with auspicious foods.
On New Year's Eve, families have a reunion feast which includes nian gao, a sticky rice pudding cake which is said to make people "advance toward higher positions and prosperity step by step." A New Year's Eve tradition from Northern China, dumplings (jiao zi), look like the golden ingots yuan bao used during the Ming Dynasty for money and the name sound like the word for the earliest paper money, so serving them brings the promise of wealth and prosperity!
Many families eat these at midnight so they have money at the changing of the years. Some cooks will hide a clean coin in one for the most lucky to find. Long noodles are used to guarantee that all at the table will have a long life.
Almost every dish has a symbolic meaning or name that sounds like a Chinese characters for fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity. Hoe see fat choy, hair seaweed (fat choy) with dried oysters (ho see) sounds like "wealth and good business," lotus roots (lin ngau) mean abundance year after year, while lettuce translates into "growing wealth" and pig's tongue forecasts "profit." When Cantonese families visit each other to exchange New Year greetings it is customary to take gifts such as tangerines and oranges, as their Chinese names sound like "gold" and "wealth". In many homes, a platter with either five meat or five vegetable dishes might be served. Whether meat or vegetable dishes are included, this dish is called "the five blessings of the new year," referring to longevity, riches, peace, wisdom and virtue.

On New Year's Eve, when everyone gathers around the table for the "Family Reunion Dinner" carp is a typical main course, because it symbolises a profitable year ahead. The fish is never fully eaten to ensure that the family will have an excess of good fortune through the year. Vegetables embody the freshness of "evergreen" and store good fortune in their roots. Fish balls (yu-wan) and meat balls (jou-wan) are symbolic of "reunion." The round shape of the meat and fish balls portrays "togetherness." Great care is taken to serve an even number of dishes to bestow "double happiness" on the family.

To ensure completeness and to avoid misfortune, most New Year dishes are prepared with uncut or whole ingredients. You are probably familiar with a duck or chicken being served with the head and feet. When cooking, people generally avoid chopping up fish, leafy greens and other items such as noodles. In fact, using knives, cleavers or sharp objects during the holiday season is considered unlucky as this could sever the entire family's good fortune. If chopped ingredients are used for the recipes, they are prepared before the Spring Festival to avoid the possibility of bad omens. This also makes the work of preparing the feasts a bit easier during the festival!

During the weeklong New Year celebrations, every household keeps their tables topped up with sweet and savoury specialties so they can welcome family and friends with a choice of festive treats. Another prerequisite of Lunar New Year is the "tray of togetherness", a tray or special box filled with an assortment of auspicious treats. Among the more popular treats are sweetened lotus roots (symbolising abundance), sweetened lotus seeds (suggesting fertility), dried melon seeds (symbolising profuse earnings), and all kinds of candies, which are a source of long-term sweetness.

Customs dictates that most families begin the first day of Chinese New Year with a vegetarian meal to counteract the effects of the excessive feasting on New Year's Eve. The choice of vegetables may include exotic types of mushrooms, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts. The meat-free meal is also considered fortuitous for garnering good karma by refraining from eating anything that has been killed.

The second day of the New Year is the important "Day of Commencement" when businesses and household begin a new year of work with a commencement lunch. Cooks prepare a lavish line-up of dishes comprising chicken, shrimp, oysters and abalone. For enterprises such as retail shops these popular New Year mainstays are turned into hearty fares that include chicken, preserved duck, braised seaweed with dried oysters, and carp. The lavish meal inspires good team spirit and raises hope for a profitable year.

The third day of New Year is a day to avoid social interaction, since it's known as the "Day of Squabbles". Staying home is considered the wise thing to do, and what better to spend the day than a continuing to indulge in eating mouth-watering New Year treats? Again, auspicious-sounding ingredients such as lettuce and seaweed top the list of ingredients used in preparing sumptuous meals for all the family. The dawn of the fourth day marks the return of the Kitchen God after a brief trip back to Heaven where it had delivered an account of the families' behaviour over the previous 12 months.

The seventh day of the New Year is known as "Everybody's Birthday" — a day for all to celebrate new birth with yet another round of delightful feasts. Many years ago those who aspired to receive specific blessings — such as scoring the highest marks in an Imperial Exam — would dine on symbolic dishes that would include the "Scholar's Congee" (a dish made from boiled rice, pork and a pig's internal organs).
The 15th day of the New Year marks China's very own Valentine's Day, which is also known as the Lantern Festival. Decorative lanterns are hung both indoors and outdoors and lantern parties become the major attraction for everyone to enjoy. A typical Lantern Festival treat called "Yuan Siu" — round glutinous rice balls stuffed with sweet fillings are eaten to symbolise togetherness and completeness.
A family activity during the festive spring season might include visiting walled villages to sample their fire pot "big bowl feast" ("Poon Tsoi" in Cantonese), which is regarded as a hearty treat when the weather is chilly. A traditional fire pot is a fondue style meal served in a wooden dish filled with layers of vegetables, meat and seafood. The base is usual lined with Chinese lettuce, sang choi, which sounds very much like the word meaning "to bring about wealth and riches." Cooked turnip, which has been chopped and cooked with stir-fried pork skin, strips of bean curd, bean curd balls or fish balls make the next layer. On top comes a layer of dried squid, roast pork, dried oysters, braised lotus roots and chicken. The tastes and flavours of this mouth-watering dish are enough to whet the appetite of the fussiest eater.

During the New Year month, auspicious ingredients such as oysters, seaweed, abalone, and sea cucumber are added to the feast as symbols of good fortune. Fish (yu) represent "having enough to spare," while the word for garlic chives sounds like chiu-tsai and has the meaning of "everlasting," wishing your family and guest a long life. Turnips (tsai tou) mean "good omens." Hao, oysters, sounds like the word for "an auspicious occasion or event."

Happy moment of my vacation.

We enjoy the good time in Genting Highland. We saw the world record with number of rooms in the world at 6118 Rooms in a Hotel and that is First world Hotel. Enjoyed the Theme Park and Casino.

881 was a successful production.

It was by coincidence that my mother was in the 881 filming and she happen to visit the waterloo street Kuan IM temple. She was seen worshipping behind behind Papaya sister. My family enjoy the local production show. Song are good and soothing. Even children of different age enjoyed it. What success of local production.

My pair of Angel fish laying egg on my tank glass

I have 8 pairs of Angel fish and they lay egg when the time is right and hatch into baby fry. It is wonderful to see my angel fish pair up, lay egg and hatch into baby fry after few day.