Fire ants are a problem here also, how much lime do you put on the compost? And thanks for the info on the figs. I do not have any to start from cuttings so will have to get them from a gardening supply. I have been thinking about Celestial or Black Jack or both. I am in East Central Miss. and figs are grown here.
I don’t know how to tell you how much. Just sprinkle some hydrated lime over the top of the pile. We can get it in small bags, maybe 2# and 5#? Otherwise it’s 50# bags.
We haven’t been able to get dolomitic here for a couple of years, but I think it’s the fertilizer co. we deal with.
Speaking of fertilizer, y’all are in for some major sticker shock this year. It has gone out of sight! We just got a load in—we start fertilizing pecans here in Feb—10-10-10 with extra zinc.
All the fert products we carry are premium, with added trace elements because of our poor,sandy soil. You can get cheaper, but you get what you pay for.
Celestial is a good fig. Never heard of Black Jack, except we once had a lab named that. The best way to get ones you like is to take cuttings from someone who has a bush you like. We have one here that we call Davis Island because that’s where the cuttings came from. Davis Island is an island off the coast. You wouldn’t think anything could survive in sand and salt air, with no regular watering, but they thrive. DI is a bigger fig than Brown turkey, but not as sweet. BT is another good one.