Living in San Diego, we are blessed with a growing climate that makes most of the country jealous, but we have our own unique set of headaches. The biggest heartbreaker for me used to be the “June Gloom” or the heavy marine layer that rolls in right when my fig crop is ripening. I can’t tell you how many buckets of sour, split fruit I’ve tossed into the compost pile because the humidity turned my prized Black Mission figs into mush overnight. That heartbreak stopped the year I planted my first Conadria.
Ever wonder why some fruits split before ripening while others on the same branch stay perfect? The answer usually lies in the mechanics of the fruit’s skin and the “eye” at the bottom.
The Conadria isn’t just another fig; it is a genetically engineered masterpiece designed specifically for climates like ours. Here at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we’ve found that understanding the specific lineage of your trees is the difference between a harvest you can sell and a harvest you feed to the pigs.
What Exactly is the Conadria?
The Conadria (Ficus carica) is a hybrid variety developed by Dr. Ira Condit at the University of California, Riverside, and released back in 1956. Even though it’s been around for nearly 70 years, it surprises me how many local growers overlook it for trendier varieties. It is the first artificially hybridized fig, a cross between the Adriatic and the Capri fig.
The name “Conadria” is actually a portmanteau honoring its creator and parentage: Condit plus Adriatic.
Visually, this fruit is a stunner. It produces large, light-green to yellow fruit that sometimes blushes with a violet haze if the San Diego sun hits it just right. Inside, the flesh is a striking strawberry red. But the real magic isn’t the color; it’s the structural integrity. The Conadria features a “closed eye” (the ostiole at the bottom of the fruit).
Think of the eye of a fig like the front door to a house. On many varieties, that door is wide open, inviting beetles, ants, and moisture to walk right in. The Conadria keeps that door locked tight, preventing spoilage and resisting the souring that plagues other varieties in coastal humidity.
Site Selection and Soil Preparation
You cannot just shove a stick in the ground and hope for jam. Figs are robust, but they have preferences. In San Diego, we often deal with heavy clay or decomposed granite. Conadria is vigorous, but it needs room to stretch its legs.
I plant my trees on a slight mound, usually raised about 6 to 8 inches above the grade. This ensures that even during our torrential “atmospheric river” winter storms, the crown doesn’t sit in standing water. For soil amendments, I don’t get fancy. I mix 50% native soil with 50% high-quality compost.
Be careful with nitrogen. If you dump a high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer near your figs, you will get a beautiful, giant bush with lush green leaves and absolutely zero fruit.
Our experience at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables has shown that a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5 is the sweet spot for nutrient uptake in Ficus carica. If your soil test comes back too alkaline (which is common here with our hard water), incorporate elemental sulfur at a rate of 1 pound per 100 square feet to gently lower it over time.
Watering: The Goldilocks Zone
The biggest myth in fig growing is that they are drought-tolerant desert plants that don’t need water. While a mature tree won’t die from drought, it won’t produce juicy fruit either. A stressed tree enters survival mode and drops its fruit.
During the establishment year, I water my Conadrias with 5 gallons of water twice a week. Once the tree is established (year 3 and beyond), I switch to a deep soak strategy. I apply approximately 15 to 20 gallons of water every 10 days during the heat of July and August.
Mulch is your best friend. A 4-inch layer of wood chips extends the hydration of your soil by 30%, meaning you save money on your water bill while the tree stays happier.
The Pruning Strategy: Controlled Chaos
Pruning a Conadria is like negotiating with a toddler; you have to be firm or they will walk all over you. This variety is extremely vigorous. If I didn’t prune, my trees would easily hit 25 feet, making harvest impossible without a bucket truck.
I utilize a modified open-center system. This means I keep the trunk clear up to 24 inches, and then select 3 to 4 main scaffolds growing outward like a vase. This structure allows sunlight to penetrate the center of the canopy, which is crucial for ripening the second crop.
“Sunlight is the sugar maker. If the sun doesn’t hit the leaf, the sugar doesn’t get to the fruit.”
I do my heavy pruning in January when the tree is fully dormant. I remove about 50% of the previous year’s growth. It sounds aggressive, but Conadria fruits heavily on new wood.
Comparative Analysis: Conadria vs. Common Varieties
To give you a clearer picture of why I dedicated a quarter of my orchard to this variety, look at the breakdown of characteristics compared to the standard varieties sold at big-box stores.
| Feature | Conadria | Black Mission | Brown Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splitting Resistance | High (Excellent for coast) | Low (Splits in fog/rain) | Moderate |
| Eye Structure | Tight/Closed | Open | Semi-open |
| Skin Thickness | Thick (durable) | Thin (delicate) | Medium |
| Flavor Profile | Mild, sweet strawberry | Rich, earthy berry | Simple sugar |
My Personal Battle with the Birds
I once ruined an entire batch by underestimating the local wildlife. I thought because the Conadria stays green-yellow when ripe, the birds might not notice it as quickly as the purple figs. I was dead wrong. Crows are smarter than we give them credit for.
I walked out one Tuesday morning to find 30 pounds of nearly ripe figs pecked open. It looked like a crime scene. Now, I use organza bags. It is tedious to bag individual fruit clusters, but it is the only 100% effective method I’ve found.
Reflective tape and plastic owls do not work. I watched a Mockingbird perch directly on my plastic owl’s head while eating a fig. Don’t waste your money on gimmicks.
Step-by-Step Harvest Guide
Knowing when to pick a Conadria is tricky because it doesn’t turn black or purple. If you pick it too early, it’s latex-heavy and tasteless.
- Check the droop: The fruit stem should give way, causing the fig to hang vertically rather than sticking out sideways.
- Touch test: The fruit should feel like a partially filled water balloon—soft and yielding, but not mushy.
- Look for the crack: You want to see tiny fissures or “stretch marks” in the skin; this indicates the sugar content has maximized and the skin is expanding.
- Twist, don’t pull: Lift the fruit upward toward the branch to snap the stem cleanly. Pulling down can tear the bark.
- Chill immediately: Figs stop ripening the moment they leave the tree. Get them into a 36°F cooler within an hour to halt fermentation.
Culinary Versatility and Storage
The flavor of a Conadria is distinct. It isn’t the heavy, molasses flavor of a Black Mission. It’s lighter, cleaner—more like a fine Pinot Noir compared to a heavy Cabernet. Through our work with Exotic Fruits and Vegetables farm, we have discovered that this lighter profile makes it versatile for savory pairings.
Because the skin is thicker and tougher, Conadria is the absolute undisputed champion of drying. Dried Conadrias taste remarkably like Fig Newtons but without the processed cake part.
We use them in variety of ways:
- Fresh eating: Sliced in half with a dollop of goat cheese and a drizzle of local honey.
- Drying: Halved and dehydrated at 135°F for 12 hours.
- Salads: The firm texture holds up well when tossed with arugula and balsamic glaze.
- Grilling: Because they don’t fall apart easily, you can brush them with olive oil and grill them for 2 minutes per side.
Pests and Diseases
Thankfully, here in San Diego, we don’t have many of the fungal issues that plague the East Coast, but we do have Fig Rust (Cerotelium fici). This usually hits late in the season when the marine layer hangs around. You’ll see rusty-orange spots on the undersides of leaves.
I don’t spray fungicides. Instead, I practice aggressive sanitation. Raking up and removing fallen leaves in the winter breaks the life cycle of the rust fungus. If you leave the leaves on the ground, you are essentially insulating the spores to re-infect your tree next spring.
Never compost diseased fig leaves. The heat of a standard backyard compost pile is rarely sufficient to kill rust spores. Burn them or bin them.
Why You Should Plant This Tree
Is the Conadria the sweetest fig on earth? Maybe not. Some would argue the Panache Tiger or a perfect Black Mission holds that title. But what good is a sweet fig if it splits open and rots before you can eat it?
What’s the real secret to success with exotic fruit? It’s not magic fertilizer or talking to your plants; it’s choosing the right genetics for your specific microclimate. If you live within 15 miles of the coast, you need this tree. It turns the liability of our humidity into a non-issue. So, grab a shovel, prep that soil, and get ready for the best dried figs you’ve ever tasted.
