Figs?

[Kitty Ballistic]

Anyone grown figs successfully in containers? I bought a fig tree (basically a twig with the world's tiniest fig on it) some months ago, stuck it in a pot in the greenhouse and it's grown really well. However, the tiny fig grew to, well, fig-size, and then stopped. Hasn't ripened, hasn't rotted, it's just sitting there.....waiting. It's been joined by several friends, and they're all just hanging around.

I thought I'd read somewhere about wasps being needed to pollinate the figs - also thought I read something about wasps *inside* the figs, but I'm putting that down to too much cheese on toast for supper. Should I put the pot outside while the weather is good?

Any figging advice gratefully received, thanks.

[hedgewitch]

Figgin advice - hee hee hee
I've never grown 'em in pots - they're a native Tree in Spain and they grow absolutely everywhere but the fruit doesn't ripen 'til later on in the year - September/October.

[Kitty Ballistic]

I'm growing them in a pot as I have a very small garden, and absolutely no room for a big fig tree. I had heard that they do OK in pots, as they don't mind having their roots restricted.

Guess I have to wait a bit longer to see if the figs will ripen. The tree is still growing though - new shoots on it at the moment, and it's a foot away from the top of the greenhouse.

Mmmm...fresh figs.

[Monty]

Hey

Right....fig trees are the bane of my life...and I've done a lot of reading.

First of all...never EVER (and I mean this) plant Fig trees into English soil. They grow emphatically, using the high nitrogen content in the soil to produce huge leaves (which I think by the way have a poisonous chemical on the cuticle (sticky top bit of the leaf)), and no fruit whatsoever. This is what I did, I tried to use the corner of my garage as root restriction but alas, it's ruined and this winter (after 3 years of discontent) I will dig it up and pot it into a big container.

The reason it works in spain is because meditteranean soil is notoriously poor which is why herbs thrive in it.

If you do decide to plant out (I know this doesn't apply to you, but to anybody who it does) in the soil then applying sawdust to the base of the plant as a mulch removes nitrogen in the rotting process.

Ok, I must stress just how essential root restriction is for the plant, it is crucial so that the tree produces figs and not leaves.

The fig tree produces two types of fruit, one is like a berry and lasts overwinter but never actually matures to a fruit. (I've never seen this I just know the theory). And the other is the fruit produced late spring (I think) and then matures late in the season. I went to my local greengrocer last december and he said I was too late in the season so I guess you'd expect them to mature around september.

Lastly, if you do get any figs can you send me some because I want them so bad.

Much love.

[Shirley]

Last year... we grew a fig in a pot.. and it did really really well... until our geese or chooks... not sure which.. managed to eat all the bloomin figs!!!!!! AAARGH.

[Selby]

Monty is SO right: restrict the roots.

Ours is in a half-barrel, in a very sheltered sunny corner, and is watered with used washing-up water.
It's growing really well.

New figs are produced more-or-less continuously.
Every winter the tiny figs fall off: it's too cold for them.
Every spring new ones grow and ripen: last year we ate 4!
This year we hope to get six, but the ones starting now (July) probably won't survive the winter.

They are definitely not worth the time, effort and expense;
but it's really exciting

[Millymollymandy]

So the figs that are forming now are going to fall off?

I'm new to this fig lark, but I found a young one that had been planted in my woodland. Yes you well might go ? ? like we did!

Needless to say it has been transplanted into the sunshine, in a patch of my garden which has thin awful dry soil over bedrock. We thought it might like this bit of the garden as we'd heard all about restricting the root growth too (was it Monty Don on Gardeners' World?).

[Selby]

So the figs that are forming now are going to fall off?

Probably. Possibly. Don't worry about it.

Thing is, our Summer is not really long enough and our winters are too cold.

If we get a really mild winter, they'll stay on.
If we then get a warm sunny Summer they'll ripen, and you'll drool.

While they're ripening they'll stand upright on a thin stalk.
When they flop over they're ready to eat.

There is a species of South American fig that has a wasp living inside it all the time. These wasps (smaller than June bugs) spend most of their lives inside the fig, and pollinate the flowers.

Ours aren't like that.

[shiney]

I had a fig tree that I thought I'd killed in a pot. It was about 8 inches high. I planted it in the cruddiest part of the garden 5 years ago and.....



Lots of figs but I have only ever eaten ONE that was ripe.

[Cheezy]

To add to Monty's excellent advice, I planted up my fig from the pot that we had it in, it has always produced 3 to 5 figs, but it was getting big and I wanted it to be trained in a fan and produce more. I have really restriced its roots by putting it into a wall with a 1 brick width for soil that I have built. Figs like to be in full sun, low nutrient soil VERY well drained ,BUT well watered.

I made up the soil with poor top soil, lots of grit and very little organic matter. I have also planted my herbs in this wall space as well, since they too are mediterrainian and like the same conditions. All but one fruit have fallen off because I wasn't watering enough in this weather.Still it's a beauty!.

Other tips

Never ever put feed into your water , as it will just produce leaf.

Bob Flowerdew has suggested putting a little olive oil on the base of your fig fruits as this excellerates rippening???!

Once there are 5 leaves on a branch nip out the lead, so that it will concentrate on fruiting.

[shiney]

Useful info Cheezy, I think I need to do some major nipping!

[Kitty Ballistic]

Well, my fig plant is still going strong, and still producing both new shoots and figs. I think there's about a dozen figs on it now, but none of them seem inclined to think about ripening. The lowest one that has been on the tree for ages went brown and soggy - it drooped in a not particularly nice way, so I removed it from the plant. I hope I manage to get one or two ripe figs from it.

[Cheezy]

Well, my fig plant is still going strong, and still producing both new shoots and figs. I think there's about a dozen figs on it now, but none of them seem inclined to think about ripening. The lowest one that has been on the tree for ages went brown and soggy - it drooped in a not particularly nice way, so I removed it from the plant. I hope I manage to get one or two ripe figs from it.

Errr depending on the variety (like Turkish brown), that brown soggy drooping fig may well have been exactly right , and ripe.

Did you cut it open?, it should have been moist soft and red inside, and smelling amazing?.

[red swirl]

Hmm, I've been wondering whether I'd like a fig tree, in a pot.

I came across this recipe for 'whitewash' to paint on fig trunks ... thought you might be interested. From the ABC, sorta like the BBC:

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1335121.htm

[Kitty Ballistic]

Errr depending on the variety (like Turkish brown), that brown soggy drooping fig may well have been exactly right , and ripe.

Did you cut it open?, it should have been moist soft and red inside, and smelling amazing?.

No, because when I cut it off the tree, it was squishy (as in rotten and a bit mouldy). So I decided against cutting it open. None of the others have ripened yet - they're all still green and non-droopy.