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luv_figs

fertilizer burn for fig tree in ground

luv_figs
12 years ago

hi,

my 4 foot tall fig tree that i got from the store was just put into the ground 5 days ago. the landscaper who put it in mixed compost with the native soil, and now the fig tree has symptoms of fertilizer burn.

parts of the leaves have burn spots, and the one baby fig fell off. it wasn't like this prior to the transplant.

what should i do? the landscaper said he didn't put fertilizer in the dirt, just compost. the compost was half dirt and half pure compost that he got from a nursery.

thanks!

jenny

Comments (17)

  • luv_figs
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    should i dig my tree back out?

  • luv_figs
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    https://picasaweb.google.com/luvfigs/FigLeaf

    here are pictures of my plant. i also ready it could be transplant shock.

  • foolishpleasure
    12 years ago

    I know once I burned all my vegetable garden with Chicken Manure. It does not matter Compost or syntatic it has to be away from the roots. If it is mine i will dig it up and transplant it in an area where no Fertilizer until it is established then I can give fertilizer. Fertilizer is as good as Fillet Mignon if you eat one you enjoy it and feel happy but if you eat ten of them you will spend the night in the hospital.

  • sam89
    12 years ago

    hi luv_figs, I wasn't able to access your picture. I think your plant suffered an transplant shock.

  • luv_figs
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    https://picasaweb.google.com/luvfigs/FigLeafBurn?feat=directlink

    sorry, the above link should work. oh so depressing....so i ended up digging the whole plant out since the transplant wasn't done correctly in the first place (they didn't loosen the dirt around the rootball, and it was stuck in a bunch of clay).

    so i just pulled it up and potted it in a huge pot.

    it will be a miracle if it survives now. :(

    jen

  • sam89
    12 years ago

    luv_figs, I found your pictures. The leaves looked droopy. It looked like the plant had as transplant shock. I think it will recover just give it time. My neighbor planted (in Summer) a mature fig tree and all their leaves had fallen off after transplant. He didn't use any compost at all. His tree grow new leaves next year.

  • herman2_gw
    12 years ago

    Compost is not to be used,as mixed with natural soil,to plant a new tree.
    Compost is beneficial if applied as a top 4-6 inches as dressing.
    Mixing compost with planting soil,is detrimental to the young tree,and ,can kill it.

  • noss
    12 years ago

    What kind of compost are we talking about? Well-rotted, or fresh? Why does mixing compost with planting soil hurt a tree?

    noss

  • frozenjoe
    12 years ago

    Does not look like fertilizer burn to me either. Looks like transplant or heat stress. In reality the plant does not look that bad at all. I think it will be fine. Patience.

    Joe

  • wabikeguy
    12 years ago

    Some of my strongest trees are planted in a compost/earth mix. Also, last year when I gave up on some of my cuttings, they went into the compost bin with everyting else. Some of them rooted and are doing quite well.

    This was my own compost bin. Not one of the commercial compost/manure mixes they sell in the big box stores. I had mixed a bale of straw and another of alfalfa hay in with it.

  • herman2_gw
    12 years ago

    I only killed a couple of trees,when I mixed compost in the planting soil,after,that, I did not want to experiment again.
    Then again my compost was made from dead leaves.
    Straw and hay,looks like it will create a special light compost ,that works well at planting time,but leaf compost mixed with soil did not work for me.
    Yet when I place leaf compost as a dressing in top,it does work very well.
    Plants needs to be planted in the soil that come out from the planting hole,so,it will develop new,roots,looking for nutrients,outside and away from the tree.
    Also if compost not enough old,the decaying leaves,will damage roots.

  • sam89
    12 years ago

    jenny, I just wonder How's your plant doing these days ?

  • gardenweb_sneako_com
    12 years ago

    For what it's worth at this point...

    I have a 3 ft Chicago Hardy Fig that I obtained 3 years ago in a 2" tall bare root fashion. Each summer I'd move the pot outdoors and it'd quickly lose all of its' leaves (every one of them) and appear dead for a week or two before new buds formed, then again for winter I'd do the same thing, move it inside and the exact same thing would happen; all of the leaves would fall off and it'd appear dead for a week before recovering. These ficus's are frugal in their movements but generally recover fine. I would have left it in the ground as I'm sure it would have recovered even though it would have appeared to be totally dead (loss of leaf, hardening of stem) for even a few weeks.

  • kdragonsoul19
    11 years ago

    Did ur fig tree recover? I'm an amateur gardener and I put a couple fig trees in the ground about a week ago. At first they were just wilting during the day, but now they are looking really rough with yellowing drooping leaves. Should I relocate back to a bigger pot or to a new spot in the yard? I live in south ga so it's pretty hot here and I found out after I planted them that I should not plant unless it was dormant. I thought if they came from the store they could go in the dirt. Help what should I do?

  • hoosierbanana
    11 years ago

    If the growth that emerges after it has been put in the sun is healthy then leave it alone. If it wilts too or does not grow then something else is wrong. I suggest you take pictures and start a new thread if that is the case.
    I think the OP's tree looked dry, by the way. Compost does not hold as much water as most soils do.

  • THEVICSTER
    10 years ago

    FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.. IT LOOKS EXTREMELY DRY AND EVEN SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING PARTLY EATEN ON ONE OF THE LEAVES.. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHEN YOU PLANTED THIS TREE.. DID YOU WATER IT REALLY REALLY GOOD??? DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU NEEDED TO?????IF HANDLED CORRECTLY AND PLANTED GENTLY, IT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAVE SHOWN ANY SHOCK AT ALL.. I THINK YOU NEED TO GET A NEW GARDNER AND MAKE SURE IT'S WATERED REALLY GOOD AT THE START....
    LIMESTONE IS ALSO A VERY GOOD FERTILIZER FOR FIG TREES.. NOT LIME NOW BUT LIMESTONE WHICH IS DEAD SEA ANIMALS THAT LIVED YEARS AND YEARS AGO....

  • Cebearden934
    10 years ago

    Ok, help! I have a brown turkey and Celeste fig that simply refuse to grow. They are the same size as when I put them in the ground 4-5 years ago. Is there hope?! Should I fertilize? Do I have nematods? If so, can I get rid of them? Any advice you all are able to offer will be DEEPLY appreciated! Thanks!