If you are keeping the tree in a pot it doesn't matter what zone you are in. And if the roots are overflowing just up pot and fertilize for now. After the leaves fall off at the end of the season you can do a thorough root pruning and repot.

Thank you 7deuce!

If your tree is truly a black mission fig tree, congratulations! I have two black fig varieties, but not that one. Yours is one of my favorites.

If you read everything posted in the forums, you will know everything but it will drive you bonkers. Just love your tree, keep things simple, trim it a bit anually, and enjoy it! Where you live is just fine. On the coldest nights, put it in a warmer place like a garage, or perhaps you can build a frame and toss a blanket over the frame to keep the worst of the winter at bay.

To budbackeast,
Thanks for the info. Now I'm getting more excited than ever. Well when I got home and looked at the tree closely there was an itty-bitty plastic lable by the root covered with the weeds that came in the pot. It was the official label of the tree and it is Black Mission.

I've been addicted reading threads in this forum and my head is already reeling from all the info. I know I'll just have to go back to whatever particular info I need to know when the situation arises as I go. For now, i'm doing just what you're saying....I am loving my tree...I can't stop looking at it through my window at nights just to see it's still there...ha! Ha! Ha! yup, I was bitten by the fig bug. Anyway, before I bought this tree I also acquired 3 cuttings already in the pot of hardy Chicago. The little ones are just budding leaves, and their getting as much lovin' as the five footer BM.
And oops! i just ordered 4 other varieties on line yesterday...Do I have the fig fever? :-)
Again thank you for responding!

Florisse....

You are displaying the classic symptoms of becoming a Fig-Psychotic! We were all "normal" once, but for many of us, that was a long time ago. I was bitten back in 2007, and the disease is insidious.

If you want that tree to really take off this season, go to Home Depot, and buy an 18 gallon storage tub, drill plenty of wholes into the bottom, fill it with a good potting mix and plant your new Mission fig tree into the container. Get yourself a lawn chair, then suit back with a nice drink and watch your tree grow from day to day. Wait until the tree starts really producing those delectable figs! This will become your botanical child. Yes, you are hooked! I have my containerized trees in large tubs, and I use dollies to move the trees around.

The amount of information that you will find on this forum can be overwhelming, so don't try to read it all at once. If you decide to grow the trees in containers, concentrate on the information posted regarding this kind of specific culture. Containerized figs need a different type of culture than figs grown in-ground. Read, and if you need to ask questions, everyone of this forum will give you the answers that you seek.

Growing figs is probably the most rewarding fruit tree that you can grow...you'll have figs this year, and every year from now on. Winter treatment will be your biggest "problem". In what climate zone do you live? If you have an unheated garage, figs can be overwintered there. You need to tell us your climate zone and how you intend to overwinter your trees...but that can wait. For now, just enjoy your trees.

Good luck!

Frank

Hi Frank,
Yes! A Fig-Psycho, that's what I have turned out to be....I must tell you, around 2:40 this morning while I was literally dreaming of planting fig cuttings, (cause the last thing I read before I went to sleep was about UCD cuttings and it translated to my dream),I was awakened by footsteps on my neighbor's roof when I went to peek out the window I saw another man climbed up our fence on to the neighbor's roof and he was wearing a dark hooded sweater and had a black garbage bag in his hand. My first thought??? SOMEONE'S TRYING TO STEAL MY FIG TREE!!!!!
(how psychotic is that?)
So I yelled, "HEY!" and watched the guy scamper in the darkness and quietness. Instead of calling the police, I turned on the lights to let these guys know we're awake and I sat by the living room window to make sure my potted fig is not taken away. I sat for an hour and listened for sounds and watched out for fig tree thieves.....Ha! Ha! Ha! ha! This condition is beyond fig fever. When I left for work this morning, indeed there was police outside.
Anyway, I am taking notes of your advice (THANK YOU!) and will enjoy my fig tree. I am in 7b zone (Long Island) and I wonder if I can just wrap my fig in the winter from head to toe pot and all. Our home is very small no garage for overwintering.

Florisse....

I am happy to read that your fig tree is OK.

Yes, enjoy the tree(s), and leisurely spend some time on this forum reading all the prior-postings for overwintering fig trees, and learn about all your options. Your trees will definitely need some protection if they are to come through your winter with little, or, no damage.

Please let us know where you'll be growing your trees....in a garden, etc? Will you have any areas where you can bury your trees? Just curious.

Enjoy. Keep up with watering, fertilizing needs. Let us know how the home-grown figs taste from YOUR trees.

Frank

Hi Florisse,

Frank knows his stuff. I just know that you will always know to do the right thing, but when in doubt, give him a shout. In these forums, you will meet some of the smartest and well adjusted folks in the world.

There is just something about fig trees. Adam and Eve knew it, and the Buddha sat under a fig tree on the day he finally became enlightened.

I live in Florida, and we had no winter at all here, so my fig trees are already giving me figs. I ate five in the last week, and they were great. I still have one black fig only one day away from ripe, so I'm excited.

There are some wise folks who tell me that figs actually do better in containers than in the ground, and perhaps they are right. I am currently involved in a huge project, tearing out a third of my back yard and building a proper organic fig orchard. It will have ten fig trees of six varieties. Can I eat that many figs? Will die trying!

What I am thinking about now is how much mulch should I use for my orchard. Is it a good idea for containers? I dunno. Frank? Can you chime in on this one?

Dnt, dnt, dnt--Another one bites the dust--- :)

Welcome Florisse.

Your new fig tree saved your neighbors from being robbed. If you hadn't been dreaming of figs, you might have slept through the trouble. I hope they catch them.

Go FIGS!!!

noss

budbackeast....
Thank-you for the compliment. I still have a lot to learn. Everything I know has come from reading all the postings on this forum.

I would not presume to advise you about the merits/demerits of a fig orchard. I just have no experience in this specific area. However, just something to think about: Root-Knot Nematodes ... might be a problem for growers in Florida.

Containerized trees require more care than in-ground trees, and you must meet the requirements of the trees at all times, especially watering, feeding, etc. However, you can have the benefits of in-ground and containerized growing. Plant containerized trees into the ground (sink the containers 1/2-way into ground 1/2 above ground, then pile mulch up to the rim of the containers)....or course the containers will have drainage holes drilled only into the sides, not the bottom. Roots will grow out of the containers, and into the surrounding soil. You can run a sharp spade down along the sides of the containers each year, to sever roots. You will still have to worry about RKN disease...but trees will not need the constant attention of above-ground, containerized trees.

Hope this might be something to consider. Either way, figs are easy.

Frank

PS...What will you do if your orchard gets infected with RKN? All the soil will be contaminated.

Thank you all for the warm welcome and the advices. I will try to learn everything I can to keep my fig tree alive and will definitely keep you posted.

BronxFigs...no I don't have a place to bury my fig tree. I live in a beach community where the houses are clustered and next to each other ( you can hear your neighbor's dinnertime conversation).

Budbackeast...you are already eating figs from your trees? You are one lucky guy. Go ahead, enjoy and relish your sweet figs...perhaps take pictures of them before you take the bites? I wish you well on your fig orchard. That's a project I would love to do some time in my life.

Noss...yep another one bites the dust...dnt..dnt..dnt...another one bites the dust (singing)

Again, thank you all!
Florisse