Planting Fig in the Phillipines? Need advice.

10 years ago

Hi I'm new here and I have a fig (b. mission) seedling that is around 2feet tall and is planted on a 7gallon bucket.

Im here in the Philippines and when I looked at the internet our hardiness zone is around 11b-12. Im hoping that there are some of us here who has experienced to plant Fig in the tropics or here in the Philippines where from Nov-May is dry with little bit of my rain and from June October is the wet season where it rains a lot.

My post is really to ask some questions on how to take care of my Fig. I know this is kinda late to ask this but I I need to ask so I can have knowledge on how to take care properly of my fig so here it goes.

1. What kind and mix of soil do I need for a fig? (percentage of sand, compost and soil)

2. How frequent in a week should I water my fig?

3. Fertilizer or any, do I need to put some?

4. Sunlight or shade?

5. How to transplant and when to transplant a fig?

Hope to get answers and some inputs specially from those who have planted Figs on tropical countries like the Philippines.TIA.

Featured Answer

guihingagriv

10 years ago

I'm glad to know that you are planting figs here in the Philippines. Specifically, where are you located?

I am a relatively new collector of fig plants. My location is in Davao del Sur [where I plant the figs]. And I already have some 8 varieties of figs planted on the ground: A green variety from GenSan, Brown Turkey, Kun Ming, Kadota, Osborne, Corfl, China Fertility and Anatolian Autumn Green. I started transplanting in March 2013 [Brown Turkey, Osborne, Kun Ming, and GS Green; others, I just transplanted last December. Most of my seedlings were acquired from somebody sourcing from Thailand. China Fertility and Anatolian Autumn Green, I bought fro eBay as cuttings and grew them myself.

They seem to grow well planted on ground in direct direct sunlight. Newly transplanted seedlings need some kind of shade for around 2 weeks and until they stabilize and established on ground. They need to be watered though while still new and as needed as they get older.

GS Green, Brown Turkey, and Kin Ming have grown into some 6 to 7 feet tall and started fruiting. GS Green and Brown Turkey figs have started to ripen and continue to bear fruits. The others figs, which are smaller in size yet [2 to 3 feet] have also born figs which I removed to divert energies to growing than in fruiting.

So far, I'm quite delighted with the results but I am very watchful for any local pest challenges that may come up which I find so far manageable.

The soil where they're planted is loam to sandy-loam with good amount of organic matter. I made sure that they are planted on a ground level with good drainage and not prone to waterlogging during rainy days.

I transplanted my fig seedlings any month of the year and I only made sure to provide shade to newly planted figs for 2 to 3 weeks and water them frequently as it can become so sunny and hot over here. When the leaves of newly transplanted fig droops at around noontime, it is an indication that they need watering.

Your fig in the picture posted I think is very much ready for transplant. If you do. dig a hole around 3 feet wide and at least 2 feet deep [with bottom soil loosened] and plant your seedling some 3-4 inches below the its level when planted in the container. This is to allow good rooting as figs tend to be root near the soil surface.

Good luck!

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Comments (7)

barnhardt9999
10 years ago
Not from a tropical area but since there's no answers yet...

1. Figs are not picky. Since your in the tropics I'd go with the fastest draining soil available.

2. Never, unless the leaves start to drop (unlikely in a humid area).

3. Mine have done fine without but are in rich clay soil. Start with none and experiment if you aren't getting figs. If you have acidic soil try adding some wood ash every now and then.

4. Full sunlight.

5. Plant it in the ground where you want. Water once, then see #2. A fig in a 7 gallon container would be tough to kill transplanting.
RarePrutas
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for your reply barnhardt9999. Actually my fig right now has loss all of its leaves so I moved it to a shady area of the house. New buds are already coming out, and I hope that my Fig will fully recover.
wengskie4898
8 years ago
Hi there! I love figs and I really want to buy fig seedlings to plant in my garden. Can you tell me where can I buy fig plants, please? Only two seedlings will do since I only have limited space. Thanks.
cookiechel
7 years ago
Hi. I'm also from the Philippines and I'm looking for a fig tree? Where can we buy?
ynakirde
7 years ago
I'm also from the PH. Currently I have planted 17 brown turkey and one in big pot. the one in the big pot is manageable in the rainy season coz too much water not good for the fig leaf which may develop brown spots and this is a disease hard to eliminate. it can be contained though. Since i planted in pot much earlier and this is a transplanted from the soil and is about 7 years old it has fruited. the ones on the ground are cuttings and will take some time to fruit. Now I have a BLACK GENOA I bought from Australia. I'm interested in an exchange for other varieties and if i can buy cuttings or seedlings it would be great. Anyone out there in the Phi. willing to sell or exchange pls. contact me at ynakirde@yahoo.com
Rieny Alberding
6 years ago
I am on the island of Panay near roxas city ,,, I have figs that were brought in from Canada ,, they produce constantly ,,