Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
cynthianovak

Do you grow figs?

cynthianovak
11 years ago

My Celeste was tiny lst year...I mean a cutting in a 6 inch pot. It is covered in tiny fruit. And, It stands about 4 ft tall and is in full sun

My Brown Turkey was a 3 gallon container plant. Now, it stands only about 2 ft tall, with many upright branches and compast leaves. No sign of fruit on it. It is in a good 6 hours of sun....maybe more.

Do I need to pinch back the tips of the branches? I read that but don't know how or how many need to be pinched. Because of the mild winter, neither died back. But Celeste is growing like crazy but Turkey is not. I'm afraid to fertilize again...but maybe I should.

any advice or admonitions?

thank you...I love figs

c

Comments (11)

  • carrie751
    11 years ago

    I almost killed my brown turkey fig tree with too much fertilization, Cynthia. I don't know a great deal about figs and I am not all that successful with them, but still trying.

    FERTILIZATION

    Regular fertilizing of figs is usually necessary only for potted trees or when they are grown on sands. Excess nitrogen encourages rank growth at the expense of fruit production, and the fruit that is produced often ripens improperly, if at all. As a general rule, fertilize fig trees if the branches grew less than a foot the previous year. Apply a total of 1/2 - 1 pound of actual nitrogen, divided into three or four applications beginning in late winter or early spring and ending in July.

  • cynthianovak
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Carrie
    I will stop
    c

  • queenb
    11 years ago

    I have never fertilized my turkey fig, but then it's about 25 from my chicken pens and gets all it needs from rain runoff. The only time I didn't have a crop off it was last year during the drought. I normally get two crops a year from it. I planted it about 6 years ago from a one gallon pot and now have a tree about 10-12 ft. tall.

  • cynthianovak
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    queenb
    when does it put on tiny figs? Does it already have them?
    c

  • queenb
    11 years ago

    Mine starts making them as soon as it starts putting off leaves when it comes out of dormancy. The tiny figs are in fact blossoms, so it will make one with every new leaf. My tree is loaded right now, and the first figs will probably be ripe in about 4-6 weeks. It's still making new ones, so I'll probably have them ripening well into August. Sometimes the tree will go dormant for a spell, I'm thinking because it's overloaded with growing the figs, and will make a smaller crop of them in the fall.

  • carrie751
    11 years ago

    My big tree is loaded as well and that is good as I got very few last year. My small trees will need a year or so before they begin to bear.

  • cynthianovak
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    OK, I guess the Turkey fig needs to get bigger. It is a wide plant that I hope to grow as a wider big shrub. It is putting on new leaves at the tips of the branches.

    thank you all
    c

  • cynthianovak
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I may be delusional, but my little guy is putting on leaves and it looks like there is something in each branch's "armpit". It looks pale yellow green and just a litle different from the actual stems or arms.

    Maybe my turkey is just a late starter....or maybe I'm totally over the edge.

    c

  • phasv2
    11 years ago

    I just planted a Brown Turkey Fig from a 1-gallon pot about a month ago. I also planted a mission fig, but one of my dogs tore the whole stem out of the ground, and removed all but parts of two leaves on my BW. Thankfully, my BW at least is recovering!

    I'm planning of letting my fig grow into a full size tree. I want plenty of figs, with the added bonus of more shade in my yard, and more leaves for my compost.

  • queenb
    11 years ago

    Cynthia, that little nubby "thing" will be the baby fig.

  • cynthianovak
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    queenb....I hope you are right. They seem to be growing already. Almost the size of a grain of "short grain" rice!

    I'm so excited!
    c