Fig Tree Help Please

I've had this fig tree since 2003 and it has been through the wars a bit since then. The tree has been kept at my parents house until today, after I discovered some of the leaves had been burned by a nearby barbecue they had had recently. Today as well it had to survive a 27 mile journey with most of the tree sticking out of the sunroof with a plastic bag over it, with average speeds of 50mph battering it.

The leaves (what was left of them before we left) did survive the journey, but my question is how can I give this tree a better home than it has had previously? It has been in the same large pot it's entire life with me, but doesn't appear to be pot bound yet. I would like this tree to have more lower leaves if at all possible.



Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this tree was given to me by my nan as a Christmas present which makes it very special to me.

 

Mine got killed by last winter so I wouldn't be the best one to give advice.

I do know they used to plant them with a paving slab underneath to control their vigor.

Your pot is only half full, you could try having it out, putting more compost in & lobbing it back.

 

Hello Jane

Do you know which variety you have? Generally in the UK it tends to be 'Brown Turkey', because it is one of the hardiest and will survive our winters quite well (don't know what happened to yours, Ziggy!). A while ago, in another thread, Pete and I decided that it was well-named; as far as flavour goes, it is indeed a turkey compared to the sweet mediterranean varieties you find in the supermarket. Nevertheless, it is an interesting plant to have in the garden - I love the leaves.

I think your plant will be fine and should bush out, given a bit of attention. In fact, I can't stop mine from bushing out; each time I chop it back, new leaf buds quickly appear on the old, bare wood.

The usual advice, as Ziggy has already pointed out, is to restrict the roots. That way, it is said, you will get a better crop because the plant won't be putting all its energy into producing new lush shoots. You'll also get a better behaved plant, as figs are very vigorous. Mine, however, is simply planted in the ground. It is an absolute monster in size but still produces a good crop. Unfortunately I end up chopping a lot of it out just to keep the tree under control!

I'd be tempted to keep yours in a container. It looks as though there's not very much soil in that pot. Replant it in a large container - even if you think it's not yet rootbound - and use a good quality soil-based compost. Figs are greedy feeders, so remember to give it a good regular feed and water it well. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot for your plant.

I think your plant will soon perk up. It's tempting to trim it into a better shape but I would wait until it's showing signs of strong new growth.

One last thing. The sap from fig trees is very nasty indeed. They produce a thick milky liquid which can be unpleasant if you get it on your skin. Sometimes I am itching for hours after pruning mine back! :gaagh: So always wear gloves and cover your arms when you're cutting this plant.

 

Thanks for the advice you two. I took out the fig tree from it's pot today and added some more compost at the bottom of the pot. I don't intend to keep it in a pot forever, just until it bushes up a bit.

I believe it is a brown turkey. Do they really taste that bad then? I can't say I've tried any fruit on it yet

 

Id be inclined to get it in the ground, somewhere sunny.

Your not going to like this, next spring I would cut it back by half.

That way it would shoot from lower down and get more bushy.

I usually pinch out the shoots after forming four leaves, but never have bothered with the old Victorian restricted root idea.
My personal thoughts are, that thats an idea if grown in a greenhouse, where you need to stunt the plant.

 

They don't taste bad, Jane. Just not quite as good as the more tender varieties - to me, at least. But that's just my opinion.

 

I hate to ask for reassurance but if I did that would any regrowth really appear? I imagined a bald plant wouldn't have any energy/sap etc to grow new growth below the current growth. I can't see any lower buds below the current leaves that have potential either.

 

In my experience figs are very good at growing from old wood - however unpromising it appears. If you look after your plant between now and next spring, it'll be able to withstand the good chopping which Pete suggests. You'll get a much better looking plant if you follow his advice.

 

I'd agree with Pete on that one. While Figs are vigorous and hungry feeders, judging by the picture, this one is on a forced hunger strike. A tree that is in the same pot for 8 years will have used up any fertilizer in the compost after a few months. Even if fertilizer was added to the compost yearly, it will be very stale and will allow a plant to survive not thrive.
Keeping in a pot will be fine provided it is fed once a year with a slow release compost and repotted every 3 years to allow good microbial activity in the new soil.
Pruning back will do it wonders, provided it is given fertilizer. a high phosphorous feed with Magnesium added will promote root development and trunk expansion.