Spring and fig advice
Since everyone else is doing their spring updates…
Well, it’s finally getting to the point where I’m not afraid it’s going to snow again up on the hill, so time to think about getting back into the dirt! So far, I have renewed the old garden plot, though I’m going to try and swap it for a better one in a couple weeks, and started to ponder what to do with it and my little balcony garden.
This afternoon I was sitting at my desk, working on my thesis, and listening to CBC–Thursday is garden day. So, I called the Openline on BC Almanac to talk to Brian Minter of Minter Gardens, and ask about what to do with my fig tree. As you may remember, my fig tree is basically a stick, here it is last summer:
It has been a stick since I bought it, and it has only grown two tiny branches and no figs at all. So I hit redial about 35 times and finally got through.
Now, I know I am a long time gardener, and that I am part of the YGG community, and that I might seem like I know what I’m doing, but boy did Brian Minter put me in my place! I guess I have a lot to learn about fruit trees! The instructions:
1) Cut off about a foot from the top of the “tree”…this will be totally painful, but apparently it is necessary in order to get it to branch out, and really should have been done when I first got it.
2) Apparently the potting mix I used is holding too much moisture, so I am supposed to fluff the soil with a gardening fork, and then mix in some bark mulch so it will retain less moisture.
3) Finally I have been starving the poor thing–and they had a good laugh at my lack of care in this respect, as I have not been feeding it any plant food. I am to add lime to raise the PH and make it hungry(?), and then also fertilizer to feed it.
Supposedly, by following these steps, I will have a healthy, lush Figgy by the end of the summer! Progress will be documented. And wish me luck on getting a top row garden plot!
April 7th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Hey Midge!
I have a backyard of figs, and reading your journal, I am surprised that he told you to prune your tree now. With such a drastic pruning,from past research and experience, you should wait until the fall to do so. If you have significant leaf growth below the pruning point, I would think you would be okay, but I would wait a few more months for dormancy, just to be safe!
Also, I never give mine “fertilizer” of the chemical sort. They do love their compost, though. Just think, a dose of Miracle Gro to encourage new growth will also encourage fig production, ie. figs juicy with cancer causing ingredients. . . ick. Give the roots some worm poop, rich compost and humus and it will love you forever!!
April 7th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Hey–wow, a backyard full of figs! Drool…
Well, he really didn’t say anthing about waiting to prune, incase you didn’t notice, that photo is actually from last summer…it has only begun to warm up here, so it hasn’t started growing at all yet, and doesn’t have any leaves so far. So maybe it is still early enough? What has happened with yours if you prune in the spring?
As far as feeding goes, I do need to give it something, since it is in a little pot on my deck, and not in the ground…but I don’t really have any compost available since I live in an apartment! I guess I will see what is available in small quantities at the garden store and go from there!
April 8th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Hey Midge,
I have a potted fig tree, too, though it looks more like two sticks with leaves on top than a single one. It used to have a lot more leaves along both of the long stems, but they all dropped off when the temperatures got a bit colder for a few weeks in January/February. I have a single fig on the tree.
I’ll be following your tree’s progress; it’s too late for me to do any major pruning as mine is already out of dormancy, but I guess that gives me a few months to do some research and learn what I need to do to keep the tree happy. :)
My dwarf petite negra fig
- Maggie
April 9th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Maggie– wow! your fig is really pretty!!! i’m so scared to prune my little tree, but i’d better do it soon, other things are starting to grow… i’ll definately post on the progress, so maybe you can get some new tips too!
April 10th, 2006 at 8:47 am
Midge,
From my experiences, I haven’t done any hard pruning in the springtime. When I have, not much has happened in either direction, good or bad. . . but these bushes are about 30 years old.
However, when I pruned them this past fall, I chopped them back to a manageable height. This spring I have tons of new growth from the middle, so they will be even bushier.
Good luck! I can’t wait to see how they fare for you this spring, oh how I love growing figs!!
April 14th, 2006 at 10:23 am
Midge,
I just bought two new fig trees (brown turkey and LSU purple) from Petals from the Past, and they arrived in 1 gallon pots with about two stems apiece, each cut down to 6 inches or less with no foliage. :-O
I guess you could say they were pruned pretty aggressively as recommended by Brian Minter, heh. I’ll let you know in a few weeks if the new figs start putting out new stems and leaves. It’s warm enough down here for them to come out of dormancy.
April 19th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
Midge,
I am thrilled that I can follow your progress and also read what everyone else has to say. I ordered a clearance fig tree from Wayside Gardens last summer. It stayed quite small over the winter but surprisingly grew me one delicous fig. I work in an elementary library and I have the fig tree there because we have great big windows that face south. The children and I celebrated with Fig Newtons and by reading The Sweetest Fig. It was great fun! This spring I have noticed that many new branches and leaves are growing all over it. For the most part, I just water it once a week, but a lot of it as it seems to want a lot of water. I have fed it just a few times. Can’t wait to see what grows on it this year. Good luck with yours!!
Judy
May 9th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
In my brief experience with fig trees I know that if they are happy they will not fruit. As you already pointed out you cannot over water, but also, you need to try to limit the root size. Gardening books suggest lining a large hole with bricks and gravel on the bottom, or just keeping them in large pots. With the roots restrained the treee desperately tries to fruit to (for the seeds for new plants) and you need to periodically trim the roots.
April 25th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I have a potted fig bush thats about 3 years old and I haven’t had a problen with it until this year. It got a lot of leaves, but they are all drooping. I don’t know what to do about it. It’s got plenty of water. Please help me.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
I also have a fig tree. I bought it last year and it had 7 figs, but none of them matured. Then winter came, and while on holiday my tree went into dormency loosing all its leaves. It came back fine throught the start of the year…however constantlyh plagued with the meally bugs and spider mites which I have been treating with an organic product. However, I am know noticing browning of the leaves. What gives??? Also I feed it woop…an organic soil booster. Still to early to say if it will help. Can anyone help with my problems. I really like my fig tree!