Container Fig Tree Care? -- Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

[applestar]

looks like one of them struck roots

Petit Negri fig cutting starting to grow

...the other two started to grow white mold. I sprayed with alcohol a couple of times but when one of them turned mushy, I called it and cut them down to the soil level, so only this one is growing. ...but I GOT ONE

[ReptileAddiction]

Nice! If you wanted to trade some rooted cuttings, I have some small celeste figs...

[applestar]

...but this is my first baby....

[hendi_alex]

I should have moved my container grown petit negri to protection this winter. Looks like the unusually cold temperatures have killed it, Texas giant, and celeste all have been killed back to the ground. I would assume that new growth puts out from the roots, but I've never seen figs with older growth get killed back so far before.

[applestar]

That's a bummer, Alex.

Yes, this winter has taken all of us by surprise... Particularly in terms of [not usually needed] protection and hindsight is 20/20 as they say. I'm still assessing what survived and what didn't out in the garden, but my rosemary by the garden gate is all brown and dried up.

[applestar]

The "Big Fig" out on the patio is starting to break bud

BTW that's my "backup" rosemary that was overwintered nearly dry in the unheated garage in front of (not directly under the lights of) the V8 Nursery. I draped it along with the fig with a clear plastic sheeting loosely attached to the light fixture with magnets for easy on/off when temps got down in the neg. single digits outside and V8 nursery area was down to 24°F so it was getting "some warmth" generated by the light fixtures. But I never completely covered/wrapped the the set up this year since I wasn't using it for tender plants. Just zone marginal ones.

The apparently empty white pot contained a pineapple sage propagated in fall from cutting. Top was totally winter fried, and I'm nit sure if there was enough root system to survive the freeze... But I'll just leave it like that and see.

[RogueRose]

Last year was a good fig year for my tree...not quite a bumper crop, but it was good. We'll see how this year goes. Something nibbled on it this late winter/early spring. I don't know what. I am going to guess groundhog or squirrels. I hope it does okay....it's just at the base.

[applestar]

Those buds had swelled to nearly unfolding. I've dragged the tree back inside the back door to protect from the forecasted overnight temp of 28-26°F and windchill of 16°F. No way I'm letting those buds get blasted.

[applestar]

So far so good

Can you see the six baby figs?

[applestar]

The same fig tree now.

It grew around 30 fruits -- pretty respectable/satisfactory amount, I'm thinking
They are starting to ripen, and I've harvested four so far including the two in the picture.

Until this summer, the DD's didn't even want to try them, so DH and I have been enjoying the tiny harvest from this tree, but this year, younger DD decided to try one, and now she loves figs.

So we have to share....

But I have a solution for that -- My new Chicago Hardy fig has been growing well and, since it's supposed to be hardy in the ground, hopefully it will crop more heavily than the container fig.

I'm planning to train it in espalier style against this wall.

[applestar]

Three more are starting to ripen

There's one left in the kitchen that was harvested two days ago when the fruits sagged, had a slight give, and easily pulled off. I wrap the harvested figs in paper towel and let them ripen completely for another day or two. At that point, they turn nearly black and are delicious.

[applestar]

My fig tree is inside and going dormant. The leaves are shriveling and falling, and I have been chopping them up into small pieces to mulch the surface of the container mix.... And I started to notice this WONDERFUL AROMA as I crumpled up and chopped up the leaves.

So, it's too late now with this tree and I'll have to wait until next season, but I looked it up and found this

Fig leaves are harvested from mature fig trees. The leaves are a bright, vibrant green with thick veins and a prominent stem. Each leaf has five main veins and leaflets, much like fingers on a hand, and each leaflet is wider in the center and tapers to a point. Fig leaves are most commonly used to wrap and grill or steam seafood. The leaves give the cooked meat a smoky, fruity flavor, and distinct coconut aroma.

Applications

Use fresh, clean fig leaves to wrap seafood, meat, fruits and cheeses. Secure the parcel with string or twine and grill, bake, roast, smoke or braise. The fig leaves will keep the items moist, cooked by the steam created in the parcel. Fig leaves should be used immediately; keep refrigerated and dry to store. Rinse but do not dry before wrapping, the moisture on the leaves will help to cook your parcel.

http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce ... s_7136.php

I might try making something if the Chicago Hardy fig tree outside but planted against the SW side of the house still has leaves.... Has anyone else tried making fig-leaf wrapped something? I was originally thinking of making Chinese steamed dumpling with sweet filling because the aroma reminded me of something like the lotus leaf wrapped sweet sticky rice.

[Rairdog]

My Chicago Hardy was in a pot but growth slowed after a few months so I put it in the ground. It took off again. I tried pulling it to see how deep the roots dug in and it was solid. Just trimmed it back and put some cuttings in wet paper towel in a ziplock to see if they will root.

[rainbowgardener]

Your figs are beautiful, applestar. Now I really "need" a fig tree!

[applestar]

A peek under the covers at the sleeping fig accompanied by the larger Rosemary and Pineapple Sage in the garage in front of the V8 Nursery

...The stick like trunk with dried up dead leaves to the left is an avocado -- subject of extreme dormant state overwintering experiment

[Rairdog]

I am trying to root some of my Chicago fig stems. One rooted in moist paper towel inside a ziplock not fully closed but they got a little moldy. I am trying them in the DE kitty litter now.

How does the Chicago taste? I had fruits started but never matured. My solution was to get them out of a confined pot and propagate more for the dirt.

[Rairdog]

I have some leafs on one stem and buds developing on the others. These were placed in DE on the water heater with a ziplock over them to keep humidity in.

[applestar]

Looking good! You'll have more to plant by the time the ground thaws

My
Chicago Hardy is spending it's first winter outside. Haven't tasted it yet, but hopefully, this summer. I'm planning to propagate from that tree if It grows extra branches I can cut off.

Here's my baby Petit Negri/a. I didn't want to let it go dormant this winter, so it's sitting in the coolest spot possible -- it can get as low as upper 40's in this corner on the floor level, though there IS a covered vent nearby.

[Rairdog]

I read somewhere to cut the Chico low to the ground and cover with mulch for winter because the stems will freeze and die off anyway. I hated to waste the stems so I tried to root them. Did you not cut yours back?

[applestar]

Mine is planted about a foot in front of the SW facing house wall which is in an L with the garage wall to the NW. Mom hoping this location has a more protective micro-climate. I did mulch well around the base of the little tree (it's about 28-32" tall). With my Zone 6b location going for it, hopefully this is all I need to do.

I'm going to prune it into an espalier (flat plane) in front of the wall.

[applestar]

My container Petit Negri fig has been waking up on the driveway outside the garage, ready to roll inside if frost threatened... But it had been warm and nice so I asked DD to use the hand truck to move it to the back yard on the patio. ...that was Saturday... She told me she noticed little baby figs on the tree -- and she was correct!

-- but now, FREEZE warning has been issued for the next two mornings.

... I think I'll just wrestle it into the kitchen tonight and tomorrow night ...

[applestar]

Here's the little cutting I propagated from the Petit Negri. I was too apprehensive to let it lose its leaves, so I put it in this Cool Gang corner (floor level, farthest from the house thermostat and blocked vent -- as cold as high 40's in the depth of winter). It didn't lose its leaves but hunkered down and didn't do anything all winter. It woke up since March and grew these bigger leaves.

[applestar]

Well, I had been concerned that the outside Chcago Hardy didn't make it. The upper portion of the longest branch felt dead, but not the ENTIRE branch, so I have been waiting with my fingers crossed.

I watered heavily last week thinking we haven't been getting enough rain...aaaand....

Tah-DAH !!!

-- you can see the new growth from the base, and there are several green buds developing up both branches. So you were correct that the upper portion did die, @rairdog. I think I will also take cuttings from the tips to try to root this year.

[applestar]

I need to uppot the "baby"

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[applestar]

Chicago Hardy doesn't really belong in this thread since its planted in the ground outside, but since I mentioned it a couple of times here...

...it's starting to form flower buds (baby figs)

[applestar]

...just harvested first two ripe figs

[Francesco Delvillani]

Very good job and now it's time to eat !! The fruits seem very big

[applestar]

The fruits are not that big, but sweet, rich and tasty... and satisfying to have come from my own little tree on the patio

Harvested 8 more yesterday

[applestar]

I forgot to post when I put the Petit Negra outside I hope I made a note of it somewhere... It's been at least a week.

...aaaaand

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[applestar]

FOUR. Which are very much anticipated but I'm bummed because there was a baker's dozen little figlets when we started out this spring. But I wasn't vigilant enough and we had frost one day when I didn't bring it in.

But maybe this will help save extra energy for it to bear heavier in the summer/fall.

[applestar]

Figs overwintering inside ---

- TOP L&R -- Petit Nigra in the garage starting to bud and grow baby fig buds.
- ML -- White Marseilles bought as tiny tiny rooted cuttings are growing under Garage V8 Nursery lights
- BL -- Petit Nigra cuttings rooted in a bag in the Green Room floor and potted up recently
- BR -- Chicago Hardy cuttings rooted in a bag in the Green Room floor and starting to grow (need to be potted up)



Forgot about this one -- tiny PN cutting recently uppotted in a 1qt DIY SIP on Winter Paradise Penthouse

[applestar]

Two rooted cutting White Marseilles figs Bought on sale last spring/summer -- they stayed runty all season but I Uppotted them in the 1 gallon containers for overwintering in the Garage V8 because I knew they would take off around Spring Equinox. They were pushing at the max height lights so I brought them out and repotted them. Lots of perlite in the mix to be super well-draining. (In-ground Chicago Hardy is starting to break bud so hopefully weather is settled enough.)



The Petit Nigra is newly rooted as of this winter, but I still think it should have shown some signs of growth by now. I was testing this closed system SIP because I saw a blog but I wasn't convinced figs would like SIP's even though it would be convenient if I could grow the big two with less worry about watering.



...still not convinced at this point, so I think these will remain in regular pots when I bring them outside... soon, like yesterday.

[applestar]

My 2 biggest Zone 8 Petit Nigra — as well as the newly rooted cuttings were all banished to Garage “Siberia” this past winter — a bit of space closest to the garage doors, with no windows, V8 Nursery lights too far and blocked by boxes and stuff, only a couple of giant (about 4x8) flattened cardboard box panels between them and the doors, and some fleece blankets covering them. Added to that the difficulty in getting to them to water — I originally thought I was going to water from the door-side, not taking into account that I wouldn’t want to open the doors in the depth of the winter — I was really concerned for them when I dragged them outside the doors once the weather started warming up in March.

...but they have started to wake up!

[applestar]

DDs helped to hand-truck the two big fig trees to the backyard last week. They are grouped with the other container plants.

I need to re-think this one’s shape because it is getting too gangly and is just taking up too much space. Hard pruning may be in its future

The pot next to it has Top Hat blueberries planted in it. One plant died over the winter, so I’m using the empty space for three of my youngest coffee seedlings.

This one is harder to see because of all the other plants around it -

- there’s another slightly older coffee sitting at the base of it in the same pot
- avocados and a mango to the right of it

[applestar]

Petit Nigra fig babies on both my container trees!

[applestar]

I’ve been neglecting this thread.... Spotted this year’s first ripe Petite Negra fig today — later realized 2nd one was also ripe. Much sweeter than Chicago Hardy, but I get more from the in-ground CH and at consistently same time frame.

With these, timing seem to depend on level of care vs. neglect as well as overwintering temperature and through the seasons.....