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applestar
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Re: Container Fig Tree Care? -- Spring, Summer, Fall, and Wi

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)

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

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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.

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

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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! Image

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applestar
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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 :twisted:
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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 -
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- 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

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applestar
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Petit Nigra fig babies on both my container trees! :-()

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applestar
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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.....

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Container figs are starting to wake up
E799AB21-BCA8-4515-A3A6-5AA25623926A.jpeg

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applestar
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Ichimonji style fig in containers — I want to try this! :-() I might have one already that could easily be styled this way. If I do, I’ll attempt to train it over the summer and then do the drastic pruning as described. If not, I guess I’ll have to start some cuttings.... :wink:

【イチジク】限られたスペースで栽培するオススメの仕立て方 - YouTube
[Fig] Recommended Fig Styling for a Limited Space


【イチジク】一文字仕立ての作り方を園芸農家が実演します! - YouTube
[Fig] Step-by-Step Demonstration of Ichimonji Styling


【永久保存版】イチジクの剪定を園芸農家が超詳しく実演解説します! - YouTube
[Save] Detailed Demonstration of Fig Pruning (at different ages)


...HOWEVER... I’m having trouble finding the kind of deep rectangular containers he is using. I’m particularly interested in the largest size he has — sturdy looking with handles — he said it was about 20 liters. Closest I’ve seen is a Fiskar’s veranda box.

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I’ve been looking at my container figs as well as in-ground figs, thinking I’m supposed to be pruning them about now to encourage fruits to mature in time before frost.

I’ve been thinking this for about a week, that I need to review my notes… and came across this fantastic video this morning that explains very nicely.

I’m going to try these steps this year.



He shows a reference book that deals primarily with in-ground fig and that mid-July to early-August is the period for summer pruning (so I was right).

* Roughly, look for two kinds of branches— ones with fruits forming and ones without.

NON-ESSENTIAL
* Thin out/cull fruitless and one or two fruit branches that are crowding the inside of canopy to open up for airflow and sun exposure

*** container figs ***

ESSENTIAL FRUITING
* leave 5 to 10 fruits OR counting from topmost fruits that have developed bottom-up, keep 3, 4 to 5 leaves then cut.
* Subsequently, allow two suckers to grow from top-most leaf nodes for next year’s fruiting branches (let them grow to as much as 50cm long then cut)
* Break off all other lower suckers as soon as they form.

ESSENTIAL NON-FRUITING
* For varieties that have not reached fruiting stage, it *may* still be possible to induce fruiting this season (starting in mid-July)
* Choose two most vigorous branches and break off just the growth point — in about 7 to 10 days, suckers should start to grow from topmost leafnodes and they *may* be accompanied by buds/fruits
* IF successful, the branch will develop more fruits from top-down (unlike normal bottom-up order)
* Continue to break off just the growth point from two most vigorous branches every 7 days
* But any remaining branches should be all taken care of at once in early August.


*** in-ground figs ***
— 13 to 15 fruits per branch (cull for good fruit size and development)
— keep 17 topmost leaves and cut off upper branch growth



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