The previous entry touched on advantages of raising fig trees in the backyard, along with a few reasons that make this plant a great option for home gardeners looking to add more fruits to their line up of vegetables.
Following are a few tips to help you get started with incorporating fig trees in your backyard by growing them in simple and convenient containers and pots.
Planting Stock: Fig trees grow and bear fruit quickly so don’t pay a premium to obtain large starter or mature nursery plants. I’d rather save the cash or purchase more fig trees by choosing younger, smaller sized planting stock. If you have a friend or neighbor who is growing figs, another option is to take cuttings and propagate new plants that way. Local nurseries sell fig trees and they are also available through mail order and the Internet.
Fig Containers: Plastic, clay, even wooden planters or half barrels will do fine for potting up fig trees. Porous materials such as clay will dry out quicker and require more frequent watering. Also, be careful with black or dark colored pots that may absorb too much heat and stress the plants. Smaller containers are okay for young trees, but move up to 15 or 20 gallon containers to accommodate the trees as they grow and increase in size.
Potting Soil: Use a light potting mix, but not an overly rich one to plant your fig tree in. Incorporate amendments such as sifted compost, vermiculite, worm castings, perlite and even builder’s sand to lighten the mix and ensure that it will drain well. Your choice of a lightweight mix will also make things easier when it is time to move the container to shelter during winter.
Great Surroundings: Find a warm spot with plenty of sunlight for your potted fig tree to soak up. The plants are ornamental and tropical looking, making them an attractive addition to the patio, deck, or even a balcony. A sun room or unheated greenhouse can be a great location for your fig tree provided that there is plenty of ventilation during the heat of summer.
Feeding Your Fig: Figs are not heavy feeders, so select a slow release organic fertilizer that is high in phosphorus and low in nitrogen to use when feeding your containerized fig trees. Bone meal is one commonly used organic source of phosphorus for garden plants.
Watering the Trees: As mentioned earlier, the type of container used can influence how often your fig tree will need to be watered. Your climate and high temperatures can also create the need for more frequent visits with the watering can. Provided the container has good drainage, over watering potted figs shouldn’t be much of a concern for you.
Pruning and Training: Fig trees are thought to enjoy having their root system somewhat constricted, but potted trees may still need to be root pruned once every three years or so. Whenever you root prune be sure to prune the top growth also to balance the foliage to the reduced root structure. Even in a container fig trees can easily reach well over seven tall and grow almost as wide.
Winter Protection: In cold climates DO NOT leave your potted fig tree outdoors in the winter. Fig tree roots that would survive the winter if planted in the ground may not be as fortunate when over-wintering in an exposed container. Moving the plant into an unheated building or garage will allow you to maintain the tree’s shape and encourage earlier fruiting. Water the fig tree sparingly once every three of four weeks during winter storage. The dormant tree does not need any light and can be stored in a total darkness.
Choice Fig Varieties: You may have to do a little research to identify a fig variety that will grow best in your growing region. My friend Bassem grows over a hundred fig trees in his Pennsylvania backyard and provides detailed information on a large number of fig varieties on his website at Trees of Joy.
I’ve encountered fig trees that just refused to bear fruit for one reason or another, so be prepared to start over and move on with a new selection if necessary. Overall fig trees are very easy to grow in the backyard garden, and if you’ve never tasted a fresh fig you are in for a delicious treat!
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Any hints on what to do about neighboring ducks raiding the figs in the morning?
Try putting netting over the tree. A friend who has traveled the Middle East says that works.
what an interesting idea. I had only thought of peach/apple and all your standard trees. but overwintering a tree that isn’t native to our climate…interesting to say the least.
When I bring my fig indoors for the winter (when it is dormant) what will happen? Will the leaves turn yellow? fall off? In the Spring will leaves come back along the trunk? only on the top?
Hi Ken, the leaves will die and fall off as the fig tree goes dormant. In the spring the leaves will regrow along the branches and new woody growth.
Thank you. Thank you for your reply. The tree is in its second growing season, 3 feet tall with no branches. My concern is that each year new leaves would sprout only on the top. Can I expect branches next year along the trunk?
Ken, I planted a Fig tree in a large pot.I bough it online and it came bare root stick. I thought I was taken. But within couple of months the tree was full of branches and leaves and by August was full of Figs. So your tree should branch out quickly. Mine is about 24 inches wide from a lonly stick and it branched all the way from top to bottom and some came from the root.
just planted a fig tree in pot. should i cut the leaves or leave it on.
Hi Lessenor, there’s no reason to cut the leaves off of your fig tree so just leave them on.The leaves will die and fall off naturally as the tree goes dormant during the winter.
Can anyone offer help? I have been growing a Fig in a 20″ pot It has over the last 2 years flourished. The problem is that although it produces lots of fruit they all drop off at a rudimentary stage of growth. Can anyone offer advice.
Can anyone offer help ASAP? We live in So. California and last year planted two dwarf fig trees in 16″ pots. Both have lots of little figs. They were looking healthy with lots of new growth. However, recently, the Mission Fig has several leaves turning yellow with brown spots. The second fig tree (green with stripes), the leaves are curling. Does this mean the pots are too small, over or under watering? Please Help!
Thank you!
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Hi Joyce, I wouldn’t panic but would keep a close eye on the plants. Yes, it could be related to over watering, or it could be related to under watering but you are in the best position to figure out your watering pattern and how dry or waterlogged the containers are. Fig trees are pretty tolerant of their roots being confined so the pot size would be the least of my concerns, but can you carefully slip it out of the pot to see just how root bound it is? Also have you been fertilizing the plants at all?
I have a new fig tree this year which is putting out figs already. When I went to water it today, it had a lot of small black flying bugs all over the leaves. Do you know what they are and what I should do to get rid of them? I don’t like using pesticides so something organic or natural would be good. I did turn the hose on them to get them off, but not sure that did a lot of long term good. Thanks.
My sister lives in New Mexico and it get’s hot in the summer time and cold in the winter. She wants to know if a fig tree can live in that environment.
Hello Barbara, I’m not sure how suitable your sister’s climate is for growing fig trees and the only thing that I can suggest is to try growing one in a container where you can somewhat control the conditions by watering as needed and moving the plant to a shaded location during the hotter months and a protected location during the colder periods. Good luck and be sure to let us know how well the fig tree does in Mexico.
Planted a fig tree about 3 years ago, but the leaves are dropping of it has 3 fig on it.
Does it need repotting?
Yes, it could need repotting if you have been feeding and watering the plant adequately. Just slip it out of its container and take a look at the root system to see how constricted and twisted the roots are, and repot if necessary.
For everyone who is having problems with figs dropping off at immature stage…This means it is the type of figs that need pollination or else they drop off. Pollination is very tough because its done by a special “fig wasp” that is only found at certain specific areas of the world. You can try searching that on Google.
So has anyone had any luck getting fruit from an indoor fig tree with no cold/dormant season? If so please let me know. I’ve been wondering about this for a while…
Hi Evan, I have seen figs producing fruit in a greenhouse and you could probably even get them to produce in a sun room but I have never known a fig to yield fruit when grown as a house plant.
My relative in Canada grows figs inside with no dormancy, which produce many fruit. Very hot south facing windows though.
I have a fig tree in a container for the last four seasons. It bore fruit each year. This year (I thought) was the same. It had maybe 100 or so figs. I water it religiously and have it in a nice sunny spot. I did notice towards the middle of July, several leaves were turning yellow and the figs were drying out and falling off. I went on vacation (my son did all the watering for me along with the sprinkler system) and found the tree to be finished, I thought, i won’t try and revive it,I don’t have the time. I have several others growing. I cut it down and found the roots to be so entwined and thick in this very large plastic pot. Then i came on here and read, i should have root pruned it. I need to know how you root prune a seven foot tree in a pot that is almost 3 foot tall . can you help me with this so i don’t make the same mistake twice, thank you
The fig I described above as fruiting indoors, grew in an apartment, so I guess it would be considered a “house plant”, although as I said, it was in a large south window.
I have a fig tree that I planted about 5 years ago. Knowing nothing about fig trees, I thought it would produce delicious fruit after about 2 years. And it did, but was disappointed in the amount of fruit. Not enough to me. However, for the last two years, the green fruit appears in more numbers, but they fall off the tree before maturing into that delicious fruit. I don’t know why? I live in Birmingham, Alabama, and it gets pretty hot here. Could that be the reason?
I have a one year old dwarf black fig tree in a container that has grown 7 feet tall over the summer. I live in MN and it is now time to bring it into my 4 season sun room. When do I “top” the tree? It seems to have a thin trunk that is beginning to bow in spite of stakes.
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