{"id":2361,"date":"2020-03-27T05:32:17","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T05:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2361"},"modified":"2020-03-27T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T06:00:00","slug":"fig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/27\/fig\/","title":{"rendered":"Fig"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Ficus carica<\/em>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fig is one of my favorite\nfruit for ease of growing and the substantial nature of its fruit. I love dried\nfigs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History: The fig has a very\nlong history of cultivation and is frequently mentioned\nin the bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition: Dried figs are highly nutritious and are a substantial\nfood source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Figs
Zone: 7-10
Chill requirements: 100-350 hrs
Life expectancy: 100 years.
Bearing age: 2-4 years
Yield: 10 – 30lb annually
Spacing: 15-40 ft apart
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: In the right\nclimate the fig is the ideal low work plant for the productive garden. It\nrequires little attention once established, grows in almost any soil (so long\nas it is well drained), is very drought tolerant and may even produce two crops\na year (one in early summer and one in fall).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate: Figs are native to hot dry areas and need full sun and plenty of heat\nfor maximum production and quality (there are cultivars that do well in cooler\nclimates though). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though fairly hardy, they\nrequire protection where winters get seriously cold (10\u00b0 F). If it gets too\ncold they may be killed back to the roots (these will often re-sprout, but take\ntime to grow and start fruiting again). Fig lovers in colder climates often\nwrap their trees to help them get through the winter unharmed. In extreme cases\nthey can be grown in containers and taken indoors for the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.5 – 8.0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figs will grow in any\nwell-drained soil (except saline ones), but tend to fruit best in relatively\npoor ones. If your soil isn\u2019t very well drained you might consider planting on\na hillside, or on a mound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Site: The biggest requirement of figs is sun; they need a\nwarm sunny site and will not grow well in shade. They are quite happy in a\npoor, dry soil, so long as it is baked by the sun (in fact they are one of the\nfew crops that will happily grow in such situations). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat\nis needed to ripen the fruit and in cool climates you need to find a warm\nsheltered microclimate to grow them in (such as a south or west facing wall).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buying\nplants: Figs don\u2019t do well when bare\nrooted, so they are usually sold in pots (though these may be quite small).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potted plants can be planted\nany time, though they are most available in early spring. Some people prefer to\nplant in autumn, while the soil still holds some heat. In mild-winter areas you\ncan plant from late fall to early spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How:\nThis is pretty simple because they are sold in pots. Dig\na hole for the tree 2\u20113 times as wide as the root spread and the same depth as\nthe root (this gives the roots plenty of space). A tree should always be set in\nthe ground at the same depth it was growing in the nursery (this is most easily\nmeasured by laying a stick across the hole to get the right height). In\npoorly drained soils you may have to plant on a mound, to keep the collar of\nthe tree from too much moisture, which could potentially cause it to rot. Throw\na couple of shovels of soil (and possibly organic matter) into a mound in the\nbottom of the hole, then spread out the trees roots evenly over the mound (trim\noff any damaged roots). Then refill the hole with the soil (you might want to\nadd some rock phosphate, wood ash and lime to the soil). Pack the soil down\ninto the hole firmly (shake the tree slightly to help soil settle as you add\nit) and then water well (this not only gives water to the plant, but also helps\nto establish contact between roots and soil). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have finished\nplanting the tree should be on a slight mound, so as the soil settles it\nbecomes flat (if it starts out perfectly flat you may end up with a slight\ndepression where water can collect). A final step is a mulch to conserve water\nand keep down weed competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenance: Figs don\u2019t ask for much, they don\u2019t need fertilizing\nor pruning and can even do without watering in a pinch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing: Don\u2019t normally need fertilizing, but if they are\ngrowing less than 6inches a year you might give them some extra nitrogen in\nlate winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering: Figs are very drought resistant, but are more productive\nif watered occasionally. Don\u2019t water when the fruits are enlarging, as too much\nwater at this time may cause them to split. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning: Figs are terminal bearing, which means they produce fruit at the end\nof new growth. They are commonly grown without pruning and are only pruned to\ncontrol their height or to espalier (it\u2019s much easier to just allow them to\ngrow naturally).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you really must prune,\njust make sure you don\u2019t cut off the tiny overwintering figs, or you won\u2019t get\na spring crop. Also don\u2019t prune until early spring in case there is any frost\ndamage. You will then cut off any frost damaged parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propagation: Figs are very easy to\npropagate vegetatively from cuttings. One year a winter storm dropped a large\nbranch on to my young tree, smashing it to pieces, I stuck all of the pieces in\nthe soil and every piece rooted (I ended up with six plants instead of one). As\nfigs grow on their own roots I was actually pretty happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination: Most common Fig varieties are self- pollinated,\nwhich simplifies things (wild figs have a complex pollination procedure).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch: A mulch of compost or aged manure is good to keep\nthe soil moist, keep down weeds and to add nutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some reason gophers are\nparticularly fond of fig tree roots and will kill trees of any size they can\nget their teeth into. Make sure you cage them very carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birds are quite fond of the\nfruit and in extreme cases it may be necessary to net the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nematodes can be a problem in\nsome areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Containers: Figs grow well in a container and can be brought\ninside in severe winter areas. Their drought tolerance is also a help if you\nforget to water occasionally. However if you want them to produce much fruit it\nis essential to water regularly (don\u2019t over-water though). The larger the\ncontainer the larger the plant will grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual\ngrowing ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\ncool climates figs often have their roots restricted to discourage overly\nvigorous growth and to encourage fruiting. This is usually done by lining the\nplanting hole with bricks, broken concrete or other rubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If is\npossible to grow figs in zones as cold as 4, though you need to choose the\nright variety and protect it. In cold climates they are best grown against a\nsouth or west facing wall as it gives them extra heat and makes it easier to\nrestrict their roots and protect from frost damage (they don\u2019t mind the dry\nconditions either). They should be planted about 9\u201d out from the base of the\nwall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landscape\nuses: An unpruned fig can get quite large\nas it matures and can become a useful shade tree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frost: Mature trees can tolerate temperatures as low as\n10-15\u00b0 F, but younger trees are more tender. If a <\/p>\n\n\n\n

tree\ndoes get badly hit by frost don\u2019t despair, it will usually sprout again from\nthe roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\ncolder parts of the eastern United States figs are often coaxed through the\nwinter by wrapping them to protect the bearing branches and their embryo fruit.\nThe branches are tied together and then wrapped with burlap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruiting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most\nfigs naturally produce two crops a year. The first is known as the breba crop\nand is produced in early summer from overwintering embryo fruit (this first\nappears on the tips of branches in late summer).The second crop grows from\nembryos that develop in spring and these mature in fall. In cool climates this\nsecond crop often doesn\u2019t have time to mature and so is removed to allow the\noverwintering embryos to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:\nOverwintering figs ripen in early summer, while the summer figs ripen in fall\n(if they have time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nfigs are fully ripe they become soft and the skin starts to wrinkle. They also\nwilt at the neck and droop slightly. (milky latex\nexuding from the stem indicates it isn\u2019t ripe) More on harvesting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dried\nfigs: In warm climates any figs left\nunharvested on the tree will dry out completely and then drop. These can be\npicked up from the ground (do it promptly so they don\u2019t get infested with\ninsects) and dried further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landscape\nuses<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fig can be grown as a\nsingle trunk tree up to 30 feet in height, or as a multi stemmed shrub up to 30\nft. wide (bear this in mind when deciding on where to put it). The large leaves\nmake this a very attractive plant and it can be used as a screen or specimen\nshrub. A row of trees might even be grown as a hedge. It\u2019s best to keep them\naway from paved areas, as the fresh fruit may drop and make a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figs\nmay be black, brown or green and vary in hardiness quite a bit. As they are\nusually propagated from cuttings they grow on their own roots. If you want a\ndwarf tree, you must do it by pruning Check this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food\nuses \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figs can be eaten fresh or\ndried. Fresh figs are succulent and delicious. Dried fruit are particularly\nuseful because they are highly nutritious (removing all of the water\nconcentrates their nutrient value) and can be stored for long periods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Ficus carica) Introduction The fig is one of my favorite fruit for ease of growing and the substantial nature of its fruit. I love dried figs. History: The fig has … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fruit-trees","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Fig.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2361"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2372,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361\/revisions\/2372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}