Part II: The Fig Chronicles
Part I of The Fig Chronicles was devoted mostly to the history of fig growing and complexities of nomenclature employed by fig sellers and collectors. In this installment, we’ll look more closely at cultivation and propagation.
There are four basic types of fig trees. To simplify matters, these can be regarded as 1) caprifigs (male), used to pollinate 2) Smyrna figs, grown in warm climates where the indigenous tiny fig wasp is an essential actor transferring pollen from caprifigs, 3) San Pedro figs such as “Desert King”, which are capable of producing an early breba crop but can’t form a main crop without pollination, and 4) so-called common figs, which are overwhelmingly the type grown in the U.S. by fig enthusiasts and which are self-fertile, producing main and sometimes breba crops. Note: breba figs are those produced on the previous year’s growth, sometimes beginning their development before new leaves emerge in the spring. Main crop figs develop from new growth.
If you grow figs in regions colder than USDA zone 8b, i.e. in climates where the coldest temperature in an average winter is below 10F, you’ll either want to use some type of protection scheme if the goal is to harvest fruit on a consistent basis, or to grow figs as a container crop and house them in a protected location over the winter. There are varieties touted for their ability to recover from winter cold that kills them to the ground, only to resprout and bear figs the following season. One of these is “Chicago Hardy” and I am trialing others. I have yet to obtain any significant harvest from fig trees starting from scratch, as it were, though haven’t given up on the idea. But the great majority of the figs I grow are in large pots.
Potting soil for figs is not a great mystery; what you want is a balance between good drainage and moisture retention, while not using a potting medium that’s so heavy that you’ll strain your back moving pots around (particularly during spring when growers perform the “fig shuffle”, moving plants outside during warm weather and getting them back under cover when cold temps threaten; mild frosts that dormant figs take in stride are often lethal to tender new foliage. I generally use about a 60:40 mix of a lightweight soilless medium like Pro-Mix, available from some garden centers in large bags or bales, mixed with commercial “potting soil”, which typically is a combination of peat moss, composted something-or-other, soil from parts unknown, a sprinkling of perlite and possibly eye of newt. If transplanting from a smaller container for the first time, you can work in a slow-release fertilizer. Otherwise, top-dressing at the start of the season with such a fertilizer is a good idea. Vigorous growth can be encouraged early on via a high nitrogen or “balanced” 20-20-20 (N-P-K) fertilizer (many fig fanciers favor Miracle-Gro or similar product. A fertilizer relatively high in nitrogen is sometimes recommended when a severe winter has killed outdoor figs to the ground, to spur new vegetative growth. As summer comes on, it pays to not overdo the nitrogen component, which tends to encourage vegetative growth at the expense of fruiting. A 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 formula can be applied according to label recommendations. I have used pelleted slow-release fertilizers like Osmocote and less expensive “generic” equivalents with good results.
Potted plants, even ones in large tubs, can dry out quickly when roots fill the container, so daily watering may be a necessity during hot, rainless spells. The only “foolproof” way to determine soil moisture is to stick your fingers in the soil at least a few inches deep to get a sense of when watering will be needed. Forget moisture meters and rigid watering schedules; experience will tell you when a plant is on the edge of needing a drink even before wilting occurs; leaf turgor will subtly diminish , foliage color will look a bit duller and you’ll know when to water. If you have a large number of potted specimens to care for, consider investing in a drip watering system with an automatic timer.
Something needs to be said here about FMV (fig mosaic virus), a subject that alarms home growers, especially those new to the sport. Fig mosaic disease actually is caused by a number of viruses. Affected fig plants show chlorotic mottling of leaves (alternating dark and light areas) and sometimes fruit. The pattern can be conspicuous on newly rooting cuttings and plants beginning active growth in the spring, but lessens over time and commonly disappears during the growing season. That provides a hint as to the seriousness of FMV in the context of home growing - not very. The virus (or viruses) don’t generally affect productivity to any significant degree, since well-grown plants take infection in stride. On a practical basis it’s near impossible to avoid obtaining material (cuttings or potted trees) that aren’t carriers of FMV, since a perfectly healthy-looking plant may harbor the virus. Lee Reich’s book “Growing Figs In Cold Climates” engages is major scaremongering about FMV, declaring that you should not only avoid buying fig material that isn’t virus-free but should cull any plants that show signs of it from your collection. That isn’t only impractical but also totally unnecessary. If you do find that a plant is growing sluggishly and doing poorly while also displaying unhealthy-looking leaves characteristic of FMV infection, and it doesn’t respond to good culture, then discard it. Otherwise, FMV is just a fact of fig life that shouldn’t unduly concern you. Other fig diseases may occasionally be encountered, including fig rust, which causes yellow to reddish-brown spotting of leaves but generally is more of a cosmetic problem than one significantly affecting harvest.
Another semi-controversial subject is pruning of fig trees. In warm climates, trees may ultimately reach up to 20 feet in height (or more) with similar width. Proper pruning encourages more abundant fruit production and makes harvest and winter storage easier.
Newly rooted cuttings tend to grow straight up as a tall “whip”. To promote branching, that stem needs to be cut back to no more than 2-3 feet. In response the plant will produce side branches; ideally you will get something like 3-5 branches growing around the central stem as “scaffolding”. If these are roughly equally spaced and at an ideal angle of at least 45 degrees from the central stem/trunk, that will allow sunlight to reach the center of the fig, facilitate fruit ripening and air movement through the plant, lessening chances of fungal diseases. Initiation of pruning can happen late in winter dormancy or even during the first growing season. It’s probably not a good idea to prune late in the season i.e. after midsummer, to avoid frost nipping new shoots. Scaffolding branches are generally headed back by 1/3 or so in subsequent dormant periods to facilitate side branching and keep the tree’s size within bounds. Other pruning is aimed at eliminating branches that cross and could rub against another, ones that jut out horizontally and render grouping of containers and storage awkward, and suckers that sprout from the base and typically take up a plant’s energy without doing much in the fruiting department. A caution before you get too frisky with the pruning shears: the early breba crop forms on a previous season’s wood, so heavy pruning will limit that production. You’re supposed to disinfect pruning shears with alcohol between trees to avoid disease spread but I tend to be lazy in this regard. The only pathogen of any significance to me is FMV and as noted, most or all of your figs are likely to be carriers regardless of what fig hygiene you practice.
Fig harvesting, storage, care of dormant trees, propagation and making use of fruit await another episode of The Fig Chronicles.