It's been while since I've done an update on my potted fruit trees. As some of you might recall, last year I purchased two fig trees (Black Triana and Paradicio) from a gentleman by the name of Joe Morle, who has been growing them in Boston for more than 25 years. I'd visited his nursery and was amazed to see so many beautiful fig trees in one place. The good news is that my two trees overwintered in our unheated garbage without any issues. The bad news is that they haven't really done much of anything since then. Sure they've grown a bit but not at the rate I was expecting. I made sure to fertilize them well this spring but the leaves that developed were not nearly as large as they were when I first purchased the trees last year. I wonder what I'm doing wrong.
To top it all off, I only have one solitary fig this year. Granted, it generally takes at least two to three years for potted trees to set fruit but for some reason I thought fig trees were different. In any case, I've moved them to a sunnier part of the yard. I might start applying a liquid feed regularly as well, though I've read that fig trees are not heavy feeders.
If anyone has any advice on how to grow potted fig trees, please do share! Or I might just have to give Mr. Morle a call to pick his brain.
I bought a dwarf fig tree this year, and it's been growing new leaves. I hope they set fruit in years to come. I hope you find out the info you need for the plants to do better.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time seeing real fig trees....we normally have the imported dried figs here, in Malaysia...good luck with those figs! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have several fig trees in the garden. I didn't plant them, and they are not potted. You're right that they are not heavy feeders, because we don't really do anything and they still produce lots of delicious fruits every year. Sorry I couldn't be of more help with your question...
ReplyDeleteI wish I had more advice. Mine receives all day sun, is all I can say. From sun up to about an hour before sundown. And this is not its best year, at all. A third of last year's fruit?
ReplyDeleteMy trees formed fruit not long after purchase, but that can depend on a lot of things, so you may not be doing anything wrong there. Your trees do look healthy and leaf size can also vary -- so again, there may be no problem. Like Marie says, they need lots of direct sunlight. Poor drainage can be a problem, but you’d probably see other indications of over-watering. Figs like sweet soil, so if your potting mix his homemade, it may need extra lime. Besides calling Joe, you can post your question/pictures on the FigsforFun forum -- lots of nice fignuts there to answer questions. My neighborhood urban “farm” has fig hedges that are 20 feet tall! So figs can certainly do quite nicely in Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteDid you cover the dormant trees at all when they over-wintered in the garage? I’m in your zone, so that would be helpful to know. Thanks, and good luck!
maybe they would benefit from bigger pots....
ReplyDeleteI had the same issue with our fig trees this year......but no figs!!! Maybe next year?
ReplyDeleteCouves - Thanks for the info! I didn't cover them but they stayed in a rather cozy spot in my attached garage.
ReplyDeleteI think my problem this spring was excess nitrogen. I don't think the leaves formed properly as a result. I've since learned that you should go light on the N and heavy on the P and K when applying a slow release fertilizer. Also, I didn't apply lime. I'm gonna lightly do that now and see if it helps.
Chuck - Great suggestion. I might put them each into half barrels next year.
ReplyDeleteI bought my figs from him too, but I'm trying to overwinter them in the ground. We will see how it works. Mine just sat in the ground for the first month but then started to grow. I'm assuming they were getting their roots established.
ReplyDeleteI’d hate to see you dragging half wine barrels around. (Although I did once see a Portuguese man wheeling around a fig tree planted in a trash barrel!) I think those pots are fine for next year. Joe has tips on this at fitrees.net. Figs like their containers on the small side -- the theory is that they like quick draining soil, so being slightly root bound accomplishes this by sucking water out of the pot relatively quickly. If you ever feel those pots aren’t big enough, you should look into burying them 3-6 inches, with side holes drilled to let the roots out into the soil (bottom hole blocked!). Better to have a small pot you can actually move around without killing yourself…
ReplyDeleteNitrogen might be your issue, although there doesn’t seem to be settled opinion on this. Joe preaches high P and low N. But most fig growers seem to think the standard Miracle Grow NPK formula is just fine. My guess is that the trees themselves don’t really care. But I wonder if the timing of your fertilization in the spring may have played a role -- could be that too much N too early produced lots of little leaves that the plant didn’t have the ability to grow to full size (?). Also, for pot culture, it sounds like NON-organic fertilizers are actually the way to go.
Your trees have some nice horizontal branching -- your first crop may be a big one!
Im not a pro by any means but I can share my experience. I bought a brown turkey fig tree last year, and potted it in a 16" pot. I used organic potting soil and worm castings, and I fertilized it with fish emulsion every 2 weeks. Last year I got around 8 figs or so. This year, I bought another fig tree, Chicago hardy, and planted it in a 12" pot in the same manner (it was a much smaller tree when I got it). Its growing very well...but I've been traveling a lot this summer and have not fertilized the trees more than 2 or 3 times, and I haven't got a fig from either. I think the fish emulsion helped, but weather and lack of regular watering this year could also be a reason. As of now, Im betting on the fish emulsion though. Hope that helps a little!
ReplyDeleteThe author has been good efforts in the garden. Because there are different variates available in the garden. Mostly in the post has been define slow growing figs because in this type varieties slow growing. that can be able to understand properly.
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