Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Fig Trees

Linda writes~ I have a fig tree at least 6 years old (still small) I think it is a monk something, I live in Fort Worth, Texas, there is a huge one about 1/2 block from me. What can I do to make it grow?

A. Edible fig trees [to discern from the indoor Ficus fig tree] need full sun and warm temperatures to bear well. In shade or partial shade, they will produce small 2" green fruit which will drop from the tree. As in Italy, full sun is needed. Trim away any nearby trees or shrubs to give it more light.

Food is very important, too. Water is needed, but they are deep-rooted and used to semi-drought conditions. Give them a good fruit tree fertilizer from your local nursery or garden center. Follow the label directions, usually a big hit in the spring followed by several applications throughout the growing season.

In the fall, mulch around the base with compost or dried leaves to a 2" depth. This will keep the top feeder roots healthy and warm. Do not feed in the winter.

Also, a stake may be needed to protect the tree from strong rains and wind. Trim off lower branches and any sucker growth which arises from the ground. These stems deplete the fig tree and detract from the overall strength and growth. Before long, your tree should be growing at a foot per year with proper care.

Littleman writes~
I need some information on fig trees. They look good when they come on the trees. Just before they ripen, they turn brown and are black looking inside and very hard. Sort of molded ones on one side of the tree also. We live in Mississippi and each year th is happens. When it's dry, we water very slowly to dampen roots good for hours. We are wondering why. Think we need to spray this tree?

Yes, I do. But, also some climate conditions must be considered. Figs ripen best in dry situations (like Mediterranean climates!) This is because the concentrations of sugars and flavor compounds increase as the amount of water in the fruit diminishes resulting in superior lusciousness. It's my observation that figs do not ripen well in wet humid weather. This is because they explode. They absorb so much moisture that they burst open, sag, get moldy and stink. Sugars in the fig ferment transforming it int o an alcoholic blob of fetid fruit.

Floridata assistance

Here are descriptions of the most popular ones. Some do have the sad habit of splitting and molding when nearly ripe:

Black Mission Medium size teardrop shaped fruit with purple-black skin and strawberry flesh. Very rich flavor. Good fresh or dried. Fruit won't split open or get moldy when ripe.

Brown Turkey Large bell-shaped fruit with purple-brown skin and juicy, light strawberry flesh. Best fresh. Short growing tree to about 10 feet. Excellent in containers.

Celestial Small pear- shaped fruit with violet-bronze skin and sweet rich strawberry flesh. Quality is very good. Good fresh or dried. VERY SWEET.

Flanders Medium to large teardrop shaped fruit with green and violet-bronze skin and sweet, unusually firm flesh. Ripe fruit won't crack. Excellent fresh.

Janice (Seedless Kadota) Large greenish-yellow fruit with practically no seeds. The sweet flesh is of very good quality. Long harvest.

Tiger (Panache) Medium size fig with cream and green striped skin and bright red flesh. Superb cherry flavor. Not a heavy producer. Ripe fruit tends to split and get moldy.

White Genoa Medium size fruit with greenish yellow skin and amber to pink flesh. Good fresh. Best near coast, but subject to mold.

Calimyra is also a very popular hybrid.

Laguna Hills Nursery assistance

Fusarium spp., causing endosepsis in figs, also called internal rot, brown rot, eye-end rot, pink rot and soft rot. When green, a cross-section of either infected caprifigs or edible figs will show internal streaks of brown, discolored areas on the base of flowers, or sometimes entire flowers are brown. As figs ripen, the brown streaks become yellow-brown spots affecting many flowers within the fig. Usually these colored spots are first found in the pulp near the eye of the fig but they can develop on any part of the pulp.

BENOMYL (Benlate 50SP)
4 oz/25 gal water

COMMENTS: Split figs in half and discard all those showing yellow or brown discoloration; these are the first symptoms of endosepsis infections. Treat split figs by dipping or spraying.

Please go to this website for much more info which I do not have room to print for you:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r261100211.html