Figs in the Home Garden

Fig lovers, imagine living on a Greek island or in Italy where fig trees are evergreen, luxuriating in a subtropical environment (where temperatures do not fall below 15°F). Minimal care. Little fertilizing. No covering. No trenching.

No need to fret, fig aficionados, for despite living in Pennsylvania, where young fig trees can’t tolerate temperatures below 20 to 30°F, and winter winds and frost can cause significant damage to older, more established trees; hope springs eternal.

I’ve had years when I harvested up to 2,800 'Brown Turkey' figs and one year with a harvest of only 36! Every season is different. Despite proper winterization, this year, I had to cut my eight in-ground, well-protected trees to the base. Luckily, figs grow on the current year’s branches. My five container figs survived, leafed out early, and one tree ('Mission') is already producing a first crop. With significant winter protection, both container and in-ground figs can be productive. So how do we grow and care for figs in northern zones? How do we choose cultivars, plant, fertilize, deal with pests and diseases, and winterize figs? (See Winterizing Your Fig Tree for more information.)

Figure 2. Home Garden Figs by the University of Georgia Extension

Botany

While there are four types of edible figs (Caprifigs, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Common), the Common varieties (Ficus carica) are most suited to our climate because the fruit is developed without fertilization (parthenocarpic). Look for cultivars with a closed eye or ostiole and long peduncle which allows the fig to droop and shed moisture. Botanically unique, the “fruit” of a fig is contained in a synconium (a hollow receptacle, pod/pulp), a tiny cluster of in-growing flowers (inflorescence). When you eat a fig, you are eating the fig tree’s hidden flowers growing in the synconium, which itself may or may not be eaten. Edible fig trees can have one or two crops. The first crop (breba) produces larger, yet fewer, not as tasty, figs in mid-summer. The second, more prolific crop is ready in late summer/early fall.

Northern Clime Cultivar Selection

'Black Mission'

• Large, purplish-black with reddish, watermelon-pink pulp. Breba prolific.
• Containerize. Not cold hardy. Excellent for drying

'Brown Turkey'

• Medium-large reddish brown with bronze/amber pink pulp. Small first crop. Moderately closed ostiole.
• Fruits on new growth if branches are winter killed. Prolific, reliable, popular producer.

'Celeste'

• Small, light brown to violet, pear-shaped with whitish-pink amber flesh. Rarely has breba. Tightly closed ostiole.
• Vigorous; very hardy. Good fresh or dried. Early ripening

'Chicago Hardy'

• Medium purple skinned. Distinctive, large, weatherly dark green, three-fingered leaves
• Extremely cold hardy down to 10°F. Deer and pest resistant.

'Olympia'

• Large, tangerine-sized purple, green-striped fig with red-violet flesh. Delicious. Reliable two crops.
• Hardy to zone 6. Olympia, Washington heirloom.

'Violette de Bordeaux,' also called 'Negronne'

• Small to medium, purple-black with deep red pulp. Possible early breba crop.
• Hardy. Distinctive sweet, rich flavor. Excellent fresh or dried. Good for containers. Prolific.

Growing Figs In-Ground

Choose a site that receives eight or more hours of sun in a protected area, such as the south side of a building. Soil should be slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Figs need well-drained limestone soils but not sandy soils, which harbor nematodes. Fibrous, shallow root systems allow spread. Remember that it takes roughly 90 days after figlets appear for them to ripen fully. Establish your preferred growth habit: Basally branched (bush form), single trunk, or espalier. Do not fertilize at planting time; mulch with compost. If you had to cut your fig tree back to the ground, use a high-nitrogen fertilizer to accelerate branching and leafing. Apply a moderate application of 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 fertilizer when figlets appear. Foliar feed in spring and summer. Use an organic mulch such as straw to protect the base. Harvest when fig changes color, softens, stem bends downward, and ostiole opens.

Growing Figs in Containers

Use large pots, at least 18 inches in diameter, with a sterile potting mix and compost or other organic matter. Do not use herbicides. Pot up gradually over a number of seasons. Root prune as needed. Figs are sensitive to drought stress and wind. Water regularly, as the weather indicates. Prune to a central stem/trunk (height of about 18 inches). Or, if you like a shrub look, no more than three to five branches of equal height.

Feed three times yearly. Remember that containers only contain whatever fertilizers you add to them, and these nutrients often get washed out with rain and watering. They don’t have the universe of the soil microbiome to get the minerals and nutrients they need. In spring, use high nitrogen (N) soluble fertilizer like Alaska Fish Emulsion 5-1-1 (fast food) to encourage branching and leafing, as well as an organic food like Blood Meal 12-0-0 (slow food) which needs to be ingested and made bioavailable by the microbiome. After figlets emerge, use a higher phosphorus (P) fertilizer 5-10-5 to boost fruiting, 5-10-10, or any tomato food formulation. Foliar feed weekly during spring and summer with a high potassium (K) liquid fertilizer, like kelp.

Pests

Lanternflies are the newest pest on the block. Other pests of figs include wasps, beetles, and stink bugs. Vinegar flies can get inside the synconium. Also, watch for SWD (spotted wing drosophila and African fig fly (Zaprionus indianus Gupta). Problematic pests in greenhouses include scale (Parthenolecanium corni), red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), and mealybugs (Pseudococcus obscurus).

Figure 3. Fig Mosaic Virus (FMV) by Anette Phibbs, WI Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection on Bugwood.org. CC BY-NC

Fig Diseases

Fig Leaf Spot

• Cause: Fungus from infested seed and crop debris.
• Symptoms: Irregular, reddish-brown, angular spots and yellow halo on leaves. Severe infections lead to leaf drop. Brown, sunken areas on fruit.
• Management: Collect and destroy leaf debris. Selective pruning. Keep leaves dry.

Fig Rust

• Cause: Fungal spores
• Symptoms: Small, yellowish spots on leaves that turn reddish brown as they enlarge. Premature leaf drop. Fruit is not affected.
• Management: Collect and destroy leaf debris. Do not compost leaves. Selective pruning.

Fig Mosaic Virus (FMV)

• Cause: Undetermined RNA virus vectored by eriophyid mites.
• Symptoms: Leaves exhibit distinct yellow spots with diffuse margins uniformly distributed or irregular patches. Chlorosis, deformities, and defoliation. Fruit has yellow spots leading to fruit drop and low yield.
• Management: Choose disease-free trees. Do not graft or propagate vegetative cuttings. Control fig mites with horticultural oil. No effective chemical controls.

Fig Coral Spot

• Cause: This fungus indicates that the plant has other stress factors. Most affect trees in cool regions. Attacks dying trees.
• Symptoms: Premature leaf drop. Cankers, and dieback on branches, followed by small coral-colored pustules.
• Management: Actinovate SP biological fungicide shows promise. Prune only at the branch collar in dry weather. Dispose of diseased parts.