Hello, all –

Celeste and Petite Negri came to me leafed out; Violette de Bordeaux and Hardy Chicago were dormant. They have since begun to leaf out. None have dropped any leaves. Celeste looks healthiest to me but has not grown that I can see. Petite Negri came to me with several figs developing, which I cut off, as I have done with two figs that started up after I cut off the originals. But it worries me because its leaves refuse to uncurl. Hardy Chicago is growing new leaves, but some of them pale and mottled, as are some leaves on Violette de Bordeaux.

As people here have had success with lots of different potting blends, I used what I had on hand and seemed reasonable: 1/3 Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix, 1/3 generic HD top soil, and 1/3 a blend of sand, mushroom compost, cypress mulch, and what I could recover of the material that was in the original pots.

In the beginning I watered them every other day by putting them in big containers with water up to the rims of the pots containing the plants. About a week ago I moved them outside for the summer and kept them in trays with water up just past the level of the rocks around the drainage holes in the pots. Now I just water them from above every other day until the water drains out the bottoms.

I think my big mistake was incorporating about a cup of Espoma Organic Garden Lime into each pot. I'd read that when you put the plants in their ultimate big pots, 24” in diameter and similarly deep, you should put in five pounds of granulated lime, so a cup of garden lime seemed right. Now I think it was way too much.

But maybe I am wrong. What can I do to uncurl the leaves of Petite Negri? Improve the color of Violette de Bordeaux and Hardy Chicago? Make everything more vigorous? I have some Espoma Organic Holly-tone; should I put a teaspoon of that in each pot? Water them with peat tea? Do nothing at all?

Thanks so much for any advice.

Bernard

Northeastern Ohio

Bernard,
Welcome to the forum community.
The soil may not be aerated enough. Fig roots like to grow best in an aerated mix. Regular potting mix with at least 25% perlite is a simple basic mix for young trees. I prefer the 5-1-1 mix, and have used it successfully. Its Pine Bark Fines-Peat - Perlite in a 5-1-1 volume ratio.

1 to 3 cups of limestone for 5 gallons of mix is my usual recipe. Your pH may be off (high) and contributing to a nutrient deficiency. Nutrient deficiencies sometime exhibit as Fig Mosaic Disease (FMD). The VDB and Petite Negri from EL usually show some signs of Fig Mosaic Disease, but they are still good producers. BTW I have the same cultivars from EL.
Good Luck.

Hi Bernard
a few years ago i also bought those 3 from E.L.
mine came dormant and bare root, and I potted them into very airy mix.
When they did leaf out, they all looked just about the same as yours.
the VDB grew out of it, although any cuttings started from it also have that look at first.
the PN still is droopy leaves twisted, but has better colouration.
the HC still looks weak and not a very vigorous grower.
Looks like FMV to me.

That is FMV, not a problem, and they look otherwise healthy.

Welcome to the forum!  Cyprus mulch can inhibit the growth of other plants.  Pine and fir bark are better choices.  Fertilizing them will help.

I'm in total agreement with Bob C., "fertilizing them will help", but balanced fertilization, with both Macro and Micro nutrients is required. From a simple test with a Petite Negri EL that was performed last season.... http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=6414845

Quote:

I wanted to post an update of the <4 Gallon> Petite Negri that I had started treating with the fertilizer combination (Garden-tone and Ironite). The combination as previously posted was 1/3 cup garden-tone with 1-1/2 tablespoon Ironite, one application was made on 7/6/13 .  It has not received any other fertilizer since the beginning of July (no Miracle Grow weekly feeding or Garden-tone) It has grow to almost 4 feet and the leaves are almost as thick as my fig tree with the thickest leaves, improved Celeste. I plan on treating several other plants (asymptomatic FMD) to compare them to untreated siblings.

BTW the leaves and leaf stems are thick and strong enough to hold a quarter with minimal deflection (bending).

Attached Images
       

We newbies are lucky that those with knowledge and experience are willing to share.

Thanks so much to Grant, Bob C, Pitangadiego for your cordial responses.  Pete S, your plants are beautiful.  Because of your comments, I am zooming over to HD to pick up Garden-Tone and Ironite.  (I do wonder what you think of my idea of watering with peat tea to counteract excessive lime.)  I read most of that thread about fertilizer and will return to it.  Turns out that what don't know about gardening would fill vast libraries of thick volumes of very fine print. 

I am reading all you guys regularly.

Bernard

Bernard,
I've never watered with "Peat Tea" but if the Limestone is pulverized limestone, flushing several times with plain water will return the mix pH close to the pH of the water used. This will work for well aerated and fast draining mixes but may drown the roots in slow draining mixes.

IMO, Since the plants have only been in the new potting mix for 2 weeks, repotting into a new mix may be the simplest solution. Also IMO, the containers should be at least 3 gallon, when up-potting I usually go from 1 gallon to 5 gallon containers.
Good Luck.

Espoma Iron Tone is also good, tip my hat to Frank in the Bronx

Beanard,

   I can't help with your problem (the fig culture problem), but just wanted to welcome you. I am west of you.

Others above give good advice.  They look OK to me.  Rather than mess with what they're in now, I'd focus more on getting your potting mix right for the next size up.  You did the right thing to put them in those larger pots right away.  However, they will probably outgrow them in a couple months.  Put them in 3 or 5 gallon pots from there. 

If you can see roots coming out of the bottom, it's probably time to up-pot.  Some people will say not to re-pot during summer when there's a lot of new growth, which is true for a full re-pot with root prune.   But up-pot is different and involves much less root disturbance.  Just pop it out of the pot it is in and plop it in a larger one.  If there are a lot of circling roots, you can take a box cutter and slice down one side and across the bottom to remedy this.  If the roots aren't circling, you don't need to do anything to the root ball.  I have never seen a plant struggle after this procedure, and I've done it many times.  Do a search on this forum for a good potting mix.  I've tried the pine bark mix, which can be good if you can keep it watered enough (at least one good soak per day during the heat of the summer).  But they will do OK in other mixes as well, as long as pH isn't way out of whack.