Hello all!

I currently live in a loft in southern California, and I've recently become interested in growing my own fig tree. Unfortunately for me, I live in an apartment, and I don't have a balcony/patio. I do have tall ceilings (about 11 ft) and get plenty of sunlight!

Can anyone provide some recommendations for dwarf trees that are decent producers or any tips on how to keep my fig tree as short as possible? While my ceilings are pretty tall, I am not.

Thanks!

This is a one and a half year old Black Greek. I was nursing it back to health and never took it outside.
You will probably end up with a bonsai tree and no fruit and potentially an unpleasant smell if you let it grow too large. Any variety will probably work this way.

Wow, I didn't realize you could grow them that small! I was hoping for something between 3-6 ft. Do you think that would bear fruit?

I've had some on my patio for over three years and if they don't get a significant amount of fresh air and sun they won't fruit. Even if they do, the fruit won't ripen properly.

Welcome!!! Seems like Jolly Tiger would grow well. It does not require much light, too much sunlight will burn the leaves. I've heard good and bad about the Figs. For looks it would look great for being variegated.

Hey, welcome to the forum! I know that you can put a special bulb in your lamps/light fixtures that would help it grow but yes, they do let off a bit of unpleasent odor.

I like the thought of a Jolly Tiger tree for an apartment. They look beautiful and I have been looking around for one that doesnt cost an arm & a leg. Mine would be outside but for you, it would be a very cool conversation piece at the very least. Who knows, maybe you'll move inro a place with a balcony later on?

Thanks, everyone! It definitely sounds like a lot of websites boasting growing fig tree solely indoors were stretching the truth a bit. I will look into the Jolly Tiger!

I'm not wholly committed to this apartment, so I will probably wait until I can get a place with at least a balcony before trying to grow one for fruit. Is there any type that works better in an apt/balcony situation?

I'm a fan of trying to grow anything in a pot.  This plant is a year and four months old.  I accidentally broke the single trunk in half in maybe March/April of this year.  It now has five branches.  The container is a 2.5 gallon recycled frosting bucket it's been in since maybe July of 2015.  The top growth is less than two feet.  It's ripened two figs and has about 4 still on the plant.  I can't say how it would have done with only grow lights, but my cuttings that grew into plants did well with grow lights before they were taken outside.
 

I also think you can control the size of your tree by how big/small of a container you use and pruning.

Disclaimer:  I know this doesn't address which variety to grow indoors, but it does show that small plants do fruit, even if it's a little fruit.

VeryNew2 Figs, very nice tree, you're right the size of container matters, had you mooved that same plant to a bigger container in spring you would have a bigger plant and possibly no figs. However I would move it to a bigger pot in spring if possible, maybe 5 gl. . Be sure to cut the circling roots when you do.

Figderella, if I were you I'd just get started with any plant that I could get my hands on and give it a try.  You learn a lot by doing.

And, Mario, thanks for the advice.  I'm sure this one could use a bigger container.