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how can I speed up growth of newly planted figs

recently I have planted 12 fig trees beside my olive trees orchards. some of the trees are 2 years old and others are 1 year. I noticed that there progress and growth is very limited and I don't know the reason why. is that because the olive trees roots compete with them about the water ant nutrition in the soil? or it could be a lack of watering?
figs that I planted near to my home are more vigorous and bigger than those at the Olive orchard.
I thought about using some kind of fertilization to speed up the growth, but I don't know if that is possible because of there young age. 
any help/ideas will be appreciated
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It depends how "recently" you planted these and how much growth rate you expect.

You can start the plants with moderate fertilization with no harm. Just keep the soil moist and don't let it dry up during these early days after planting in the ground. Some limestone (Dolomite) addition will help the plants.
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so now you have the teen and zaytoon...
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Yes I have them both, 'Teen' and 'Zytoon' 
I am really happy having them  :)
I also keep honeybees ... and have delicious honey from wild flowers of the Holy Land !
I think I'll water them more frequently, i'll cover there soil with small rocks (lime stones), this will help them sure to preserve the moisture in the soil.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kassoum
Yes I have them both, 'Teen' and 'Zytoon' 
I am really happy having them  :)
I also keep honeybees ... and have delicious honey from wild flowers of the Holy Land !
I think I'll water them more frequently, i'll cover there soil with small rocks (lime stones), this will help them sure to preserve the moisture in the soil.

I recommend you don't use rocks. They increase soil evaporation rates.

To increase growth rate via fertilization, I recommend either:
(organic) Fish Emulsion
OR
(water-soluble) 21-7-7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermitian

I recommend you don't use rocks. They increase soil evaporation rates.

To increase growth rate via fertilization, I recommend either:
(organic) Fish Emulsion
OR
(water-soluble) 21-7-7



I don't think that I understand what you said , how could rocks increase soil evaporation?!
if you mean the moisture evaporation , I think the opposite s true ! rocks known to reflect sun heat.
look at the desert , if you found a tree, there must be a rock beside it where the root of that tree goes under it and collect moisture from its surface.

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2007/08/07/palmbob/09ade2.jpg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kassoum
I don't think that I understand what you said , how could rocks increase soil evaporation?! if you mean the moisture evaporation , I think the opposite s true ! rocks known to reflect sun heat.


Regardless of reflection, rocks have a much greater capacity to store heat than wood fiber, measured in Joule/Kelvin. The release of heat from rock and gravel coverings increases both the soil evaporation rate and the overall evapotranspiration rate in most environments. The exceptions occur where rainfall meets or exceeds evapotranspiration rates.
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  • elin
  • · Edited

Compost tea- a bucket for each tree will make a difference .
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elin
Compost tea- a bucket for each tree will make a difference .

Hi Elin,
I am thinking about painting the trees trunk with white latex paint, it should reflect the sun heat very will . I am also worried about the summer sun, it happened the last year that the newly emerging tender leaves were burned. so I am thinking about spraying the whole tree in some kind of white paint or something similar, but I still don't know what material it would be .
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Hello Kassoum, 
Figs near the olive tree is very common in the middle East, but they take longer to get established. I'm thinking the olives do take in lot of the nutrients around it. I would recommend adding high nitrogen fertilizer such as Urea. Of course if you irrigate you'll get a good growth.
I would love to try the honey, I am keeping bees now also.
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I use fish emulsion 2 tbsp to a gallon of water and 1tbsp of epsom salt per gallon of water about every 2 weeks. I also put this mixture in a spray bottle and spray the leaves at the same time. This year I'm using the Back to Eden Method of using wood chips to retain moister, about 8inches thick over the soil widely around the plant. My Figs have doubled in size. I planted them in the ground about a month ago from last years cuttings.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whiterk
... using wood chips to retain moister, about 8inches thick over the soil widely around the plant. ...

Excellent practice, especially if you extend the radius of the mulch to the desired drip line in the full size tree.
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