What do you consider productive for a small fig tree in a 5 gallon pot?
What do you consider productive for a fig tree in a 10 gallon, 20 gallon and 25 gallon pot?
Which standard cultivars do you consider too aggressive (grower) to remain in 5 gallon pots?
Thanks.

I will be starting cuttings this Spring of several different named cultivars which will be grown in 5 gallon buckets for their next few years as a proof of concept. My initial thought is to use 6 to 10 cultivars including Atreano, <Hardy Chicago>, Celeste, Conadria, O'Rourke, Southern Brown turkey, <Strawberry Verte> and Violette de Bordeaux. Since I'm already using 5 gallon buckets as my intermediate sized container going to inground and 20 gallon SIPs (modified 30 gallon barrels) there would be no additional work required to isolate several individual plants this growing season. The goal is to produce 5 to 6 dozen figs on each 5 gallon plant after the 2nd year and each consecutive year. Atreano and conadria have been included for their reputation of aggressive growth.

Attached is a picture of a Horticultural Experiment from a Japanese website that was linked to a Topic by forum member Ingevald... http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/japanese-fig-growing-method-fabulous-photos-4374293 Each fruiting branch produces 20 figs and there are 5 -6 fruiting branches per plant.
 
The incentive for this test was started in this Topic by forum member Fignutty... http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/productive-figs-in-small-containersspaces-6725282 and this Topic by forum member 71GTO... http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/still-having-trouble-keeping-up-with-pot-sizing-6796313

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Pete I appreciate your interest in this topic. My first thought is that the answer will be highly dependent on length of growing season. This at least for those varieties like Strawberry Verte that will produce main crop as long as they keep growing. I harvested figs off a 3 gal potted SV for about 4 months in 2012. At least 3-4 dozen and 2nd yr from cutting. Now those same plants in 12 gal are covered in breba, pretty sweet. I'll not go bigger than 12 gal but this one is worth more space. I have cuttings if you'd like some.

My experience with many species of potted fruit trees says that a small pot will dwarf anything regardless of rootstock. You don't need a dwarf rootstock to fruit peach, apricot, etc in pots(I've fruited both in 3 gal pots). And I don't think you will need a dwarf, slow growing fig. SV is a rampant grower if pushed with water and fertilizer. But with moderate fertilizer in a pot it is tame.

Steve,
Thanks for commenting and disclosing a quantity, 3 - 4 dozen...
Thanks for the offer, but I already have Strawberry Verte from Encanto Farms and can include it it the test. I can protect the plants with a hoop house to extend the season for late season figs, if needed.

I am curious as to the actual quantity of figs that constitute a "productive" cultivar for most forum members growing figs in containers.

In-ground figs are not as elusive because in NYC they can usually produce in the thousands when grown in a large bush form, 10 - 12 ft round.

Also, pinching regularly gives you more branches and more figs in any size pot.  In some climates people remove leaves to allow the sun to ripen the figs faster.  I think a larger size pot helps, but it really depends how you manage your tree's production.

Suzi

Suzi,
Thanks for commenting.
I'm interested in an actual quantity, how many do you expect from 5, 10, 15 and 20 gallon potted fig trees?
Thanks.

in 3 gal, my 2nd yr VdB gave over 20 last yr. my 4th yr VdB gave over 80. i don't manage my trees. i don't know how. i only pinch when i don't see fig's. i prune only in winter. i'm trying to shape my older VdB, but it's still ugly.

Thanks for starting this thread, ascpete, I'm anxious to see the results.  I'm especially interested to see at what pot size the jump is made to 200-300 fruits per plant.  That's the minimum productivity I'd like to aim for, so I'm curious what size pot that would roughly translate to for most folks.  I anticipate that it would require a 20 or 25 gallon pot (if we're talking about growing in potting mix rather than aquaponics or hydroponics), but I don't have the experience to know for sure.

Pete,
Thanks for commenting.
What container size was the 4th year VdB with over 80 figs?


GreenFin,
You're welcome.
Here's a picture from Bill's Figs in NJ which shows a few 3 year old trees in 20+ gallon SIPs. Bill Muzychko wrote

pete, the larger one is in 10 gal. it's actual 10 gal tub and not nursery 10 gal pot. i still don't know what the diff is, but nursery pots look smaller than the size they specify.

I tend to agree with pete (Bullet08)
2-3 year old - 20-40 range
4-5 year old - 100 +/- range

Pete,
Thanks.
The nursery pots are usually smaller in volume than the stated size... the #1 or 1 gallon is actually about 3 quarts, etc.


Theman7676,
Thanks for commenting.
What size containers are the 2-3 year old and 4-5 year old plants?
Thanks.

Pete,
I grew Conadria (2), Mary Lane Seedless, Alma (2), Brown Turkey (2), Texas Everbearing, Hardy Chicago, Celeste (3), LSU Purple (2) and Paradiso White (Joe Morle) in 7 gallon pots for 5 years before I moved them to 15 gallon pots. With the exception of the MLS which didn't produce figs for 5 years (until I moved to a much larger pot-but worth the wait) the others all produced the same amounts each year. I'd say 50 figs per plant except the Paradiso was about half that amount. 
I had 2 y.o. trees - MBVS, Longue D'Aout, Hollier, RdB, Smith, Atreano RR and Fannick's Texas Blue Giant that I feed heavily to see if they would produce in 7 gal pots after having grown up to 6 feet the year before and they did very well (except the Smith did nothing). I had these trees in a different spot then my others and they were fed more (bunny poop especially). These trees were on an accelerated plan but I didn't actually count figs last year. I got the impression that a 7 gallon pot only works in the long run if you keep things well pruned and more compact, and it did seem like any fig that has been in a smaller pot really takes off and produces once they get into a 15 g pot. 
There seems to be a very big difference once I put trees into 15 gallon pots (I intend to up pot a lot of figs this year) as they not only seem to produce more per amount of plant but they seem to produce longer and more evenly.
I hope this helps. In re-reading it I realize I didn't really answer your questions but I'm posting anyway just in case it helps somehow.
mgg
My pots are standard nursery pots and I'm not sure how much the heat effects them and fig production. My feeling is I'd get more figs if they were in SIPs or if the black plastic didn't heat up as much. I tried putting a number of pots in places where they were protected from strong sun shining directly on the black plastic of the pots and these figs did do much better then those totally exposed to the sun. I think one of the benefits of SIPs (I don't have any - yet) is that the water reservoir helps the over-heating issue. 

The larger the container, the higher the % of fruit production is. My oldest plants (5+ yrs) grown in 35-50 gallon containers. Each produce anywhere from 200-300 figs each season. About 1/6 of those figs will not rip, due to either the weather (cool Summer), or me removing them. Non of my plants that grown in 5-10 gallon containers, are as productive as the ones grown in larger containers. 

Navid.

Pete

I am curious about extending growing season in hoophouse, I find that some of my potted figs the leaves will start to turn color and drop even in late September, ie White Genoa, yet all the figs ripened. If a fig tree is smart enough to realize the days are getting shorter, its leaves will drop even if temperatures are kept warmer by hoophouse or greenhouse. So I am wondering-maybe extra warmth will help ripen late varieties but nothing will change the signals of nature, and leaf turning. Am I right?

Best regards

Rafael

Rafael:

Day length has no effect. It's something else causing the leaves to drop in September. This year my Strawberry Verte kept it's leaves into January in my greenhouse. And that was under 90% shade cloth after Nov 22 to provide chilling for my other fruits, 40F night 50s by day. I ate the last fig Dec 11. It was surprisingly good.

That's interesting. But the White Genoa dropped its leaves early 2 years in a row. It is certainly one of the oddest behaving potted figs, a thick trunk, slow to grow and produce, but strong. Maybe it is fmv, the plant did come from California.

My most productive fig tree last year was a four year-old Hardy Chicago in what I'm guessing is a 7-10 gallon pot. It ripened 90 figs. Most of my other three or four year-old trees in similar-sized pots ripened 30-50 figs.

Micheal,
Thanks for commenting and the info.
IMO, a reason the figs may have taken off once up potted may have been due to the established root mass, which was able to expand quickly into the larger containers and support a larger canopy for fig production.
I remember the discussions last year about the heat gain of your dark pots. One benefit as mentioned is that the heat will automatically perform root pruning.


Navid,
Thanks for commenting and the info.
I don't expect them to produce as much as larger containers, but I do expect them to produce 60 - 70 figs each in the 5 gallon containers.


Rafael,
The only time I lose leaves in the fall is from lack of water or frost. This past season I moved several potted trees onto an open porch at the first frost warning in early October and they did not lose their leaves for several more weeks, in early November.
Nutrition also plays a part in causing trees to lose their leaves earlier, I added an Iron supplement to several fig trees last year and they were the last trees to lose their leaves. A Petite Negri that was riddled with FMD symptoms developed thicker leaves after the supplement was added and was also one of the last to lose them.
There are also several cultivars that are less hardy, usually thin leaves, that may also lose their leaves earlier due to colder weather.


Matt,
Thanks for commenting and the info.


Calvin,
Thanks for commenting.

Fascinating thread.  Lots of valuable info.  Thanks Pete.

200 figs on a tree ... I'm really happy for you !
Here in my zone7, with all the freestyle winter pruning, a good tree in ground can produce 40 to 50 figs - at least so far it is my own record.
I'm hoping to beat it this year.
I should have beaten that record last year, but 2012 killed my best tree.
The problem here is that some brebas get cold burned and abort, and at least half or all of the maincrop doesn't get the time to ripen.
In the fall of 2011, none of the figs of the maincrop did ripe they got close to ripe but...

Did I mention that lots of figtrees produce less than 10 figs in the year :°°(
My neighbors all keep on complaining about that.
In despair, I planted the favorite strain of Snaglplus  !! FIGS WANTED !!

Hey Pete, thanks for starting this thread. It has a lot of good info and I am looking forward to hearing more from other members. My trees are pretty young still and I usually only let a few figs rippen on young ones and pinch the rest so I am not sure how many figs total I would get from them. I might have a better idea after this year.

Pete, I agree with Steve's comment that the length of the growing season is one of the most import components that will determine the
amount of fig production. That along with the proper fertilizing program, watering techniques and attention to diseases.

5 gal pot = up to 75 figs
10 gal pot = up to 125 figs
15 gal pot = up to 175 figs
20 gal pot = up to 225 figs

This is for a five year old tree.

In my climate and growing conditions, Hardy Chicago is to aggressive to remain in a 10 gal pot. Mine is going into the ground this year. Ultimately
it would have to go to a 25 gal pot.

I also think my Black Bethlehem would outgrow a 20 gal pot. It is also going into the ground.

Frank,
Thanks for commenting and you're welcome


Jdsfrance,
Thanks for commenting and the info.
Yes, 4-5 year old trees in large containers should be able to produce 200 or more figs. Its also based on the cultivar. Most in-ground figs in NYC zone 7 will also produce several hundred figs when they are 4-5 years old. I don't know your actual zone conditions, but early producing cultivars may be a solution to increasing your fig harvest.


Zach,
Thanks for commenting and you're welcome.
I will sometimes let several figs ripen on young trees (1st year cuttings), if the figs don't stop or slow the growth of the terminal bud. Atreano OR, Celeste and LSU Gold were a few 1st year plants that ripened a couple figs each last season.


Mike,
Thanks for commenting and the Info.
I do agree that length of season is a factor, but most people that grow in small containers are in zones with a shorter growing seasons. One of the reasons for this topic is to get a realistic yearly quantity for fig production in different sized containers and to use the best cultural practice to achieve that yearly goal. Although I will be testing 5 gallon containers, I will also be starting several dozen 20 Gallon SIPs this year. I harvested at least 4 dozen figs, with about 1 dozen eaten by wasps just before the first frost, from my 5 gallon Hardy Chicago.
I don't have Black Bethlehem, but I will add a Hardy Chicago to the list.