Hey everyone, this time last year, I came here trying to decide which figs to plant on a slope we have on our property.  So I decided on a black mission and a Janice seedless kadota.  I bought 5 gallon trees and planted them.   Had a bunchof leaves grow and a few figs on each last summer.  One issue I had was that during the heat (100+), it was hard to keep the trees hydrated well and at one point I lost all the leaves.  Fast forward to this season, we have had lots of rain in Riverside this year so far and weather has been mild.  I am attaching pics to make sure I dont need to make the "bottom" of the trees any larger.  And also how many times a week should I need to water these.   When I water, the water pools the bottom for about 5-10 minutes before it is gone.  Thanks in advance.

In the hot parts of summer, at your locale, probably 3-4 times per week. It you defoliated last season, you were not watering enough. Also, the ground cover is competing for the water, and probably has roots invading the rootball of you trees. With typical iceplant, you need 10' and more of clearance around a tree.

The ground cover has been such a PITA.  I have to go and trim it down every few weeks, keep it off the base of the tree.   I actually had to dig the hole there in the ground cover and clear it before planting obviously.  This is a slope that is maintained by the association and they may frown on a clear area larger than what I have cleared.  Slowly I will clear more and more of the stuff away.    Thank you for your input.

Mulching will probably help and put it on thick 6 inches should be fine. Use natural mulch and not the color added also make sure there is no weed kill in mulch. mulch will break down to a natural compost but may lower your pH over time so keep that in mind nothing some lime can't fix
Sal