Hello everyone, I've been lurking for a little while here and greatly enjoy the forum. I've recently been bit hard by the "must grow fig trees now" bug, and Ohhh boy am I obsessed.. Lol! Now I just received my 3rd fig tree in the mail, a Chicago Hardy that I ordered from Nature Hills Nursery online (what a nightmare that place is but that's another story). It arrived with this huge gaping hole near the bottom of the trunk.. It looks like they (N.H. Nursery) pruned a branch off initially & then maybe some sort of bug chowed down the center and hollowed it out perhaps? Would any of you fellow fig fanatics with more experience than I help me figure out what happened here? I'd really appreciate any guidance at all. I've posted the pic, hopefully I did it right.. This is my very first post so forgive me if I somehow messed it up :)

Thank you in advance!

It shouldn't be a problem.  Eventually as the trunk grows it will surround the opening in the dead wood and then engulf it completely.  Some folks might suggest filling the hole with grafting wax but most recommend not doing that and to just let it heal naturally.

Whewww... Glad to hear it doesn't look like anything too serious.. I wonder what the heck caused that? I've seen something similar on one of the branches of my new Celeste fig tree, but it was sooo much smaller and definitely did not look hollowed out inside like this one.. I appreciate your help on this, I'm just trying to be a good fig mama and make sure to do the right things for my new babies here :) lol
Thanks a bunch!

Don't worry about it! Half of my Fig Trees (that were grown from cuttings) have the old wood, with a hole just  like that! Just leave it alone! It will be fine! : )

I agree with these other fine gentlemen.  Shouldn't be anything to worry about.  I've had similar ones like that.  I would still send the pic to the company just so it's on record, just in case it takes an unexpected turn for the worse.  Welcome to the forum!

Perfectly normal for a plant grown from a non-tip cuttings, which is probably 90% of the fig trees out there.

Hi,
This happens when one cuts a big branch . So the cutting used was a bit big.
I wouldn't leave that tree as is, as that hole is bigger than the diameter of the branch.
I wouldn't worry, but would pot up that tree and bury the hole in the potting medium .
At some point the tree will make roots above that hole and the problem would be over.
The problem here is that the bark seems to be retracting down and with wind the branch could fall and leave the roots alone.
So before that happens ... I would use the above fix.
Fig trees are able to get over that, one simply needs to help and support them while they are healing themselves.

Every cutting I root and every hole that I see open on my fig tree, I always fill it with wood glue.  It's keep insects out and deters the ambrosia beetle.  If you use Gorilla glue wet the hole first, then only add a tiny bit of glue.  The glue swells up and complete a nice round mound.  The glue is not toxic and do not hurt the tree.  I recommend a good premium quality wood glue from Lowes.  Hope this helps!

Thank you for all your help, suggestions, and reassurance that this is a 100% normal thing for fig trees that are grown from larger "non tip" cuttings. Like some of you suggested, I am concerned that some bug may decide to start a family in there due to the size of this gaping hole at the base of the trunk! So wood glue filler would do the trick? Or even just adding more potting medium to cover the hole may work as well? Perhaps both are in order, just bc Id rather be safe than sorry.. Just the kinda girl I am ;) I was planning on planting this guy in the ground in a year or two, so I'd like to make sure the tree has a great start now in order to survive our sometimes brutally cold winters (Zone 6A).

Thank you all for the warm welcome! Looking forward to chatting with you all in the future and politely picking your brains for more fig knowledge lol! So far I've got a Celeste, Marseilles Black, and now the Chicago Hardy.. And I have never tried a fig in my life.. Lol! But I can't wait to get the chance.. Bought the first tree in honor of my Italian grandma who LOVES figs, (96 y/o & still going strong) and within a month's time I now have 3 :) Sure hope I like them! Hehe.. Regardless they are beautiful trees with a rich history.. Can't go wrong there right??

I had 1 like that this year. Gorilla glue and replant deeper.

Welcome jamie. You are close to being hooked. You are in for a great ride to the world of figs. Hang on!

Hi Jamie,

In the past I've just trimmed back the dead wood in situations like this until the hole is no longer. It might be another option depending on the depth. It may just fall off if you leave it long enough.

Mic that's a great idea, especially since I cannot find my wood glue (I know that darn stuff is here somewhere though lol) .. I'm going to have a better look to see how far down this hole goes.. Hoping it does not recede too far down into the trunk..

Looks big and may cause a negative impression, but I would not worry about it.