Newbie in Zone 7b...

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Newbie in Zone 7b...

mulox
1467857595 · Edited

Figs are my favorite food in the world, but fresh is the only way to have them!

Q1 - Large dwarf not producing:
I started with a dwarf about 7 years ago and it has grown quite large every year. It surprising because it's planted in clay-like soil which is common here in GA and in a somewhat shaded area. I have never fertilized it, and rarely water it, and now it's about 8 feet tall and 12 feet wide... but has yet to produce any fruit. Someone told me that it could be the case that this is a male plant that requires a female variety to go with it... is that true?

Q2 - Mystery of the vanishing Celeste figs:
I bought a Celeste from Whole Foods 3 years ago and put it in a very large pot, and placed it against the east wall of the house in direct sun. Last year I had about 45 figlets at this time, but before they got a chance to get ripe, they somehow "disappeared". I looked all over the ground, and did not see any dropped, so I assume birds or chipmunks got to them, very frustrating. This year I am in the same boat, have about 50 figlets that look like they will ripen in 30-60 days, but want to avoid a repeat disaster. What should I do, get a net for protection? I thought about putting one of those outdoor cams on it to see what is really going on and solve the mystery.

Q3 - Celeste diseased or some other cause?
Related to Q2, I have attached a pic of 2 branches on the Celeste that have a white 'ick' on them that looks bad. What does this mean? I think they had this last year too. The ick is only on 2 branches, and the rest of the plant looks very healthy.

Q4 - Watering frequency?
How often should I water for zone 7b? I have heard some say don't water too much, and others the opposite, so confusing. I realize this depends on the size and whether it's in the ground or not... I have 3 in pots, 2 in the ground.

Q5 - How much sun?
It seems this varies quite a bit by species, and this is why I am very hesitant to put 3 of my figs into the ground, until I can figure out what the right spot in my yard is. I went on vacation last week (so no water for 7 days) and had one of my potted figs completely shed all of it's leaves. The other 4 were fine, maybe 1-2 leaves yellowed/withered off.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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blindesign
1467870758

Hi mulox!

Welcome to F4F! You are in the right place if figs are your favorite food in the world. I will leave the answers to the more veteran members of the forum. I'm rather new myself.

All the best!

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mulox
1467907852

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Originally Posted by alanmercieca

That white stuff is from insects, I am not sure from what yet it never seemed to cut down production on any of my fig trees so I just ignore it.

Watering frequency depends on a lot of things, if in the ground water daily for a few weeks after planting. Then put down mulch, hay, straw or gravel on top of the ground. For clay soil use 50% clay soil and 50% Black Kow composted cow manure before putting putting mulch or one of the other things mentioned above down. Wet clay soil is very bad for a lot of fig trees especially when they are small. We very rarely water our in ground fig trees any more. We live in zone 7b North Carolina. Which is really zone 7a to zone 8a. Most fig trees once they are in the ground long enough can handle full sun all day all year round.

In pots I use a device to check the moisture and never water during the hottest part of the day hot water is not good for the roots, when it's about 88 degrees or hotter I put the pots in the shade all day. The lighter the color of pots the better. Air pots are great too, if only they had lighter color ones of those. Full sun is fine if it's not too hot out.

Disappearing fruit is usually squirrels or some other rodent(s).

Wow, thank you very much for your answers! That's a relief on the white ick, although I was not too worried... more curious. Could be a trail left by a snail? We do have a lot of squirrels and also a chipmunk family just moved in...

2 IN-GROUND FIG TREES... (7-year old dwarf and 1-year old Peter's Honey)
The 7-year old dwarf never gets water and as I mentioned it's huge now. Started as a 2-footer and now it's about 8' tall x 12' wide. Not worried about it other than wish it would fruit someday. The other is a Peter's Honey I bought last spring (a 5-footer from a nursery in south GA). I planted it on the opposite side of the yard from the dwarf, which tends to get a lot more sun. I did use a 50-50 mix when planting, and that seemed to do the trick. I watered every 2-3 days, but only if it didn't rain. We had a fairly normal winter this year in north GA, some days in Feb getting down to the mid 20's and I did not cover it at all. Right now the Peter's Honey is full of healthy leaves and looking great. No fruit yet, but that's ok... I am patient.

Another thing that could impact watering is that our neighbor discovered he has a fairly deep natural underground spring. Now we know why our yard looks like a swamp after a normal rain... but the edge of that swampy area ends about 10 feet from where I planted the Peter's Honey. Q: Do you think it will be ok from getting too much water? Guess it depends on what is going on 5-10 feet underground?

3 POTTED FIG TREES
Celeste
Size at planting: 2Hx1W
Current tree size: 3x3
Age: 3 years old
Pot size: 3' W x 2' H, white
Fertilized: Never
Watering: Every 2-3 days if it doesn't rain
Sun: Sits on east wall of house, no shade other than the house itself
Leaves: Lot's of very green/healthy leaves
Fruit: Year 1 nothing, Year 2 45 figlets, Year 3 about 50+ figlets

This is the healthiest looking and only one of my trees producing fruit now, although I have not been able to eat any yet! Just need to figure out how to protect from squirrels now. Q: Should I leave it in the pot and just focus on protecting from prey now?

Unknown variety - 2 from Europe (green skinned)
Size at planting: 18-inch cuttings, no leaves
Current tree size: 3' H x 3' W (when they have all leaves)
Age: 5 years old
Pot size: Years 1-3 a small 1x1 pot, Years 3-5 a black pot, 2' W x 1.5' H
Fertilized: Not when first planted, but in year 3 when moving to larger pot I used 50% native 50% miracle gro potting for trees
Watering: Every 3 days, but only if it doesn't rain
Sun: Year 1-3 sat on east wall of house, brought indoors every winter. Year 3-5, moved around between east wall and near the Peter's Honey tree to try and find best spot
Leaves: Varies... when healthy, there are about 80-90% green/healthy leaves. But right now 1 has dropped all leaves which is very concerning, and the other has 30% yellow leaves and is thinning out
Fruit: Year 1-3 nothing, Year 4 - each produced about 5 figlets, never reached ripening, Year 5 (current) - nothing yet, not even buds

The first 3 years in small pots, they always produced a lot of leaves, but never grew at all. They literally exploded when I moved them to larger pots. The new pots have those reservoirs at the bottom that store water for extended periods... not sure if that's good/bad.

Q: Since the dwarf is doing ok through 7 years without ever being covered or watered (and surviving much harsher winters) and 1 winter now on the PH tree, do you think it's safe to go ahead and plant the other 3 in the ground? Maybe the leave the Celeste in the pot since it's doing ok?
By the way, when is the best time of year to move a tree from pot to ground? Should I fertilize at the same time, same as I did with the PH tree?

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