Is it normal for one of these beauties to ripen fruit in the beginning of Dec? I've even had some new leaf growth in the last month...all the while, my Mission Fig is dropping leaves and going dormant.

Also, should I root prune the PHoney before spring since I didn't unbound the roots when I potted it this summer? It appears the 4ft plant had been at the nursery for a while before I got it...it was pretty bound up. My wife says let it be, she is afraid I'll mess it up :)

I'm in Los Angeles just about 5 miles from the coast. Frosts are rare and near freezing temps only happen a few nights out of the year.

Lastly, my leaf growth I'd pretty weak, only one branch sprouting out just above the ground has strong growth. The top and mid trunk branches(only two right now) have small, compact, dwarfed growth.

cj, sounds like a classic example of a root bound plant. I would root prune it and move it up to a pot one size larger. It sounds like it's struggling to get nourishment. The reason it could be ripening fruit this late is because the tree is struggling to live and is trying to produce seed before it dies. Welcome to the forum.
"gene"

Oh yikes, it could be that bad? So should it re-pot immeadiatly, wait until late winter/early spring? Should wait for the fruit to drop or take them off now to conserve the plant's energy?

I would repot immediately. Pull it out of the old pot and teaze out as many roots as you can. Like untangling hair. You will probably need to do some cutting as well but the less cutting the better to minimize shock to the tree. Its helpful to soak the root ball in warm water before teazing the roots out. Then pot up in a larger pot. Good luck.

I would take what Little John said a step further.  Remove all the growing mix from the root mass.  Cut out several of the larger roots.  The remaining roots cut back so they will fit in the container they are in now without being crowded.  Plant in a larger container (something you think your tree will haven enough room to grow into over the next 2 years.)  Put in a shaded area and water well for a couple of weeks.

If it were me, I would also remove the fruit that are starting to grow and many of the more established leaves. 

Here is an example of a tree I root pruned in 2007:

Before (growing mix already removed):




After:

Wow, didn't know I'd have to be so extreme. I'll get on it tomorrow. I hope it'll bounce back strong in the spring.

Fig trees grow roots quickly.  You want to make sure there is enough room in your container for the roots to grow without needing to run circles around the perimeter or  becoming compressed.  Being that your root zone temps are likely to remain above 55F, the roots will grow even when the top is quiet.

This is one seasons (less a few short roots when planted) root growth on an LSU Purple:


That is a bamboo chopstick (it's what I use to remove the growing mix from the roots) near the base of the tree for reference.

~james

Potting complete, it's a 20 or 24 inch pot, so lots of room. I trimmed the roots about half as much as the above pic...I couldn't bring myself to cut that much :)

cjwilson,

You might want to plan a trip down to San Diego this Spring and meet with Jon at Encanto Farms. You might walk out with the dozen or so fig trees and a Banana tree.

I'm in San Diego every other week for work.  I keep saying I'll visit Encanto...in fact I'll be in San Diego all this coming week.

Can't imagine how I'd get a tree in the cargo bay of our little planes though...I take that back, I could probably do a couple if small young plants.  getting them past my wife is the hard part...she has us pinching pennies.

The Peter's Honey appears to be doing well after the pruning.  Its been warm this winter in SoCal, and it appears to be prompting fruit buds and leaves at the tips of the branches and possibly a couple of new shoots.

I root pruned and up-potted the Mission Fig a few/couple of weeks ago, I assume it'll be fine to.

My question is on shaping and promoting branching.  My Peter's Honey is basically straight up and down, with a couple of small branches up top, and one big "J" shaped branch that sprung out from the trunk a few inches above the soil.  This "J" shoot is the currently the strongest part of tree and will give the majority of my 1st crop of figs this year.  what I want to do is trim the tree to encourage strong growth and additional branching in the weaker upper portions of tree...hopefully resulting in a large 2nd crop all around.

Should I cut all the leafing tips on the limbs I want to get new branching? 

Should I cut the tip on the strong "J" branch and will that only promote brancing on the "J" branch, or will it promote branching over the whole tree? 

Should I leave the "J" branch intact this season to get the most fruit from the strongest part of the tree, and then cut it off all together after the last crop?   The "J" branch takes away from the straight up and down shape I want and Im concerned it may become a tipping or break hazard.

Is now too early to trim the tips (the leaves at the tips are just beginning to uncurl)?