Hey All,

 In early spring I transplanted a 3 year potted celeste in the ground,I made sure that I dug up a nice wide hole and filled with good rich soil and compost, I pretty much just pulled the tree out of the container and plopped it in.I probably should have loosened and possibly bare rooted the tree.Reason Im asking is the tree put on good leaves and many quarter sized fruit but very little in the way of new growth,also Its september and we have had an unbelievable warm and sunny summer and the fruits are all still small,hard and green.Is it shock and adjustment or are the roots bound up and preventing real growth.any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
geo

Hi Geo,

There are many possibilities as to why it's not growing so much... too much water, too little water, the amendments in the hole, nematodes, etc.  Probably the best reason is the tree itself.  I have several trees I planted (along with many rooted cutting) this year which have put on tremendous growth.  I have three LSU Purple and three Black Mission trees (each from the same parent) which under the same conditions as the rest have put on little growth.  It's a bit late in the season for fertilizer.  I'd wait to see next year's growth before worrying.

Interestingly enough, one of the LSU Purple in the group was completely defoliated by grasshoppers, it came back and grew to the same size as the others and stopped.

~james

thanks james

Hi,

I'm wondering if I hit upon something when I pinched out the growing tips of my Smith tree baby, to keep it from growing so tall that it might interfere with local air traffic, and it then put out two more at that same point!  It just wouldn't quit and I'm still pinching out tips.  This baby way outgrew its rootball and was in a small pot and I was concerned that it might die if it kept up the rapid growth.

I have an LSU Purple that had sat there, putting on many figs that were growing and ripening, but no tip growth and the same for the Hunt fig I had gotten before I got the LSU P. 

I pinched out all the green-but-not-growing tips on both little trees and it wasn't long before they both put out tips that have been growing!  I wish I'd known to try that earlier in the season, but now I know.

I don't know if this would jolt other trees into action, but it did mine.

noss