hiya, guys,
on may 1, i put my figs inground. they look happy n healthy. they are even producing figs.

but they aren't getting tall. when i see pics of other peoples  figs, i see leaves then 3-4 inches of stem, then more leaves, on n on.

mine are growing  fractions of an inch between each set of leaves. every variety is like this.

they are very bushy n healthy looking, but i'm just not seeing trunk growth.

they are planted in the sand n gravel that i laughingly call  soil which is probably sterile.

i've been feeding good fertilizer at recommended amounts, but something must be lacking, right?

 what do they need to grow normally?

Susie,

The only thing I can see as missing is compost.  If you only have sand and gravel, it might be missing micro nutrients from loamy soil.  I top dress my pots every year with compost and given that you have a long growing season, I would do it twice a year.

BTW, I believe stem growth is directly related to the amount of sun available to a plant.  So if your trees are in direct sun, it might produce shorter stems, since it doesn't need to reach for the sun.  Please if I'm wrong with this hypothesis, correct me.  I have had the same plants grown in two different areas of my yard and the ones in the sun are smaller then the ones with some shade to them.  

thanks v. i found out that the town had free compost so i top dressed with two inches of compost, but i already had the trees inground.

i worked it into the top few inches of soil, not deep because it was hard to do without a tiller. i just covered that with four inches of mulch, but i can't get this stuff down to the roots.

back home  i was organic, but i had topsoil. it doesn't work where thereare no worms.  think i gotta rely on chemicals, but i don't know which.

My guess would be lower nutrient availability due to sandiness of the soil; nutrients are generally bound up by clay and organic molecules in the soil. In sandy soil nutrients will just wash away since nothing can bind them to the soil matrix.

However, that may not be a bad thing. If the plants look healthy and are producing, don't fret. Long internodes could be a sign of excess fertilizer or shade.

thanks kelby. i'm not exactly fretting but i need more growth to dress up my new garden.
i'm using figs as   landscaping items, to provide green in the desert.

wind will stunt growth

Is it protected from wind ?

can you show picture

 hi, bo.this site won't let me post pics.

they get some wind but i built a 6' high wooden fence around the garden to allow me to grow figs in zone 6.

i have the micro climate thing nailed, but never expected this problem, mostly cause i never heard of it.

Hi Susie,

   No signs of problem in leaves as you describe above.

Positive : your tree is happy for the nutrients

my guess : %90 WINDY "how far trees from wooden fence"
                 %10 Sun is intensive

That my guess and waiting for experts clue

the sun at 4000' is harsh, but these trees didn't mind it last year when in pots. they got wind damage then, but all that  means is shredded leaves'

i may have not asked this question properly. is it N, or P or K that a tree needs for stem growth?

i mostly need this info for next year. these plants range from 18 months to three year old n each has 6 figs, after 3 months inground.

 i'm happy with this production, i just want them prettier next year.

by the way, the two figs i actually tasted were possibly the best figs in the world.

Susie,

Nitrogen helps plant foliage to grow strong. Phosphorous helps roots and flowers grow and develop. Potassium (Potash) is important for overall plant health.  So N for more leaf growth. Hope this helps.

Here's my guess: 
If it's getting lots of sunlight it's growing the way it's supposed to. Figs that grow real tall and slender are probably not getting enough sunlight, and they reach to try and find adequate light. If it's growing more shorter branches, and lots of foliage, I would think that's fine. In time you will see more upward growth.
Don't forget you just planted this fig in May. I wouldn't judge too much growth the first year it was planted. All plants are in shock for the first year they're in the ground. They need time for their roots to establish before they will flush out a normal rate of growth. 

In June of this year, I put a Celeste in the ground that I purchased from a local nursery. I bought it in a 7 gallon pot, so it's pretty large. so far this year, i have had very little growth. The plant has only put out new leaves and some very short stem growth. It tried pushing out around 30 figs which all stopped getting larger a couple of months ago. 

I'm not worried about any of this. All I'm looking for from this plant this year is for it to stay alive. I'm relying heavily on the leaves to tell me everything I need to know for this year. (is the plant getting enough water) Short of that. Not much else can be expected to happen. 

Next spring I expect the plant to fill in nicely and take off. Can't wait either. 

they will be prettier and tastier as your trees aged

Your elevation have high UV radiation means tasty fruits, good luck

If the leaves look nice and green without abnormallities, then take what posts 11 and 12 say and go with it.

Susie,
Close internode spacing for a few cultivars is sometimes normal, but its usually an indication of a problem at the roots. Low soil fertility (Macro and or Micro nutrients), low or high moisture levels and or low soil aeration. The roots may not be growing out into the existing soil or may be root bound. These conditions will slow initial plant growth as will normal transplant shock. Since there are so many different factors, it may just be a matter of timing for your trees.

Planting in a raised bed above problem soils and or spreading out the roots of the newly planted tree will help the roots get established quicker, along with fertilization and watering schedules. For planting in ground, I've had good success with Espoma-Tone fertilizers along with compost and mulch to promote healthy soil with active healthy beneficial soil microbes. The compost and fertilizers are usually mixed in with the soil from the planting holes. 

A former forum member posted that fig trees grow in cycles "roots then leaves then roots", in my observations this has been somewhat true. Paying attention to healthy soil and root growth will result in healthy and fast vegetative growth. Upright Staking and training, maintaining apical dominance of main trunks in young trees will also help to increase growth.

My bet would be lack of nitrogen.  As mentioned already N tends to just pour through sandy soils but there is a lot you can do to prevent that.  Do you know what your soil PH is?  Even if you have all the micro elements and a perfect NPK for the plant if the PH is off growth will suffer.  Here me native soil is pure white sugar sand but on soil I have improved my bushes pinched and heavily multistemmed hit 4'-5' across and 4'-5' tall in just 5 months BUT I push them hard.  I don't care if they fruit or not the first year I just want growth.  Even on soil I have not improved I don't see the close internodal spacing.  The plant may grow slow but the stem size and the spacing appears normal. 

thanks guys. looks like they may need more N.

wills this soil is highly  alkaline. i thot that was ok for figs? 

pete, in hindsight i should've prepped the soil better. thing is, stuff doesn't even rot when buried. i'm not sure compost will work in droughty areas.

i guess i should have buried compost under the plants, but i didn't think of it. i only ammended the sand with peat moss.

i don't wanna dig them up.

oh, i did top dress with epsoma tree tone but i don't think it works without healthy microbes n the soil.
 shug n bo. perhaps they will grow next year.
and thanks for the words of hope

alan, i always used lime for my potted figs, but i thot that was to  correct acidity.
i'm afraid to use it in alkaline soil. do i need to add it?

thanks alan. i'll go toss some lime around the trees. gotta figure out how to get lots of extra N.

Susie,
Gypsum is usually used to provide Calcium For alkaline soils without changing the pH. Limestone is usually used for acidic soils because of the added benefit of increasing the pH, http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Gypsum.pdf

ah. gotcha, pete.

i bet gypsum is more suitable here.

You might want to top dress with worm castings, for beneficial microbes, and Azomite, for minerals and nutrients.

thanks, rafael. i'm at a loss dealing with sterile sand n gravel.

before now, all my experience has been with actual top soil.

thanks alan. i can get that at amazon, cheap. i'm ordering tonite.

i couldn't make up my mind what to use.

Susie
You have got some great advice from the experts on the forum.
My only suggestion is that since your trees look healthy and they are producing delicious figs for you then there is no rush. 
Enjoy what you have and take your soil challenges a little at a time.  You don't want to do something that accidently injures the trees or stops them from producing figs.
On the bright side if they are on the short side then you have less work to do to cover them for the winter in your zone 6 climate.LOL
 

that's true,  pino.i figure i'll bury them. and, i won't get drastic til spring.

um, does anyone know if bonemeal does the same as lime?

since i just ordered blood meal i got bone meal at the same time.