Hello, dear friends, fig enthusiasts, and plant lovers of all kinds. :) I am humbly writing to request guidance from those who know more than I in this field of container gardening and tissue culture trees.

I am new to the forums and this is my first topic posting. I am relatively new to growing figs though I have been growing and loving plants for many years. I am just starting my fig growing adventure in earnest this year after taking a break due to an unfortunate loss a couple of years ago to my first beloved fig tree. It, unfortunately, did not survive the transition in living environments my family underwent two summers ago.

I had been tending to my first fig for three years in a container and while I was growing many other plants in the ground, I had many challenges with it. I am beginning again with 9 new figs this year which I purchased from Wellspring nursery. I really want to take care of these trees right and watch them flourish this time. The trees that I received are all tissue culture trees and arrived very small. They were all less than 6 inches when I received them. I transplanted them from 2.5" pots to 2.6 gal pots just under two weeks ago. After doing much study I ended up creating my own semi-soilless potting mix for them which I thought would allow the young trees roots room to grow.

The mix consisted of 1.5 parts organic potting soil mix from forest compost and peat moss, 1 part Coco coir, 1 part medium grade Perlite, and 21 TBLS Azomite. I had a bag of bark mulch laying around but I decided not to add it because it smelled like cedar and I was afraid that it might not be ok for the figs since I know that cedar is toxic to earthworms. Should I replant these guys in the same mix with pine bark mulch added in? 

The plants seem to be happy in this media and are beginning to stretch out and open their buds, but I am concerned having read in so many recipes to add lime to the mix. The PH is reading about a 6 on average throughout the pots. Some pots are closer to 5.5.  Should I add dolomite lime to the surface? and if so should I feed them any differently? I had been planning to feed the plants with Neptune's Harvest fish hydrolysate and kelp but now I am wondering if a slow release top dressing would be better. If I were to fertilize with the fish/kelp which is 2-3-1 how much and how often should I water it in? I was thinking 2 tablespoons per gallon of water watered in once a week which brings me to my next concern having to do with the soil possibly not drying out fast enough. I am brand new at growing in soilless mix and I want to do it right, but I am having a difficult time finding articles that relate to growing tissue culture fig saplings in a soilless mix. 

Thus My Main concern right now is the rate at which the pot's soil is drying out. I have read that Figs LOVE well-draining soil and I thought that this mix would be that. Indeed it does drain well....but it also appears to hold a lot of moisture. I haven't watered the figs in nearly 5 days and it has been a consistent 80-90 degree here by day and 55-65 degrees at night. I was told to water when the top 1'' of soil is dry... the top of the soil is dying out so slowly! the soil is not at all sopping wet. More so moist like a damp sponge. Is this ok? The soil breaks apart so easily when I dig around in it but it is kinda firm to the touch. 

I would be extremely blessed to hear any and all comments, suggestions, or opinions from Fig experts, experienced fig people, and container gardeners alike... or if you aren't any of these and just wish to chime in, that would be entirely welcomed. :)

I will be posting pictures of the plants and the soil this evening.

Much Love and Many Blessings to ALL,

Sincerely,
William Hardy

Hmm, I just use regular potting soil, even Coir can get infested, so keep an eye on that.

TC figs are OK with me, keep them shaded when young, I over water with no Ill effects due to the sun and heat here. IF you are concerned get a soil miosture reader (under 10 bucks)...shade cloth or used widow screening are helpful in the summer...

Welcome to the forum!   A lot of people use PRO MIX HP.  You can find it at Lowes.  Others make their own fast draining mix.  Perhaps someone else with more experience will chime in on that.  

Welcome!  The benefit of a well draining mix is that there are air spaces in the soil.  If your mix is moist but there are good air spaces then everything will be fine.  If it stays moist forever but there are still air spaces soon after you water it then the fig will be very happy.  When your plants are young you can use almost any fertilizer but be sure to mix it up in the strength recommended for houseplants otherwise you can kill the plant.  It wouldn't hurt to start with it half that strength.  If the plant is growing vigorously it's happy and if it's not growing vigorously you want to be sure the soil's not too wet nor too dry and that you have all the micro-nutrients plants need.  Often when a plant moves in to a new container it grows roots before shoots.  With good fertilization the shoots should follow within a month or so.

These are the first seven young trees.😊
I will post the other two and the soil soon.
-William

Thank you all for the replies and comments! I will respond soon, when I have more times☺
Thank you all so much!
-William

Hey, guys! Thank you all for the Welcome. Sorry, it has been so long getting back here... Life has been so busy! figeater, thanks for the tip about the PRO MIX HP. I have already planted these in a soil that I made. Can you or anyone tell me what PRO MIX HP consists of and at what ratios?

My Main concern was the density of my soil. After I dug around in the pots a bit and broke up the soil I found that it stayed very airy even after watering multiple times. I guess I just packed the soil in there tight. Even though it was tight the water still did not remain on the surface for more than a second when watering them before. In any case, I just bought a bunch fir bark fines that I am thinking about mixing into the soil. I think I might just re-pot these again. What do you guys think? Or given what I mentioned that I made my soil out of.... Should I just leave it alone? The trees are looking great and are starting to grow... I just gave them some fish and kelp yesterday at two tablespoons per gallon and watered lightly with that. The have grown on average 2cm in the last week. I Imagine as they get established in their pots that they will really take off. Hence me wondering if I should even mess with the soil again this year.

I will go out soon and get a picture of what the soil looks like in my hand for you guys and the bark chips.

Hey, rcantor! Thank you for the Welcome. And the great information. :) I am not sure if there are great air spaces in the soil but it has been staying wet for a very long time. My intuition tells me that the air space can be improved. Observation proved this when I loosened the soil around the edges of the pots and watered. The soil stayed very fluffy and actually dried out faster. I wonder if I should consider disturbing them again and add in a bit of bark? What do you think given the recipe that I used, what I have said about the soil, and the pictures that I am about to post?

Also, rcantor, thank you for the great information about fertilization. What do you think about how I fertilized them yesterday? Each 2.5 gal pot got about three cups of the aforementioned fish and kelp mix around the root zone and a little extra water after. Should I have watered them more with the solution?

Hello Jsovkov, thank you for all the tips on watering and soil acidity for figs. I think I will try your method...but it sounds to me that you are using this method on mature trees...as you can see from my photographs, my trees are very young. Would you still use the full strength Neptune's Harvest Fish and Kelp every 10 days, and if not how would you change it? What is full strength in your opinion? I was thinking about two tablespoons per gallon every 10 days? How much of the solution should I actually water into each pot? I am also thinking that since my plants are so young, I should and a product high in phosphorus like bat guano to help with root development and plant hardiness...What do you think? Or what does anyone have to say about it for that matter! I am eager to hear.

Also Jsovkok, I have heard of the 5:1:1 mix, but I have no idea of what it consists of. Can you or anyone else tell me more about this?
Thank you all so much!

Hope that this reignites this thread. I am new here and I can use all the help that I can get!
Thank you!

~William

Here is a look at my soil... and the redwood chips that I am thinking about mixing in.

They are mostly medium to fine with a few larger pieces....what is the drawback to leaving the larger pieces in?

Thanks to everyone who has pitched in.
~William

Will anyone else offer an opinion, suggestion, or comment?
THank you,
~William