I'll try the olive oil thing and see how it works.  yes, the figs are on last year's wood.  Thx.

That little tree is loaded with figs.  Looks like main crop figs doesn't it?  They're right above leaves from this year.  The tree doesn't look like it's doing too bad.  Did you pinch the terminal buds?  Are you noticing new buds starting to form?  If you don't see new terminal bud growth coming back then it may be a sign that the tree is stressed from trying to ripen all that fruit.  That is a lot of fruit for a small tree to ripen, especially if the figs are large in size.  If you don't see any new vegetative growth after awhile then the problem may be that all that fruit is drawing more energy from that little plant than it has to give.  If that is the case then the tree will probably drop the fruit when the summer heat kicks in.  It is the plant's way of saving itself.  Ripening all that fruit on a little tree in the Arizona heat might just kill that little guy, so the fruit gets dropped so the plant can live.  Water, water, water, and then some more water... it really helps.  If you still don't see new leaves starting to grow then thin out that fruit.  That's my 2 cents.  Good luck with your tree.

Thanks Joe.  Yes, I did pinch off the buds.  I have a shade above the tree that provides protection for a few hours during the hottest part of the day.  I water twice a day right now.  Once a week I do a slow, long watering.  So we'll see how it goes.  Any thoughts on whether or not I should add any kind of plant feed?  Thx.

Dale,
Did you score the root ball or untangle the roots (bare root) when you planted it. A root bound plant will grow and produce poorly.

Pete, when I bought the tree from Lowes, it was in one of those black plastic containers.  My yard guy planted it for me.  I am sure that all he did was carefully remove the plastic container, and plant the tree in the ground.  I seriously doubt he did any of what you suggested.

Dale,
I've seen apple trees survive for years in ground with root balls no larger than a 3-gallon container. They leafed out in spring and put on fruit which never ripened. They were dug out, roots untangled and replanted. They then grew normally and produced edible fruit.

@ Pete

Interesting!  However, if I have to dig the tree up for any reason, I am probably going to chuck it and replace it with a new tree that is orchard-ready and already into production.  There appears to be a local grower in the Phoenix area who has some of those. Thanks.

My trees in Phoenix are in full sun, even some of the little one gallon ones.  They are thriving in our sun.  While I was away for several weeks, they were only watered once a day in the morning and I'm surprised they are still alive and doing well.  I have wood mulch on top of the soil in the pots and on the in ground trees.  I may move them to a more protected location when it starts hitting 115-120 degrees and get monsoon protection.   Even though it's been summer-like for the last 2 months, I just tried my first ripe fig of the year today, a Conadria.  It seems to take forever.  

Interesting that you are having problems with an in ground tree as it should be thriving.   Maybe add compost and mulch.   Get a bunch of well aged manure from a local farm.  Adding those has been great for all my plants.  VdB and Panache were two of the tastiest I had last year.   You can have cuttings in winter if you can't find anywhere.   Panache grows quickly, over 6 ft in less than 1 year in the ground.   Rooted a desert king from a cutting in the winter and it loves the weather here.  It's over 3 ft already.   

Thanks figfanatic.  I do have mulch around the tree.  How do I apply the compost?  Just as a layer on the top and let the nutrients seep in, or do I need to dig up soil, mix with compost and then replace?  Thx.

OK, daleanold. I can't take it anymore. I live in East Mesa. A fig tree in the ground in Arizona for four years should not look like that. Not unless it is being mistreated or you are trying to keep it small. After reading this thread I jumped out of bed and took some pictures. Forgive the quality. The big VDB is on the East side of my yard so the sun was in my face.

Every tree is planted in full sun. All were planted in the Fall/Winter planting season. None have ever been shaded beyond the cutting stage. All of the trees pictured were grown from cuttings by me. As someone else pointed out. How a tree is planted is important. Crossing, damaged and circling roots should be cut before planting. The tree should be planted in native soil if possible. Then a top dressing of compost should be applied. Followed by 3"-6" of mulch. (In the desert) For the first couple of months they should be watered every 2-3 days. After that the soil should always be slightly damp but not too much as you don't want to drown the tree. You only need to water 1-2 times a day in the summer here if the tree is in a pot in full sun. Not when it's in the ground. My trees are watered twice a week and I think they are pretty healthy. If you water too much the roots will stunt as they will have no need to seek water. Then you kind of have to water all the time or the tree will die.

If you decide to keep the tree. (I would not.) Slowly back off on the watering. Water either in the early morning or late afternoon. Compost it and mulch it. I had a really nice Brown Turkey about 6-7 years ago. The fruit where large with very good flavor if they weren’t spoiled. But most of them were spoiled because of the enormous open eye they produce as they ripen. Every bug and insect in the valley would crawl in and out of them. Yuck!!!

Receiving a tree in the mail this time of year is no good in Arizona. There is a good chance it will die if left out in the sun on your doorstep. I have a nice little VDB in a 15 gallon pot you can have if you want it. It's from a cutting I grew out this year. It's only about 2' tall but should have a nice root system by now and is already fruiting. I suspect it will grow to be over 6' tall this season if you are kind to it.

Thank you THISISME for the pictures, the detailed information, and the incredibly generous offer!  I will contact you via PM.  Thanks again!

Resurrecting a 4-yr old thread!!  But with good reason.

About 4 years ago, one of the members on this board was kind enough to give me a fig tree to plant in my backyard.  I did, and last year I started to enjoy the fruits. Or, at least the fruits that I was able to save from the birds.

The summer in Phoenix got off to a fierce start this year.  Many leaves were burned.  What you see in the picture are the burnt leaves that have not fallen off yet.

Question:  Did anyone else in the Phoenix area have this problem, and should I be doing anything to prevent/mitigate this?

Thank you in advance for your advice.

I'm located in the Phoenix area. When it got over 110° many of the leaves burned and dropped. Some of the trees I put in a partially shaded area. I was giving more water and frequent spraying in the am. About a week ago many started budding and doing great.

Spring growth always looks so healthy and pretty... then these hot AZ summers come along and toast everything! I think what you're experiencing is pretty common. Summer in the Phoenix area puts a lot of stress on fig trees.

From my experience it takes a lot of water to keep fig trees green and happy through our summers. I used to water my in ground trees once ever 4 days. They survived like that but the leaves got burned up badly and a lot of the fruit was dry and hard. Now I water ever second day. It makes a big difference. The leaves look much better and the fruit quality is a lot better.