fertilizer burn for fig tree in ground

13 years ago

hi,

my 4 foot tall fig tree that i got from the store was just put into the ground 5 days ago. the landscaper who put it in mixed compost with the native soil, and now the fig tree has symptoms of fertilizer burn.

parts of the leaves have burn spots, and the one baby fig fell off. it wasn't like this prior to the transplant.

what should i do? the landscaper said he didn't put fertilizer in the dirt, just compost. the compost was half dirt and half pure compost that he got from a nursery.

thanks!

jenny

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Comments (17)

luv_figs
Original Author
13 years ago
should i dig my tree back out?
luv_figs
Original Author
13 years ago
https://picasaweb.google.com/luvfigs/FigLeaf

here are pictures of my plant. i also ready it could be transplant shock.
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When I first began to collect figs a few years ago, I originally planted my figs about 25 ft. apart. I chose that spacing based on some of the recommendations in the literature as well as the size of the one fairly mature fig tree I had at the time. After my fig collection began growing like kudzu(!), I decided that I really didn't want to take up an acre or two of space with the collection, so I began planting fig varieties at the smallest spacing that I thought might allow me to evaluate the fig varieties and enjoy them for a reasonable number of years with moderate but not draconian pruning. I have planted about 50 varieties on approximately a 12-13 ft. spacing. Time will tell whether or not I have chosen wisely. If I was planting for the long haul and space was not an issue, I think that 20-25 ft. is about right. If the goal is for each tree to be as vigorous as possible, then the wide area over which fig roots spread probably make 12 or 13 ft. spacing too close in the long run. The key to making closely spaced fig plantings work is pruning, I think. All but the most rampantly growing varieties can probably be kept to a reasonable size for decades. Pruning so many fig trees every year is going to be quite a chore, though!
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I have to inform you that the reason potted trees are producing better than the in-ground ones is that figs have to have their roots confined in order to really produce good fruit. If you go round Southern France, Italy, Spain, you will see wild fig trees growing out of rock walls absolutely laden with figs - yet their roots have barely a cubed foot to cling onto... Figs like to be pot bound, but if you keep them in a container, then they will need some feeding. Left in the open ground, figs will always produce leaves at the expense of fruit. Fruit production is a safety measure. Because the existence of the 'mother' plant is precarious, fruit is produced in abundance, in order to safeguard propagation of the species, to survive. If the tree has plenty of room to spread its roots, and nutrients available, then it doesn't need to produce as many fruits, and can also produce more suckers instead... By confining the roots, you simulate critical conditions. Ergo, more fruits....
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Vladimir, all depends on the size of the tree. Rick, Claire is right. planting it now would encourage the tree to put on some new growth which most likely will not harden off by the time the cold weather arrives. i would store your trees this winter just like you have in the past and then get them in the ground once they break dormancy in the spring as long as there is no longer a threat of frost. All my trees are in 20 gallon pots with maybe 1 or 2 going into the ground possibly next year. all my trees are 4yrs old started from cuttings. as for fertilizer, i give them spring application right around the time they are starting to wake up using Joe Morles recipe. then roughly a month after that i start feeding them every other week with a liquid fish fertilizer called Organic Gem. I stop feeding them mid august just so that they don't put on much new growth. i also sprinkle a handful of garden lime 1-2 times during the season into each pot. once frost hits and all the fig leaves fall off i usually leave the tree outside to get a couple more light frosts to help harden off the new wood. once majority of the new green wood has turned brown, i bring them into my detached garage where they will stay all winter. i dont cover them nor do i provide any heat for them. matter of fact every time it snows its my sons job to place 2-3 grapefruit sized snowballs on each pot to assure that the soil never goes dry. it typically take up to a week for the snowballs to completely melt. sorry for the rambling....
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foolishpleasure
13 years ago
I know once I burned all my vegetable garden with Chicken Manure. It does not matter Compost or syntatic it has to be away from the roots. If it is mine i will dig it up and transplant it in an area where no Fertilizer until it is established then I can give fertilizer. Fertilizer is as good as Fillet Mignon if you eat one you enjoy it and feel happy but if you eat ten of them you will spend the night in the hospital.
sam89
13 years ago
hi luv_figs, I wasn't able to access your picture. I think your plant suffered an transplant shock.
luv_figs
Original Author
13 years ago
https://picasaweb.google.com/luvfigs/FigLeafBurn?feat=directlink

sorry, the above link should work. oh so depressing....so i ended up digging the whole plant out since the transplant wasn't done correctly in the first place (they didn't loosen the dirt around the rootball, and it was stuck in a bunch of clay).

so i just pulled it up and potted it in a huge pot.

it will be a miracle if it survives now. :(

jen
sam89
13 years ago
luv_figs, I found your pictures. The leaves looked droopy. It looked like the plant had as transplant shock. I think it will recover just give it time. My neighbor planted (in Summer) a mature fig tree and all their leaves had fallen off after transplant. He didn't use any compost at all. His tree grow new leaves next year.
User
13 years ago
Compost is not to be used,as mixed with natural soil,to plant a new tree.
Compost is beneficial if applied as a top 4-6 inches as dressing.
Mixing compost with planting soil,is detrimental to the young tree,and ,can kill it.
noss
13 years ago
What kind of compost are we talking about? Well-rotted, or fresh? Why does mixing compost with planting soil hurt a tree?

noss
frozenjoe
13 years ago
Does not look like fertilizer burn to me either. Looks like transplant or heat stress. In reality the plant does not look that bad at all. I think it will be fine. Patience.

Joe
wabikeguy
13 years ago
Some of my strongest trees are planted in a compost/earth mix. Also, last year when I gave up on some of my cuttings, they went into the compost bin with everyting else. Some of them rooted and are doing quite well.

This was my own compost bin. Not one of the commercial compost/manure mixes they sell in the big box stores. I had mixed a bale of straw and another of alfalfa hay in with it.
User
13 years ago
I only killed a couple of trees,when I mixed compost in the planting soil,after,that, I did not want to experiment again.
Then again my compost was made from dead leaves.
Straw and hay,looks like it will create a special light compost ,that works well at planting time,but leaf compost mixed with soil did not work for me.
Yet when I place leaf compost as a dressing in top,it does work very well.
Plants needs to be planted in the soil that come out from the planting hole,so,it will develop new,roots,looking for nutrients,outside and away from the tree.
Also if compost not enough old,the decaying leaves,will damage roots.
sam89
12 years ago
jenny, I just wonder How's your plant doing these days ?
gardenweb_sneako_com
12 years ago
For what it's worth at this point...

I have a 3 ft Chicago Hardy Fig that I obtained 3 years ago in a 2" tall bare root fashion. Each summer I'd move the pot outdoors and it'd quickly lose all of its' leaves (every one of them) and appear dead for a week or two before new buds formed, then again for winter I'd do the same thing, move it inside and the exact same thing would happen; all of the leaves would fall off and it'd appear dead for a week before recovering. These ficus's are frugal in their movements but generally recover fine. I would have left it in the ground as I'm sure it would have recovered even though it would have appeared to be totally dead (loss of leaf, hardening of stem) for even a few weeks.
kdragonsoul19
11 years ago
Did ur fig tree recover? I'm an amateur gardener and I put a couple fig trees in the ground about a week ago. At first they were just wilting during the day, but now they are looking really rough with yellowing drooping leaves. Should I relocate back to a bigger pot or to a new spot in the yard? I live in south ga so it's pretty hot here and I found out after I planted them that I should not plant unless it was dormant. I thought if they came from the store they could go in the dirt. Help what should I do?
hoosierbanana
11 years ago
If the growth that emerges after it has been put in the sun is healthy then leave it alone. If it wilts too or does not grow then something else is wrong. I suggest you take pictures and start a new thread if that is the case.
I think the OP's tree looked dry, by the way. Compost does not hold as much water as most soils do.
THEVICSTER
10 years ago
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.. IT LOOKS EXTREMELY DRY AND EVEN SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING PARTLY EATEN ON ONE OF THE LEAVES.. JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, WHEN YOU PLANTED THIS TREE.. DID YOU WATER IT REALLY REALLY GOOD??? DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU NEEDED TO?????IF HANDLED CORRECTLY AND PLANTED GENTLY, IT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAVE SHOWN ANY SHOCK AT ALL.. I THINK YOU NEED TO GET A NEW GARDNER AND MAKE SURE IT'S WATERED REALLY GOOD AT THE START....
LIMESTONE IS ALSO A VERY GOOD FERTILIZER FOR FIG TREES.. NOT LIME NOW BUT LIMESTONE WHICH IS DEAD SEA ANIMALS THAT LIVED YEARS AND YEARS AGO....
Cebearden934
10 years ago
Ok, help! I have a brown turkey and Celeste fig that simply refuse to grow. They are the same size as when I put them in the ground 4-5 years ago. Is there hope?! Should I fertilize? Do I have nematods? If so, can I get rid of them? Any advice you all are able to offer will be DEEPLY appreciated! Thanks!

fertilizer burn for fig tree in ground

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fertilizer burn for fig tree in ground

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luv_figsOriginal Author

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