I would like to understand what I need to do to promote the trunk to grow thicker and how to promote foliage growth in the canopy. You know the plant's vitality level is on the poor side or you wouldn't be asking after it, and that's why the canopy is sparse and the trunk thin. Unless it has a pest problem, all it really needs is some modifications of the cultural influences (light, temp, soil/ air/ water relations, fertility, air movement, so the influences are as close as possible to the plant's sweet spot. The best thing you could do for the plant is move it outdoors as soon as or whenever temperatures allow. Nights reliably above 55* for full time and any time temps are above 60-65*. I'm not sure what type of medium it's in, but it should drain freely and the medium should hold very little excess water. Excess water is water that fills the pores between soil particles toward the bottom of the pot, which limits the roots' oxygen supply and sets the stage for fungal root infections. The pot it's in now will tip easily, so I would opt for a larger pot and use some bricks in the bottom as ballast, which will also reduce the amount of excess water the medium can/will hold. I would plan a repot as soon as the timing is appropriate, during which I would correct all root issues and reestablish the plant in a high quality grow medium to replace the medium it's in now. At the same time you repot, I would prune the top 1/3 - 1/2 of the canopy back hard, cutting the visually heavy (thick) branches at the top back severely and not doing much with the bottom 1/2 - 2/3 of the tree in terms of pruning until later in the summer when the tree has recovered from the root work. Fertilizing regularly with a quality soluble synthetic fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 is the best bet. That's what I use and you won't likely find better for the 95% plus of your containerized plants which will respond to it enthusiastically. That's a rough outline. Let me know if you want more specific info in select areas or have questions; or, if you want to see images of some of the work I do on my own figs. Plants that grow with little enthusiasm are very close to the break-even point in terms of the amount of energy (food) they create from the sun's energy as opposed to the amount of energy consumed during respiration. To accomplish your goals, your focus should be on making it easier for the plant to deal with the cultural hand you're dealing. Since the plant can't change it's needs, it's up to the grower to make the adjustments. If a grower was given a grade, the whole of his/her efforts on which (s)he would be judged, would be no more than the effectiveness with which limiting factors are ferreted out and the degree to which they're mollified. That's the view from here, YMMV. Al

fortis, sorry I missed your question back in May. To be perfectly honest last year I was all hyped up with the increased phosphorous because my trees DID produce more. But Guess what? This year I didn't use ANY fertilizer and I had a really bumper crop. Even though I do use a limited amount of compost I tend to think that the increase in fruit production, in my case, had more to do with the age of the plants rather than the soil nutrition. Maybe wisdom, as well, does come with age! Has anyone else gotten the idea that figs are kind of a weed, and thrive on lack of care, at least in the ground?

Tampa Bay fig grower here. Figs grow in abundance here. Tarpon Springs has a large number of Greeks, and most of them have fig trees in multipe varieties. All of my 14 trees (including new cuttings) grow fine here and the fruit never splits if the trees are in rich soil with a layer of mulch on top. South Florida can indeed be a challenge, but you just take precautionary actions, like, you can grow them in large containers with which you can make a container cover for the rainy season(s). No matter what the problems, in Florida, you can grow figs and reap the benefits. It's always harder for our northern and western friends. Drought and cold are the real killers.

I'm glad to know that you are planting figs here in the Philippines. Specifically, where are you located? I am a relatively new collector of fig plants. My location is in Davao del Sur [where I plant the figs]. And I already have some 8 varieties of figs planted on the ground: A green variety from GenSan, Brown Turkey, Kun Ming, Kadota, Osborne, Corfl, China Fertility and Anatolian Autumn Green. I started transplanting in March 2013 [Brown Turkey, Osborne, Kun Ming, and GS Green; others, I just transplanted last December. Most of my seedlings were acquired from somebody sourcing from Thailand. China Fertility and Anatolian Autumn Green, I bought fro eBay as cuttings and grew them myself. They seem to grow well planted on ground in direct direct sunlight. Newly transplanted seedlings need some kind of shade for around 2 weeks and until they stabilize and established on ground. They need to be watered though while still new and as needed as they get older. GS Green, Brown Turkey, and Kin Ming have grown into some 6 to 7 feet tall and started fruiting. GS Green and Brown Turkey figs have started to ripen and continue to bear fruits. The others figs, which are smaller in size yet [2 to 3 feet] have also born figs which I removed to divert energies to growing than in fruiting. So far, I'm quite delighted with the results but I am very watchful for any local pest challenges that may come up which I find so far manageable. The soil where they're planted is loam to sandy-loam with good amount of organic matter. I made sure that they are planted on a ground level with good drainage and not prone to waterlogging during rainy days. I transplanted my fig seedlings any month of the year and I only made sure to provide shade to newly planted figs for 2 to 3 weeks and water them frequently as it can become so sunny and hot over here. When the leaves of newly transplanted fig droops at around noontime, it is an indication that they need watering. Your fig in the picture posted I think is very much ready for transplant. If you do. dig a hole around 3 feet wide and at least 2 feet deep [with bottom soil loosened] and plant your seedling some 3-4 inches below the its level when planted in the container. This is to allow good rooting as figs tend to be root near the soil surface. Good luck!