V said: "I (and some fig experts on the Ourfigs.com forum) put eight 1 inch holes around the bottom as close to the bottom as possible and I have not encountered problems ...." Why as close to the bottom as possible? Because drilling them above the bottom is a problem. And as far as drainage is concerned, 1 hole is as good as 8 or 100. I assume the experts are expecting the extra holes to facilitate gas exchange, which also serves to compound the issue of the soil drying down too fast. Either way it's hard to justify the holes by way of efficacy. Whenever the oxygen supply to roots is limited, even for periods of time as short as a few hours, there is a resultant loss of potential in terms of growth and vitality. It is as undeniable as the conclusion that breathing through a drinking straw while attempting to run a marathon will limit a runner's ability to perform; and, arrival at the conclusion no damage is done because the damage is not conspicuous is a logical error - a causal fallacy in reverse. The damage isn't conspicuous, therefore it must not exist. We know with 100% certainty that perched water in a container is indeed a limiting factor. Drilling holes through the sidewall, above the bottom of the pot, adds to the volume of excess water in the pot after a thorough watering. How can it NOT be limiting? That the excess water is used rather quickly only suggests that the extent of the damage is limited but not eliminated by the short duration of soil saturation. If you carefully read what I said, you'll see I affirmed that holes drilled only through the side of the pot (with none in the bottom) should be avoided unless the bottom of the holes are tangent to (touching) the bottom of the pot. Even if the bottom of the holes through the pot's sidewall are 1/8" above the bottom, the pool of stagnant water which has no path by which to exit the pot is a perfect place for anaerobic fungi to gain a hold and wreak havoc with root health/ function. There is a reason you have never seen a container available for sale that has holes only in the sidewalls well above the pot bottom. Like orchid pots, they all have holes in the bottom. Even nursery cans in which holes are punched through the sides have a small portion of the bottom removed directly under the holes ..... for a reason. Al

I have 3 fig cuttings from last year, they are about 12 inches tall. They dropped their leaves in the fall and I wintered them in the garage. I watered them about once a month in the winter. I just looked at them today and noticed there were some new leave tips at a the very top, which have dried out and the stem is dried out also, Should I water and trim off the dried out stem. Also when is a good time to put the pots outside. I don't plan on planting them in the ground but want to keep in pots for awhile. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.

If growing in a pot or container then all you want or need is a potting mix. Some are better than others, however. Most container gardeners avoid Miracle Gro or similar products as they are too finely sized and too water retentive. You want something with some texture (a bark based mix) and one with fast drainage. No rocks at the bottom. Growing figs in containers is no different from growing any other tree in a container so your question is better directed to the Container Gardening forum and their many discussions on good potting soils and container growing tips.

It depends on so many factors. What types are you growing, how much sun they get, water, fertilizer, soil makeup, etc... If they've produced before, what has changed since then? The double nubbing is a good sign, but they could never develop, or not until next season. If they are otherwise very healthy, even that could be the issue. I've found that my plants often come to their senses and start making figs after a little trauma. One spring a deer nearly clean all the leaves off one tree and that season it produced the most figs. Sorry for the lack of specific help.