Update: I saw an army of ants going up and down the tree, protecting whatever was up there, so after some research I applied tanglefoot to the trunk like so: sticky foam weatherstripping wrapped around the trunk (to allow growth), duck tape over the stripping, and tanglefoot on the duck tape. Then I went on vacation for 10 days. When I came back, the ants were gone and normal growth had resumed at the top of the tree. (The latter could be a coincidence I suppose.) However, I noticed a gash in the trunk right under where the stripping was applied. When I removed everything to investigate I realized I had made a mistake: in this humidity, the trunk was moist under the weather stripping, and I guess some tiny critters were eating away at it. The pic shows the gash. Caliper diameter is around 8 inches for reference. I imagine just leaving it alone would be best, but I wanted to check here. I'm also open to suggestions on how to prevent ants in a way that doesn't cause this problem. Thanks!

This sounds like something I encounter annually usually late September in Houston on a few of my trees. It will cover the leaves, branches and terminal bud (all turn black). I believe it to be sooty mold. from linked article below: SOOTY MOLD (Capnodium spp., other genera) Signs/Symptoms: Sooty mold is the common name for several species of fungi that grow on the honeydew secretions of insects deposited on leaves and other plant parts. Scales, aphids, psyllids, and other insects that secrete honeydew can be responsible for sooty mold. Fungal mycelium is melanized (darkened), giving the appearance of soot covering the plant part. These fungi are ectoparasitic (growing on the surface) and will not infect plants. However, sunlight penetration is reduced and can result in stunted growth or yield reduction. Cultural Controls: Cultural practices that will manage insect populations responsible for honeydew secretions in plant parts should be implemented. Such practices may include careful pruning of affected plant parts, control of ants that protect the insects responsible for honeydew, and high pressure washing of tissue with water and, if possible, with soap. Chemical Controls: Use insecticides for control of ants and secretors of honeydew. I find this mostly on trees that are suffering from some other sort of environmental or parasitic stress. I have not noticed any additional damage to the trees or to their fruit production (as it usually occurs after fruit production) which I can attribute to the sooty mold. ~james Here is a link that might be useful: 2006 Florida Plant Disease Management Guide: Fig (Ficus carica)

IME, container grown plants experience more problems with leaf spot and other fungal problems than do those in the ground. Potting soil tends to hold in more moisture than garden soil and it is easy to develop rots - we see it all the time in the nursery. Specially if they are all planted in the same large pot - all the extra soil holds a lot of water. And these plants really do enjoy more sun than many folks think. Too moisture retentive a soil and not enough light can be a real problem - that is an environment fungal problems thrive on. Try smaller, individual pots with a fast draining soil (add lots of sand, pumince or limestone grit to the mix), and make sure they have sufficient light (not full shade) and some protection from the worst of the PNW winter rains.

:))))))) Yes, the pot has holes, I just don't water it now, hence no need for the plate. But the holes are there. What also happened is that my friend (who is supposed to be an expert with green thumb) put some plastic at the bottom of the cover/planter (that's how it's called?) and then we stuck the pot inside of it. When I was watering, the water would go out of the pot, but then get stuck in the plastic. So I feel the pot was sitting in the water. Then I removed it and stopped watering completely. Will try the trick with the teaspoon now. It's bloody expensive to keep killing them...I should have gone for cactus. ** Just checked the soil, it's not really wet, but moist, so I can feel the moisture, but not like really wet soil. And it goes down the entire finger -3-4 inches? But will definitely try to repot it asap. Would be good to check the roots.