What soil mix is good for Hardy Chicago fig in Cincinnati,Oh zone 6
poncirusguy6b452xx
9 years ago
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Hardy chicago fig tree bursting out for spring in Cincinnati, OH
Comments (22)Hi Martin It never recurred to me to photograph the fruit. I eat it to fast. However I did find one picture. I also have a link to photos of the figs life story over the last 3.5 years. They are out of order Steve Here is a link that might be useful: http://s1094.photobucket.com/user/wreristhechimney/slideshow/Hardy%20chicago%20fig%206-14-13...See MoreChicago hardy fig tree - Is this container too big?
Comments (27)@ bedtime: Glad to see that you getting some good results with your fig tree. I have been growing containerized figs since 2007, and while very rewarding, it's a lot of work if you want to do it right. Once you figure out what to do, it becomes easy, and less labor intensive. First....the decorative flower pot is too small. Look at the picture of the tree planted in a half a barrel. That's a good size container. Your whip/tree should've gone into a 18-25 gallon container with a mix that drains quickly. That small pot will be filled with roots very quickly, and if the tree gets pot-bound, the growth will stop, and the tree will suffer. It will then need to be re-potted into a larger container. Try using a big, 18-gallon storage tub, and drill/melt holes in the bottom sides for drainage. Also buy a cheap dolly, and put the container/tree combination on the dolly and roll the tree in and out of your house. When the container- (after a few years) - fills with roots, you must trim them to revitalize the old root system and encourage new feeder roots to sprout. You can also replace the old mix with new mix at the same time. This must be done for containerized fig trees every 3-5 years, or trees will eventually fail. Containerized trees must also have high quality fertilizers that contain all the needed trace elements, etc. YOU must provide everything the tree needs. Try Hydroponic Supplies for good nutrient supplements. Espoma makes very good organic fertilizers. I use Espoma Iron-Tone, and get great results. The added iron helps. Dilute any chemical fertilizes that you use. Potting soils are loaded with small particles that retain too much moisture and not enough oxygen. Roots die off when water and oxygen stagnates, turning the heavy mixes sour. Try the standard 5:1:1 mix and add a cup of Granular Limestone to the mix. Figs hate acidic mixes, and will start to look sickly if mix becomes acidic. Fertilizers also cause mixes to go acidic, and the Granular Limestone counteracts that tendency. Keep the top in full sun, and if possible shade the container to keep the root zone as cool as possible. Growing a tree on a balcony is fine but the quality of light, if not exposed to direct sunlight, is far less than growing the tree under the open sky. Give the tree as much sun as possible to avoid weak growth. I see your tree is starting to branch. Decide the final height of the branches and pinch back new growth to keep the branches within the limits that you set. Pinching will also encourage new branches to sprout out of dormant buds and you will then have more fruiting branches that will give you more figs. Your tree is now in the process of being trained into a standard, tree form, and will require some help. Just pinch back and prune away any unnecessary growth. Remember the more growth/branches, the more figs. If branches sprout and grow where not needed, wait for them to give you figs, then, cut and root them. Keep your containerized fig from freezing solid, and if you bring it indoors for the winter, give it all the sun you can if it has leaves. Take you cues from the plant. I over-winter my trees in an unheated, storage shed, and in your climate zone, I would try to keep the tree dormant as long as possible until the warmer, spring weather will support new growth. Do some searches on this forum regarding over-wintering containerized fig trees. Growing figs in containers is the easy part. Keeping them alive from year to year, in cold climates is the challenge. Others have done it, and so can you. Good luck. Hope this helps. Frank...See MoreChicago Hardy Fig Tree
Comments (18)It might not be too late but my guess is if you have tender green growth the damage is probably already done, however, I recommend that you wrap your tree as soon as possible to prevent further damage. I wrapped 6 trees last year with only minor tip die back. The tips died back because they were not sufficiently covered. Here is my process but I recommend you search this forum and find a technique that suites you and whatever resources you have readily available. 1. I tie up my fig tree in a conical form. 2. I drive in 2 seven foot metal posts on opposite sides of my tree. Each post is about 1 1/2 feet from the base of the tree. 3. I then overlap and cut 5ft wide chicken wire (overlap about 10 inches). I intertwine the excess wire on both ends of the chickenwire making a contiguous circle. 4. Next I insert tarpaper inside the posts and intertwined chicken wire. 5. I take dried leaves and run them through my chipper shredder and then pour them inside the metal post, chickenwire and tarpaper barrier. If you don't have a chipper shredder use a lawnmower to chop the leaves up. 6. I try to make sure that there is at least 4 or 5 inches of protection between the tree and the barrier. 7. Most people put a top on that minimizes the entry of moisture (rain or snow) but permits the escape of moisture that finds its way into the barrier. A typical top is a plastic bucket turned upside down with holes drilled in the sides. I don't use a top and I haven't had a problem. I believe the finely chopped leaves provide an efficient breathable barrier. Good Luck!...See MoreCincinnati, OH Hardy chicago fig Hardy chicago fig 2015
Comments (64)I believe this is the 4 th summer for the in ground fig and one fig in a 30 is 3 years, the other 4 in 30's are 2 years old and all the 5 gallon figs are in their 1st year. The first 2 winters the fig trees survived the winter of 10F and 9F. The 3rd winter I got 3 nights of -6F, one -5F and several just below zero. They were killed to the ground. The 4th winter I spread the larger limbs to the ground and covered the figs up with 2 feet of shredded leaves. This left a wagon wheel spokes of limbs the tree grew from in spring. Our low was -12F and the fig tree survived. My figs are just barely larger than a quarter. You must be doing something they really like. Last year I lost most of my fig to squirrels but doing better this year with a loss of 0 figs,...See Moreponcirusguy6b452xx
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