Desert King fig tree not producing any fruit
Patti Sano
5 years ago
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Patti Sano
5 years agoRelated Discussions
fig tree not producing fruit
Comments (2)There are some who have suggested that a fig tree takes longer to produce fruit when planted in the ground than when grown in a container. The reasoning is as the roots become constricted in a container the tree gets stressed and it produces fruits to spread it's seed (think of a G.I impregnating his new wife before going to war). In the ground, the tree is not so stressed (more room for roots to grow) so it waits until it is ready to produce. I seem to remember reading somewhere to expect fruit in the third of fourth year. The only experience I have with this is a Black Jack in my brother's backyard north of Austin TX. It froze back every year and grew back out. However it did not produce fruit until the fourth year (last year) it was in the ground. Even then, there was not an abundance of fruit on the tree. Having said that, there are some varieties which do not produce a main crop. If your trees are the San Pedro type, winter pruning is the reason you are not getting figs. You are cutting off the wood they would normally grow on. One more option is that you have bum trees and you need to dig them up and start again. Not all trees (even the same culitvar) are as vigorous as others. Which variety are your trees (or at least what variety were they labeled)? If they don't produce this year, you can assume one of the latter two are in play. Replace the trees (or just one to hedge your bet) with a known producer. ~james...See MoreHow to stop a fig tree from producing fruit
Comments (7)If the tree is not too large you could snip or pinch off the little figlets as they appear. If that is not an option then contact your county agricultural agent and see if he can suggest some sort of hormone spray which impedes fruiting. I have hunted squirrels for about sixty years (started when very young) and have never observed that type of food-source protection. Are you sure this aggressive display is associated directly with the figs, or could it just be too much familiarity with humans? And yes, squirrels DO EAT figs, at least below the United States-Canadian border. Granted, it is an acquired taste for them as figs do not occur naturally....See MoreFig trees not producing fruit
Comments (16)Remember that figs thrive on having their roots greatly confined. In Italy and Greece (and Spain too, I'm advised, these trees grow out of rock faces, old walls and vertical drops without any semblance of soil at all - and are full of fruit. I used to live in Aldershot, Hampshire, (Area 8b) and we had a SW facing rear garden. I planted a fig up against the wall, facing the sun, and as it was right next to, and overlooking the Patio, we dug the hole deep. put a whole patio paving slab in the bottom, layered with flint rocks, then three other vertical slabs forming the 3 sides of a 'box' (the house wall providing the 4th. Filled in with good compost mixed with a lot of gravel, planted the ('Brown Turkey) fig. And waited. 3 years later, the top leaves were brushing the roof guttering, and we gathered 4 lbs of figs. (The fig also fruited in year 2 &3, but not as abundantly.) year 5, a heavy late frost wiped out a lot of the fruits, but we still got quite a few. If you give a fig unrestricted growth, it will focus on leaf and not fruit production....See MoreHelp: Desert King Fig seems to be dying, pls advise
Comments (7)If it helps any as i live in a cold area and grow in pots. Once in a while a plant will suffer from the cold here in storage and put out a sprout from down near soil level and or pop out from the soil next to the main as late as June. Anyways give it a chance and see what happens. As for fig specific advice there is good information here its just not as active as other forums in the winter months but some are around just not as many members. As a note i was an active member on F4F since 2008 and member here since 2005 but the drama there got out of hand and many long time members such as i have left. Most recently Herman left F4F and he was as knowledgeable as they came. Just wait it out and see what happens with your plant if its dead get another as that type is plentiful. Good Luck Martin...See MorePatti Sano
5 years ago
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Jason (Zone 10b, San Diego)