@@gofigure4920 it is constantly 90 degrees, and usually very sunny, where I live, so I often have to water 1-2 times daily. When I water, I usually give 1-2 inches in the morning, and sometimes I have to add another inch in late afternoon. I'm not sure how much that equates to in gallons. I go by look and feel of the soil.
@@christopherrizzo5421 most of my fig trees are growing upright without much branching. I only have one air layer this year I'm trialing. Maybe next year when they get more mature. I do intend to have some rooted cuttings for the spring, though.
Fascinating. One of your most helpful tips not answered on other fig channels is the conversion of nursery pot size to five gallon buckets and that a five gallon nursery pot is three gallons of soil My goal is to cultivate the smallest tree/bush fig that could be maintained @ 6 feet including pot . Produce sample fruit in the season 7a Washington DC suburbs (10 to 15 ripe fruit ) and pot, soil, plant weight 45 minimum to 65 lbs
So I received a Celeste in July that was all shriveled and had rust all over the place. When I re-potted I used slow release balanced fertilizer mixed with soil but used your technique of giving it some of the Alaskan Fish Emulsion for fast release and it worked wonders on avoiding pot shock. Just a tip.. for the rust I used chewable aspirin (so it is non-coated) mixed with water. After two sprays over two weeks all the rust was gone.
Excellent. Every time I use fish emulsion my plants avoid shock. It is totally magic. My transplants put on green growth in days; amazing stuff. That's very interesting about the aspirin. I've never heard of that. I will have to look into this. I'm starting to get a lot of rust, and hydrogen peroxide every other day isn't making much of a dent. I bought sulfur powder, so I need to try that, but aspirin would be an interesting solution.
Frostydawg24 I have never heard that- but I wonder if a ‘tea’ brewed from meadowsweet or willow (which contains salicylic acid and aid in root development too 🤔) would work also? Is that the ‘active ingredient’ that combats rust?
Thank you for sharing your reasoning and when that really helps. As a novice it helps me to understand WHEN, and you weren't afraid to get something labeled as for something else, when realistically it is suitable for anything that needs those ratios. I think many people will find that useful.
I'm glad you found it helpful. Last year, I put together a complete series on fig fertilizing. You may find it helpful if you have the time: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
I love figs - tasted then in Israel. So now I am watching all your fig videos. I live in the tropics in northern Australia. I've managed to get 2 brown turkeys as they are the only variety available in my town. May need to look at mail order. Actually, I love the way that you make everything sound and look so easy. Keep up the good work!
I really like your videos. I have over 80 fig trees varieties and I take care of them better than I take care of my wife.I have 3 trees that are over 30 yrs old and started them with small cutting that I brought back from Italy...yes I smuggled then in..... in 1988. They produce a lot of figs, But this is the first year that I started using miracle grow,,, Thanks to watching your videos. The organic fertilizers that I have been using for all these years do not compare with what I have accomplished this year. I will still be using organic fert but will now be using miracle grow for all my trees.... So again thanks
Thank you, I'm glad you found it helpful. I like to be as organic as possible when I can be, but I also want to maximize production. To me, I think of organic fertilizers as the meal, and soluble synthetics like MiracleGro are like taking a multi-vitamin. There's nothing wrong with using them in my opinion. Hopefully you're at least sharing the figs with your wife :)
vince rosati What region of Italy ? (My family is from naples) and if you would be interested in selling cuttings please let me know! My email is frankiesfight@gmail.com
love your fertilizing videos, love your rigid fertilizing regiments, not only will they increase the vigor, step up productions, but also keep FMV at bay evenl those UCD varieties, specially BM and Ishia black. keep up the good works!
I am totally impressed I'm a newbie still waiting for my 1st. Fig tree. Already ordered most of my tree supplies. Working on POTTING soil. Gald you gave me the heads up on your container. Got a few in my survival supplies . And now I can use that money on all your cool ideals. I love Miracles Grow I have boxes of them for my stand by for all my other babies.And like you always looking for that extra special something. Keep my babies happy, healthy and strong. And of course BEAUTIFUL. Make me PROUD 🥰 THANKS MAN ,GREAT JOB
Martinenca rimada looking really good they all look beautiful my white Madeira is full of figs but is New Jersey short summer here thanks again for sharing your beautiful videos thanks for your time
Just started getting into this gardening hobby. As I spend every morning and evening on my roof terrace. I started thinking why not start growing things. Well last summer I started 2 mangos from seed. Now I fell in love with figs back when I tried my first fresh fig this last year. And seeing how vigorous the fig cutting my boss got at work I decided to start my own and I really appreciate your videos as I am enjoying learning all this knowledge
Excellent! I'm happy to hear you're getting into gardening. That's a great use of space. I lived in a small apartment with no yard 7 years ago and I was growing peppers in 5 gallon buckets on a section of roof that was below a window and I would crawl out the window to water them! There's always some place to grow!
@@TheMillennialGardener hahaha man I can just imagine u crawling. When there's a will there's a way I guess. You give me hope hahah. Thanks a lot mate for your videos I find it very relaxing and gardening does the same for me. I'm finding out its a great way to rid of some anxiety .
I LOVE your many "How to grow..." videos. I have been watching you for a long time... Your VERY inspiring and informative. BIG thumbs 👍🏽 it's now been 2 years since you shared this video..... but I really want to know... 🤣 that poor torn up sun-umbrella.... Tell us, that thing went to the trash & you have new ones. yes, I notice very small details, because I'm an Artist and details are important, to me... im not just a Gardener. Much Respect and Many blessings to you.⚘😎
Thank you very much. I'll take your advice to the letter and will apprise you of the results. I have 3 fig trees in the ground rangi ng from 2 to 4 to 5 ft in ht. I plan to containerize the 2 shorter fig trees & keep the tallest in the ground. I HOPE to see good results in a year or two. Meanwhile, I'll just keep on buying fig bars from Costco.
M.G long time no hear from you. I like to thank you BIG time for all the great information & advice I received from you in how too. My fig are just going BANANAS hehehe and this summer I got the best figs harvest it to come and its not over yet. Thank you, so much be kine to yourself and the dog of course cheers from Tucson Arizona.
Thanks for being an amazing teacher, I feel so blessed. I’m a cancer survivor and your teaching and my studying the Bible are the two things that I love to do, God bless you, Hillary
That's great to hear! Congrats on your recovery. Gardening is therapy. I believe getting more in tune to nature is healthy for us all. Hopefully, it assists in your continued recovery. Best of luck!
hey bro, been watching ur videos a lot lately, it's a cool setup you've got there and thanks for the videos, i've learned from them. i'm out here on long island, where we have extremely cold winters, like where u are too. we have 3 varieties of figs from portugal, they're very sweet and delicious and vigorous. for years we enjoyed hundreds of fruits from our 3 trees, until a very harsh winter killed the tree, but not the roots. ever since that year, it sprouts up literally dozens of new baby trunks, we have to fight against this vigorous root now to 'cull' so many of these baby trunk sprouts, and every winter since that harsh one that killed the mature and productive tree, the new growth dies again. this year, my mom decided to leave 3 of these sprouts to grow (i would have chosen just one, but, her house her rules) about a meter apart (3ft) the others are in planters which come inside for the winter and they're loaded with figs now, although not yet ripe. would you be interested in trading some cuttings since we're in the same area(zone)?
I won't be able to do any pruning for cuttings til the winter. My frosts are pretty late - usually mid to late November, so I don't intend to have any cuttings til December. However, I should have some cuttings available, and eventually some trees. I intend to announce when I have things available at the end of the year or early next year.
Just learned your from Philly. I knew I recognized that Philly drawl.... lol. Keep doing what you do! I’m going to try to get a few of the trees you have. I made the mistake of buying a couple that I didn’t research enough. They fruit quite late and I need pretty early.
I am aware of root restriction on trees I got my only fig tree in a terracota pot as I don’t like plastic as all my cuttings have taken will keep 3 and give away the rest about 8 those I will use plastic All the fig trees I seen in Spain are growing in rocks my small piece of land in Rioja has two very large ones growing in the rocks Interesting watching your videos very useful in many ways but I live in England and find tiring having to translate all to metrics All the best with your business Best wishes Chonette
Chonette Taylor sorry about that feet and inches and Fahrenheit 😊 As I understand it, fig trees traditionally grow over limestone deposits because limestone is an outstanding source of phosphorous (that’s why I use bone meal) and it retains water to keep some dampness during the dry Mediterranean summers.
Fist let me say I’m new to figs, not gardening, not fruit trees, just figs. Last weekend I up-potted 12 varieties of fig cuttings that are about 2 months old, all look great, basking in full sun. I’m in zone 9 Louisiana. Did I understand correctly that if I make sure they get sun, heat, water and nutrients that I could see fruit this year? Good fruit? I watched the other two videos you suggested in this one and I know what I saw but I had to ask.. really? 5 months?
Hello. I purchased online 1 year old purple fig seedlings(2). No leaves just stem with roots after one week they developed leaf buds . No winter here and still hoping that this imported purple fig will grow and bear fruits here in mild tropic of mountain Region
We finally got our first figs. They are small but they are here. I don't think we will eat them until late fall as they are soooo slow. I just want to share this info with you and ask if there is any way we can encourage them to start producing fruit earlier next year here in PA.
Yes, there are ways. Are they in-ground or in containers? It's easier to manage figs in containers and give them a head start, but you can do a few things to in-ground trees as well.
@@cqammaz53 in-ground are a little tougher to get a jump because you can't carry them into a greenhouse like a potted plant. I would suggest two things: 1. Fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer immediately after bud-break and after all chance of frost has passed. Something like blood meal could work. This will accelerate leafing out and give a nice little jump-start. Again, make sure frost is done or your tree could get injured! 2. Add some kind of heat-attracting feature. Either stack rocks around the tree so the rocks heat up the sun and keep the tree warmer at night, add black plastic around the tree to attract more sun, or do both. If you can add more nitrogen and more heat early in the season, you can shave off a few days of harvest time.
Three things: 1. Figs really love a lot of sunshine. I give all my figs 10+ uninterrupted, unfiltered hours of sunshine during the summer. The container trees get full sun from 7AM-7PM this time of year (12 hours), and the in-ground trees get 8AM-6PM sunshine or more, depending on how the shadows move. 2. My climate is very warm. Average highs this time of year are about 91F, so from June 1 to September 15, they get temps that are 88-92F, and in May and late September we are well above 80, so we have a long warm season. 3. Fertilizing routine. This is the most critical thing. I've spent 3 years developing a VERY aggressive fertilizing procedure, and it works like magic. I strongly recommend checking it out: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you! Seems like we have similar weather but I don't give enough sunlight to my fig as I should, I'll check the video as well and leave a like, thank you so much!
@@TheMillennialGardener good to know, they are still hard, little buggers. They don't seem to get bigger either, so next year I think I will fertilize them a lot more😉
What you'll find is you'll be staring at them every day for weeks like nothing is happening, then you'll wake up one day, look and one will be doubled in size and you'll say, "When did THAT happen?" It's pretty cool.
Thank u so much for the information shared here since it is so useful to anyone.. 🙏 May I ask, does that mean we have to re-pot out fig plant a number of times so that foliage & fruit growth would not be hindered by the growth of roots.. each time we have to select the right type of pot for transplanting our fig tree so that the pot isn't to large for the roots to over extending its own root growth that all energy had gone to rooting alone & at the same time we cannot choose a pot that isnt large enough because sooner it will cause rootbound that will inevitably hinder fruiting & foliage growth, am I right here??
I love your videos and appreciate that you share your practices with detail. I would love to see an explanation of how you prepare your figs for cold temperatures and what you do to get ahead for the next season. Wisconsin almost only has two seasons and I want to make sure I am doing everything right.
Thank you, I'm really glad you're enjoy the videos. That means a lot to me! I haven't quite devised my cold weather plans, yet. My winters are very short and mild, and we rarely drop below 25 degrees but maybe 3-5 days a year, so I will probably only store my figs in the garage in from January 1-February 15. I want my trees to get hit with hard frosts to drop their leaves. I just don't want to subject the trees to
Do you grow yellow longneck figs? If so, how do they compare in hardiness and flavor to all the others? I have heard that they are one of the best tasting as well as one of the largest variety of figs. Thank you!
So much good information. I have 2 questions. (1) What is the size of the are covered with the fabric? (2) What did you use to hold it down? Thanks in advance.
I found this very useful. Thank you. I will be starting my first 2 container fig trees tomorrow. I was unable to find information about your starter mix. Can you provide a link to it?
Thank you so much for your video, So happy to see my firstChicagoHardy fig tree have 7 baby fig even she only have 9 leave on the tree.this morning.I live in West Canada .Can I transplant my tree in September? How do I know it ready to eat.? Is Chicago Hardy fig tree does’nt have many leave?
I don't have a green house.I store all my trees in the garage for the winter.Most of my trees fruit in mid august but the VDB for some reason has given me 20 figs already.@@TheMillennialGardener
great video. 2 questions if you can help please question 1: do you supplement with limestone, calcium, iron, and/or espom salt?If so, when and how much? question2: you mention you stop using tomato and bloom booster by end of july. what do you do from then through harvest, stop fertilizing all together including 3-5-6 regiment? thanks!
My general ratio is 2 scoops 5-5-5 style all purpose organic fertilizer and and 1 scoop bone meal. Bone meal contains the calcium and phosphorous. It is similar to garden lime, but more nutritious in my opinion. After July, I begin ramping down fertilizing. Anything that sets after July won’t ripen, and I want to discourage future growth so my trees lignify. See my ramp-down video here: czcams.com/video/m9P7Gvo_zK4/video.html
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you. you have a great channel and very informative which is why i subscribed. i think this will help me with some of the fig issues i encountered
What do you mean by wraps? Like wrapping the bucket in black fabric or plastic to attract more heat? I use the black weed barrier to attract heat. It raises the temps by 5 degrees during the day, so that creates my microclimate advantage.
Have you considered planting the fig trees and winterizing them, I find they get more nutrients naturally from the soil as opposed to artificially adding fertilizer
These figs are all trials to see what does well in humidity and rain, and to see what flavors I like best. The winners will eventually be placed in ground. I have a lot of work cut out for me this winter to get space ready for the spring transplanting season.
Would like links to your other videos, this one was very informative ,I would like to see how to transplant my fig tree i just brought i live in central florida, we are new to gardening
I have a fig tree transplanting video here: czcams.com/video/V7PJ0u1EDeE/video.html As well as a full guide for fertilizing here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
Very helpful video. I was going to plant my black genoa first year cutting in a big pot but will go for your recommended size. Thanks! It's been about daytime 18Celsius here (65Fahrenheit, I think), so I might plant out. We have a fertilizer called superphosphate in Australia which is high in phosphorus and very cheap, so l might give that a go in addition to balanced NPK.
65F sounds glorious. So refreshing. I'm getting tired of sweating, but I'm a sun-lover. Make sure you add some type of organic fertilizer, though. Synthetic fertilizers only come with what the factory puts in, so over time your trees can develop nutrient deficiencies, especially if container gardening. Since organic fertilizers contain nearly every possible trace micronutrient, they help prevent deficiencies.
@@TheMillennialGardener Will add some organics to the figs. Yes, its magic weather here at the moment. I have even got some tomatoes loaded with fruit. I had some thick plastic from a new mattress and turned it into a mini green house. I planted a st pierre tomatoe which is quite popular in northern France with their cooler summers. It is almost like a dwarf, being about 3ft high, and indeterminate as far as I know. I have some dwarf project varieties on the go too. Love your fig videos and look forward to future uploads.
mr ed that is amazing that you can grow tomatoes in the dead of winter where you live. All I can grow in the dead of winter is kale, carrots, spinach and red lettuces, and most of the US can’t even grow that! Lucky guy. Keep up the good work.
Not sure what your getting at regarding size of pot and root binding. Its about avail nutrients. I've seen 10 foot fig trees in a tiny 2 or 3 gallon pot with tons of fruit and foliage. Im gonna say its about how much nutrients it gets, the pot is just a vessel to hold it up. How do you explain hydroponic, or semi hydro, no soil, no pot just water and nutrients?
Your posts are really helpful. I live in Maryland and have 2nd year Figs in the ground and want to know if pruning them now (pruning some of the limbs that have set figs) will increase the chances of ripening more fruit? Last year we had a lot of fruit but not many ripened. This past winter I did hard prune following your instructions.
Once your tree sets figs that you think have a chance to ripen for you, you'll want to: 1. Pinch off growth tips. 2. Remove any figs you're certain will never ripen. That will help the tree concentrate its energy into ripening the fruit that has a chance. You have to experiment with proper timing, but the best time to do this is usually somewhere around 90 days before your first frost for earlier varieties, and 100-120 days before first frost for later varieties. I have a video on it here: czcams.com/video/ynorIceeGuM/video.html
Hi. Wrote you previously about salt burn on my fig leaves. My mistake was planting a small root ball in a 20 g container. I was advised to give the plant a large flush of water 2x a week to rinse out the excess salt around the roots. Also apply gypsum powder 1x a month. Was planning to prune back in the fall to let it grow tree like instead of bush. Should I also repot into a 5 gallon container then as well or start over with a new cutting? At what point do you up pot your trees? Mine will always be in a container. Leaf growth has been very slow all summer as I imagine the plant is growing lots of roots in that big pot. Only have 1 fig growing at a snails pace. Really good info on this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Janet zone 9b AZ.
Janet Solanik it depends how large your tree is now. If it has been in your large pot for awhile, it is probably too late to move it to a small container. You generally want to up-pot gradually: 1 gal -> 5 gal -> 10 gal -> 15 gal. You’ll get to a certain point where the tree will become literally too large for you to manage up-potting. What you may have to do in that case is keep it in the biggest pot you can manage, but every 3-5 years you may need to remove the plant, rinse some of the old soil off, cut back some of the roots, prune the tree back heavily and re-pot it with fresh soil. This will “refresh” the tree. It’s like the old phrase, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Eventually, a tree will get to the point where it is so restricted and choked in its container it can’t grow anymore, and it can decline. Cutting back the roots and trunk can help revitalize an old tree...but this is very far in your future. Just something to keep in mind, and of course, you want to only prune during dormancy.
The tallest part is only about 2 ft tall. So should I downsize the pot? I wanted to prune a horizontal branch in the fall. Can that be done at the same time? Thanks
Janet Solanik at this point, I would probably leave it and let it grow. It may take another season for it to properly fill out its container, but that’s better than risking killing it by ripping it out, cutting it back and trying to stick it in a smaller pot. The good news is fruit trees are an investment that get better with age. Prune after the tree loses all its leaves and enters dormancy. Don’t prune while it is still growing. And only root the lignified, brown hardwood. Do not root green wood.
When you transplanted your figs outdoors would you leave them outside at night if the temperature was going down to the low 40’s? What was your cut off temp for leaving them out all night?
Great Video, I did use the tomatoes miracle ferlizer with the Alaska fish as ur video show ,but now I start to switch to 20-20-20 and mix with Alaska fish is that almost same as 18-18-21 TY much.
Argh, wish I could use the fish fertilizer, but I'd attract every critter from the forest doing that. I do have Mittleidtner (sp) minerals and rock dust, so that will have to do.Your trees look magnificent!Is there a way to dry the soil in pots after really heavy rains? All my pots have tons of holes in them and palm, cactus, citrus soil, so it should drain, but you know how it is when you get 5 in. rain in 24 hrs. Any advice? Thanks!
If you can't use fish emulsion, use kelp extract / seaweed extract. It won't attract animals like the fish will. You can get it off Amazon. It's similar in cost. I have some linked in my Amazon Storefront in the video description. I also often get 3-5 inches of rain in a day. In the summer, just let your fig trees suck the water up on their own. On a hot, sunny, 90 degree day, a fig tree will drain an entire 5 gallon bucket and ask for more.
Hi there. Thanks for your informative videos, much appreciated. I have a question I would like you to answer if you don't mind. I have a Brown Turkey fig in a very large terracotta pot. It's probably about 2-3 years old, Ive had it one year. Its about 3-4 ft tall. I'm espaliering it in the pot and it looks good so far. Can you tell me how to get it to branch higher us without pinching out the top as I's like it to get slightly taller before doing that. How can I tell if a leaf stem isn't a branch, I know it sounds a silly question but all I have above the three horizontal branches on each side (spaced 30cm between horizontals) look to be leaf stems? I hope you can advise please.
Branching will occur where you make a cut on the tree. If you want high branching on your tree, you'll have to select a trunk, cut it about 4-6 inches ABOVE where you want the branch, and then remove all of the branches below it. The tree always sends the growth hormone to the highest point of the trunk, so that will encourage branching just below where you tipped the trunk. I will caution you to keep low branching on a potted tree, though. Figs are extremely vigorous growers, so you'll need to pull the tree every 1-2 years and root prune it, then re-pot the tree in fresh mix. A high-branching tree will make that more challenging. Just consider that. At each node, there tends to form 2 bumps. One bump will be a new branch point, and the next will be a fig. If there is only one bump, that is the new branch point. The fig forms after the branch bump.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks for the info. Yes I' m planning on keeping the branches low and want 4 rows, which will make it 5-6 foot tall. I got the idea from your tutorial on espaliering your fig trees. I have another Brown Turkey against a South facing wall, planted in the ground. Also I've ordered a Voilette de Bordeaux which will grow in the UK, so fingers crossed. Thanks again for the videos, didn't realise there was so much to learn!
The problem I have is water . The soil mix I use is PEAT ,GARDEN SOIL , PERLITE. 4 GALLON CONTAINERS THE TOP 3 INCHES OR SO IS DRY BOTTOM IS WET . THIS YEAR FOR FIRST TIME I PUT 4 INCHES OF 1 INCH GRAVEL IN BOTTOM IT IT ONLY IMPROVED DRAINAGE A LITTLE . I HAVE NOTICED FROM AMERICAN VIDEOS PEOPLE USEING WOOD CHIPS A LOT .
You don't have to water until the bottoms start drying out. You may be overwatering. Check out my video on that here: czcams.com/video/bQMqpQHDbl4/video.html
Quick question - When do you bring your containerized fig tree indoors (garage , shed , etc) for winter protection.Is it after the first frost date? I know it has to be at least after all leaves have fallen off and all the limbs and branches turn brown but is it a specific date or night time temp reading? I live in southern Virginia which has almost the same climate as where you live.
If you live in a climate where you have to bring your container figs inside for storage, you can wait until they're hit with a few frosts. Container figs can survive outside into the low 20's, so you need to monitor the weather. If you see teens in the forecast, bring them inside, but 28-32 degree lows and frosts are nothing fig trees can't handle. In fact, I would advise you let them get hit by frosts as long as you don't expose them to deep freezes like I mentioned. It'll ensure they're fully asleep, and maybe kill off some overwintering pests. I live in Zone 8 and only see temps
@@TheMillennialGardenerWhat a comprehensive, detailed response!! Thank you so much. In the situation where you see temps below 22F and you bring them into your garage, do you then leave them there until they start to leaf out in the spring and then bring them outdoors and begin your watering and fertilization regime? I am in Zone 7B and in the past, I was automatically storing my container figs in the garage sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and left them there until they leafed out (around late March) and them brought them outdoors. Based on your response, my container figs might not be fully asleep when I store them. Would you know of or can you expect some consequences if the fig tree does not enter a fully asleep state?
If I see a low temperature plunge to 22F or below, I'll likely pull them outside as soon as temps rebound. I don't anticipate keeping them in the garage for more than a few days or a week. We don't get that cold where I live for very long, and I actively use my garage and don't want them taking up my valuable space. If my trees start budding in February/early March when frost is still possible, I will protect them up against the house with frost blankets to protect the buds. My house is brick, and the south-facing wall doesn't frost within 8 feet of the house unless we see low 20's, so they'll be protected there. If you want to get a jump start on the season in your zone, you probably will have to do the "fig shuffle" for a few weeks - pull them in and out as nighttime temperatures allow. It's hard work, though. The fig trees will go fully dormant in the garage because of the lack of light. If you wait until after frost/freeze, the metabolic rates of the trees will be slow enough that they'll manage. Just whatever you do, don't let your containers dry out completely - OR - don't over-water them and let them be damp or the roots will rot. The most challenging part of overwintering figs is the moisture level. That's why I want to keep them outside mainly. The problems with storing trees indoors with moisture can be challenging.
@@TheMillennialGardenerI was aware of the moisture challenge when storing container fig in a garage. I never lost a fig tree yet using this protection method and I think it's because I make sure that the container soil is not wet when bringing them in. If it rained shortly before the target date for bringing them in, I would wait a few more days so that the soil was not wet. Then I would cover the soil with more mulch .I would then check on the them periodically to see if the soil is dry and if it is , I then add just cupful or so of water to each container. The "fig shuffle" is a fresh & interesting approach that I may try this year because it yields a side benefit in that it provides some joyful & purposeful exercise during the winter months. Thank you again for your expert guidance & suggestions as I am anxiously looking forward to next spring when I will begin your fertilization program from the budding stage & employ the "pinching" technique to ensure the earliest fruit ripening possible.
@@shallbyGT16 not bringing in wet trees is a very smart move. If you start with an over-watered tree, you're setting yourself up for disaster. I can't believe we are talking about storing fig trees already. It seems like just a couple months ago I was bringing them outside. Oh well. Best of luck and I look forward to your updates this spring!
Loved the fig videos. Here's a question. My fig tree had about a thousand fig on it in the beginning of last season, they all got yellow and dropped off during the season, what do you think the problem is?
Do you know your fig variety? If I had to guess, you're growing a smyrna type outside of California, which is the only state in the US that has the fig wasp established. Smyrna figs must be pollinated by a fig wasp. Outside of "wasp country," i.e. 99.9% of the US, you're going to have to grow common figs, which are parthenocarpic and do not require pollination to fruit.
@@TheMillennialGardener good, tks for the reply. I m planning to create one acre brown turkey farm in my own land, hence requested to understand more from you. All your videos looks good with hands of knowledge.
No. Desert King will only set breba figs, because the main crop requires pollination. Breba crops do not hold well in warm, humid regions. I have never in my life had a breba fig hold on any of my 50 trees. I would advise only people in the PNW grow Desert King, as it seems to do well there and too many main crop figs fail in the cool summers there.
From London? .. Please can you help me, I have a Jordan Fig tree 4 years old and each year it produces fruit that's inedible. They are spongy and dry inside .at present they are falling off slowly. Many thanks. Ruby
Thanks for sharing your tweaks! Outstanding results, for sure! Congrats! It is interesting to me that neither of my Chicago Hardy fruited last year, their second full year with me, although they both got to 4' tall or more, yet a newly rooted cutting seems to be forming a fig at its fourth leaf node! It may not be a fig, but is the left of two bumps there, and seems to be following the fig form of my two dwarf figs that fruit twice/yr since they got to be only 14" tall - two years ago. I will get some of that black plastic, even if I spread it only on my back patio.
Make sure your trees are getting at least 6-8 hours of unfiltered sun every day (more is better), and of course, make sure you fertilize adequately. Figs are the heaviest feeders out there.
Great information, I think the fertilizing part is the part that I have not given full attention, in part due to everybody saying fig trees can grow any where ,in any type of soil, they are very easy to propagate, yes out doors in the summer but try indoors and hear from people how many cuttings are lost, especially after getting roots and doing next step, up potting them...
Where did you obtain all your cuttings last year? I would like to obtain a few (Black Mission, Black Madeira, I 258, Panache, Ron de Bordeaux) at some point by this winter so I can have them ready for potting by next Spring. I see a few on FigBid, but that frequently requires following the auctions for days. Thanks. Great educational videos.
helenposvar many of mine were won through Figbid. I would set alarms on my phone 15 mins before the auction ended. I was successful on maybe 25% of them. You need to be diligent. Some I traded for on forums, some I bought from Burpee, some are from Lowes and Home Depot, some are from Bill at Off The Beaten Path Nursery, some are from Wills from Willsfigs...the list is long. Other good sellers are Just Fruits and Exotics, Bayflora, TreesofJoy, Wellspring Gardens...lots of good options.
I thought potassium is for flowers and buds and phosphorus is for root development. Thats why in flowering stage the potassium is higher which is the third number like 8 3 9 cct.
Phosphorous (the middle number) is for roots and flowers/fruits. See products like MiracleGro Bloom Booster, which is 15-30-15. Proper flower food feeds will have a high middle number for phosphorous. Potassium, the 3rd number, supports the metabolic functions of the plant. It is a precursor for the chemical reactions inside the plant (cell division). There are rare exceptions. Potassium is outstanding for the development of bananas and banana flowers, but banana plants are actually an herb, not a tree. Some plants do thrive with high supplemental potash, but the general rule of thumb is phosphorous for flowers.
I have a full, in-depth tutorial on how to fertilize figs here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html It breaks it down by time of the year.
I place the two buckets together because the rebar stakes are really expensive and I didn't want to spend the money to individually stake each tree. At $4 a piece, when you have 30+ trees, they add up fast! I'm sharing a single stake to cut the costs in half. I think they're actually helping wind-break and shade each other, too. They seem to be enjoying each other's company.
I think they would work great together. If you could take the black fabric and place it over the concrete patio in the spring, it will help heat up the concrete faster and to a higher temp. That could help give your plants a head start in the spring. Then, you can remove the plastic in the summer so things don't get too hot. The color black is a key element. It attracts the heat, and when temps are lower in the springtime, it can really make a huge difference. I know it did for me.
I’m a senior citizen living in a senior apartment. I have a balcony and since I moved here my husband died. I miss our yard and all my old fruit trees. So I picked up three CHICAGO hardy fig trees. Currently I need to water by taking buckets through the apartment. I find using a Vedic difficult to understand. So is there a book written by you. I learn better with a book. Can I transplant at any time I do have a few figs . I live near Chicago. Face south east. Windy sun in morning no green growth. Must I bring them inside or can I leave them out side and cover then. .i have a bunch of questions.
Marjorie Petersen I do not have a book. Im afraid my attention span isn’t long enough to be a writer! You should transplant during the growing season when temps are warm enough for growth. Figs generally won’t grow at all if temps aren’t above 60-65, but grow best in 80+ degree temps. Figs need a lot of heat to grow, so anything you can do to add heat is good. Maybe consider a stone mulch, or wrapping the pot in a black trashbag to heat up the roots if the pot isn’t already black. Afternoon sun is best because it is stronger and hotter. Morning sun isn’t as strong and warm, so it isn’t the best for a sun loving tree like a fig, but if it is all you have, it is all you can do. And of course, make sure to fertilize. I recommend MiracleGro Tomato 18-18-21 every 7 days. But you will have to do the math to arrive at the proper strength. If you are only watering one tree, you want to take care not to over fertilize. You’d only need something like 1 level teaspoon in half a gallon of water.
Two things: set up a bird bath and a bird feeder. Most birds peck figs because they are looking for water. If you set up a bird bath so they have easier access to clean water, most will leave your figs alone. For the hungry birds, a bird feeder will distract them as well. If that doesn't fix the problem 100%, you can purchase bird netting and drape it over your trees or put organza bags around the fruits.
Florida is very tough for figs due to the rain and humidity. I honestly would have difficulty recommending. I know Smith and some LSU varieties do well in humidity, but "well" is open to interpretation. They do "well" compared to most, but no fig does well in rainy, humid climates. They all prefer semi-arid conditions and lots of sun. The best thing you can do is buy a bunch of figs recommended by East Coast growers and trial them in containers and keep the winners. That is what I'm doing. You can also consult with Florida fig growers on Ourfigs.com Some good places to buy figs: Figbid.com Willsfigs.com Off The Beaten Path Nursery (Google their Facebook page) Bayflora.com JustFruitsandExotics.com Burpee.com
Sorry maybe i missed it but you mentioned at the first 2 fertilising cycles you use a high in nitrogen fertiliser. Just wondering how long are these cycles? thanks
Willyssa Roblox and Fortnite I fertilize every 7 days in the spring and early summer. I go over it in detail in my fertilizing video if you’d like to watch. czcams.com/video/msbnT2zhZIc/video.html
I feed them every other weekend when the weather is dry, but if we are stuck in a rainy pattern, the containers wash out, so I add another feeding after 7 days. I detail my entire routine here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
P Jorge for the first couple years until they get established, yes. Supplementing with soluble feed it’ll help as the roots establish. However, you should be trying to build your soil by adding several inches of natural, hardwood mulch and wood chips every year. At year 3, the roots should be mature and you should have several inches of thick, black soil from years of decomposing wood chips. At that point, you should only be adding the slow release fertilizers like organic 5-5-5 and bone meal and you shouldn’t need anymore soluble chemicals. Remember to focus on building healthy soil through added mulch, wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, compost, etc... With an in-ground tree, you’ll be feeding less frequently but more heavily. Apply as directed on the package.
Hello, I live in California! I really enjoyed your video CZcams! I have Panache Tiger stripe fig tree! If you would like me to send you some cutting, I will do (just want thank you for all your tips!)
I love it here too, but we have very rainy and humid summers. Figs come from climates where summers are rainless, so many types of figs do poorly in wet, humid summers. I am trialing a lot of varieties in containers to see if they can handle our humidity and if I like them first before I commit my very limited in-ground space to them. They last thing I want to do is plant a tree that does poorly here, and then I have this massive fruit tree with bad fruit I can’t eat. I am slowly building a list of what will go in-ground with the proven winners.
My ex is from Holly Ridge. Is the reason ive been to that area a few times. Her grandfather had 2 giant fig trees in his yard and they had lots of beautiful figs. No idea what variety they were as i wasnt really into figs at that time.
Around here, I would guess Celeste. You can see them growing very commonly on streets, and Lowes and Home Depot get a truckload of them in every spring. But you never know. I'm hopeful my varieties will do well in-ground here. I'm hoping to grow a nice tree-form and not be relegated to a bush-form from die-back.
I applied the soluble fertilizer every 7-10 days. However, I used a half-strength feeding. If you want to use full strength, you can drag it out to 10-14 days. The granulated organic was every 14 days.
I would not advise you transplant a tree in-ground at this point in the year where you live, because it won't establish before the cold comes in. You may be able to up-pot it into a larger container if you plan on overwintering the container. Generally, I transplant figs in spring.
Figs need four things to fruit well: 1. At least 8 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight a day. More is better. Figs need huge amounts of strong sunshine to fruit well. 2. LOTS of fertilizer. I recommend watching my series on fertilizing figs here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html 3. Plenty of water. Contrary to popular belief, figs don't like being in drought. Keep them well-watered during the growing season. 4. Lots of warmth. Figs come from climates with hot, dry, arid summers. They want 60+ days of 80+ degree temps. Chances are, your tree isn't getting at least one of these things. I'm guessing it isn't receiving enough sunshine and/or hot enough temps, and/or you aren't feeding it enough. If your tree has been in the same container for 4 years, it probably needs to be pulled during the dormant season, root pruned and repotted with a fresh potting mix. I strongly recommend you do this come winter: czcams.com/video/-oOwNiZzGmM/video.html
About every 10-14 days. If you have time, I suggest checking out my recent in-depth series on fig fertilizing: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
Nectarous C I will stop fertilizing at the end of this month. My first frost usually occurs mid to late November, and I want to stop feeding my plants 60-90 days before then so they aren’t growing new green growth beforehand. Ideally, you will restrict nutrients in late summer so they don’t make new growth and they spend the time lignifying what was already grown. If you receive your first frosts in October like the majority of the country, you may want to consider stopping fertilizing now, or providing one more application, then stopping.
Nectarous C with that final application, I will include some slow release fertilizer. It takes weeks, if not months, for that to completely break down and it will trickle feed my plants into dormancy without giving them a growth spurt. That’s the plan, anyway.
@@oregonfigs3314 I intend to create a video on when to stop fertilizing soon. Later, a "preparing for winter" video will follow. It's tough for me to plan ahead sometimes because my frosts and freezes are much later than most of the country, so I have to remember to get out in front of it or it'll be too late to help most people.
My I-258 will be going into the ground next spring because it performed very well. The buckets are simply to trial the trees to see what can handle my rainy, humid summers. Rain and figs don't mix because they're from Mediterranean climates that are rainless all summer. Rain causes splitting and bursting on most varieties, so it's important to trial them first and not plant them in-ground right away or you may wind up wasting your precious space on varieties that won't grow well in your climate. Ultimately, I want zero container figs. Whatever is good gets planted in-ground and what doesn't work gets culled.
How can you tell when your figs are forming? Can i use the same method on my citrus and other fruits trees? I used your method and my figs trees are going off. Thank you BTW!!!
That's great! I'm glad you're seeing success. You will notice figs forming at each node. Look for two little bumps. One bump will be the leaf, the second will be a fig. Eventually, the second bump will turn into a fig. Citrus will be similar, but they prefer a higher nitrogen and lower phosphorous feed. They make a lot of slow-release citrus fertilizers. I find the MiracleGro Tomato works well on them because it's balanced, but for slow release, you may want to get a citrus-specific feed. If you don't, it'll probably be okay, but I'd skip the Bloom Booster on citrus.
The Millennial Gardener The jobe’s citrus spikes are amazing, my eureka was COVERED in profuse blooms. Public service announcement: dogs love it just as much and will overturn my pots to get them out 😂
chance every tree in my video is near ripening. Some, I’ve already harvested multiple figs off of. By the end of the month, most should be giving me fruits except my latest editions: CdD Blanc and CdD Rimada. They may take until September because I didn’t transplant them til the end of May.
Brenda Munro take your thumb nail and scratch away the outer bark on the main trunk. Keep going down until you see green in the cambium layer. When you find green, cut away the dead wood above. My Black Madeira and Marseilles Black VS both got burnt back to the ground. I found green 2 inches from the ground, cut the tree down to a 2 inch tall stump and now they’re sending new green growth from the base. The chances of the roots dying is low if you’re in Zone 6b or warmer if the tree was established. If your trunk is thicker than 1 inch, shears will not work. You’ll need a hand saw. I use a Japanese hand saw for heavy pruning.
@@brendamunro8016 awesome! Be patient with figs. Sometimes, they "look" dead but suddenly spring to life. Don't give up on them. I wouldn't call a tree dead unless it showed no growth in an entire year.
Great video! I do same for the miracle grow tomato fertilizer and bloom fertilizer part, the only difference is I alternate every week. So one week Tomato fertilizer with fish and one week bloom fertilizer with fish. What's your opinion of that? Any down side to what you're doing?
Richard Sun that’s difficult to say without performing a side-by-side trial. If you’re happy with your results, stick with it. If you think you could do better, try something new. Maybe trial both methods on different plants next year and see what works better. Thanks for watching.
Thank you. I am watering daily, sometimes twice daily, unless it rains. We just got a day and a half of rain and it waterlogged the figs and they lost their flavor. But it is supposed to be 90-95 for the next week and dry, so back to watering 1-2 times a day. I show you how to make the soil mix here: czcams.com/video/6DEjV3zaOBU/video.html
The Millennial Gardener I use promix for a variety of things. Would you replace the coco coir with promix or would straight peat moss be an equilivancy? The potting mix you added resembles my promix. Today I’m using a 5:1 pine bark fines to promix. I am not thrilled with the growth even with a consistent feeding schedule. It is extremely well draining I’ll give it that. Maybe too well
Brian Charles I have never used Promix, so I cannot comment on the consistency. What I will say is the recipe you’re writing looks similar to what people root cuttings in. Fast-draining soil is what you want for cuttings to prevent rot, but it isn’t what you want for most trees (except citrus). The reason why is actively growing trees in the heat of the summer will not get root rot. Roots rot in cool, damp soil during dormant periods. If your soil is too fast draining, your containers won’t hold nutrients well. They’ll wash out, and you’ll stunt your growth. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want a medium that gets soggy and stays wet, but you don’t want a fast draining medium, either. You want a middle-ground that controls moisture. My mix is doing just that. You shouldn’t have water running out of your drain holes after giving it a small drink.
Stanley Vo it is weed barrier. I have a link to the product in my description. It is excellent. I love it! It has made my life so much easier and added heat which, I’m convinced, gave my figs a huge jump on the season.
Follow me on Twitter @NCGardening for garden updates and photos! twitter.com/NCGardening
Ya gotta let me know when you're going to have air layers to sell, my friend...
@@gofigure4920 it is constantly 90 degrees, and usually very sunny, where I live, so I often have to water 1-2 times daily. When I water, I usually give 1-2 inches in the morning, and sometimes I have to add another inch in late afternoon. I'm not sure how much that equates to in gallons. I go by look and feel of the soil.
@@christopherrizzo5421 most of my fig trees are growing upright without much branching. I only have one air layer this year I'm trialing. Maybe next year when they get more mature. I do intend to have some rooted cuttings for the spring, though.
Fascinating. One of your most helpful tips not answered on other fig channels is the conversion of nursery pot size to five gallon buckets and that a five gallon nursery pot is three gallons of soil
My goal is to cultivate the smallest tree/bush fig that could be maintained @ 6 feet including pot . Produce sample fruit in the season 7a Washington DC suburbs (10 to 15 ripe fruit ) and pot, soil, plant weight 45 minimum to 65 lbs
I hope your on Instagram too... going to look for you on there.
So I received a Celeste in July that was all shriveled and had rust all over the place. When I re-potted I used slow release balanced fertilizer mixed with soil but used your technique of giving it some of the Alaskan Fish Emulsion for fast release and it worked wonders on avoiding pot shock. Just a tip.. for the rust I used chewable aspirin (so it is non-coated) mixed with water. After two sprays over two weeks all the rust was gone.
Excellent. Every time I use fish emulsion my plants avoid shock. It is totally magic. My transplants put on green growth in days; amazing stuff.
That's very interesting about the aspirin. I've never heard of that. I will have to look into this. I'm starting to get a lot of rust, and hydrogen peroxide every other day isn't making much of a dent. I bought sulfur powder, so I need to try that, but aspirin would be an interesting solution.
Frostydawg24 I have never heard that- but I wonder if a ‘tea’ brewed from meadowsweet or willow (which contains salicylic acid and aid in root development too 🤔) would work also? Is that the ‘active ingredient’ that combats rust?
FrosDtimes alaskan fish emulsion. Where Do I get this. None in any store Ive seen,
@@countryrose763 I bought mine at Home Depot. Worst case is that you order on Amazon.
Home Depot and Walmart sells that product
Thank you for sharing your reasoning and when that really helps. As a novice it helps me to understand WHEN, and you weren't afraid to get something labeled as for something else, when realistically it is suitable for anything that needs those ratios. I think many people will find that useful.
I'm glad you found it helpful. Last year, I put together a complete series on fig fertilizing. You may find it helpful if you have the time: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
I love figs - tasted then in Israel. So now I am watching all your fig videos. I live in the tropics in northern Australia. I've managed to get 2 brown turkeys as they are the only variety available in my town. May need to look at mail order. Actually, I love the way that you make everything sound and look so easy. Keep up the good work!
I really like your videos. I have over 80 fig trees varieties and I take care of them better than I take care of my wife.I have 3 trees that are over 30 yrs old and started them with small cutting that I brought back from Italy...yes I smuggled then in..... in 1988. They produce a lot of figs, But this is the first year that I started using miracle grow,,, Thanks to watching your videos. The organic fertilizers that I have been using for all these years do not compare with what I have accomplished this year. I will still be using organic fert but will now be using miracle grow for all my trees.... So again thanks
Thank you, I'm glad you found it helpful. I like to be as organic as possible when I can be, but I also want to maximize production. To me, I think of organic fertilizers as the meal, and soluble synthetics like MiracleGro are like taking a multi-vitamin. There's nothing wrong with using them in my opinion. Hopefully you're at least sharing the figs with your wife :)
vince rosati
What region of Italy ? (My family is from naples) and if you would be interested in selling cuttings please let me know! My email is frankiesfight@gmail.com
Can I get cutting from your tree ?
love your fertilizing videos, love your rigid fertilizing regiments, not only will they increase the vigor, step
up productions, but also keep FMV at bay evenl those UCD varieties, specially BM and Ishia black.
keep up the good works!
I am totally impressed
I'm a newbie still waiting for my 1st. Fig tree. Already ordered most of my tree supplies. Working on POTTING soil. Gald you gave me the heads up on your container. Got a few in my survival supplies . And now I can use that money on all your cool ideals. I love Miracles Grow I have boxes of them for my stand by for all my other babies.And like you always looking for that extra special something. Keep my babies happy, healthy and strong. And of course BEAUTIFUL. Make me PROUD 🥰 THANKS MAN ,GREAT JOB
Thank you for watching. I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Martinenca rimada looking really good they all look beautiful my white Madeira is full of figs but is New Jersey short summer here thanks again for sharing your beautiful videos thanks for your time
Just started getting into this gardening hobby. As I spend every morning and evening on my roof terrace. I started thinking why not start growing things. Well last summer I started 2 mangos from seed. Now I fell in love with figs back when I tried my first fresh fig this last year. And seeing how vigorous the fig cutting my boss got at work I decided to start my own and I really appreciate your videos as I am enjoying learning all this knowledge
Excellent! I'm happy to hear you're getting into gardening. That's a great use of space. I lived in a small apartment with no yard 7 years ago and I was growing peppers in 5 gallon buckets on a section of roof that was below a window and I would crawl out the window to water them! There's always some place to grow!
@@TheMillennialGardener hahaha man I can just imagine u crawling. When there's a will there's a way I guess. You give me hope hahah. Thanks a lot mate for your videos I find it very relaxing and gardening does the same for me. I'm finding out its a great way to rid of some anxiety .
I LOVE your many "How to grow..." videos. I have been watching you for a long time... Your VERY inspiring and informative. BIG thumbs 👍🏽
it's now been 2 years since you shared this video.....
but I really want to know... 🤣 that poor torn up sun-umbrella.... Tell us, that thing went to the trash & you have new ones.
yes, I notice very small details, because I'm an Artist and details are important, to me... im not just a Gardener.
Much Respect and Many blessings to you.⚘😎
Your black Madeira @1:56 is crazy! Even fruiting right at the base 😂 you are super!!!
The fig master of NC. The Black Pack solutes you sir!
Thanks for watching! I appreciate it.
so comprehensive! thanks for sharing!
You're welcome. I am glad you found it helpful.
Love your videos... thanks for the tips... your fig trees are beautiful!!
Thank you so much! Thanks for watching.
Thank you very much. I'll take your advice to the letter and will apprise you of the results. I have 3 fig trees in the ground rangi ng from 2 to 4 to 5 ft in ht. I plan to containerize the 2 shorter fig trees & keep the tallest in the ground. I HOPE to see good results in a year or two. Meanwhile, I'll just keep on buying fig bars from Costco.
M.G long time no hear from you. I like to thank you BIG time for all the great information & advice I received from you in how too. My fig are just going BANANAS hehehe and this summer I got the best figs harvest it to come and its not over yet. Thank you, so much be kine to yourself and the dog of course cheers from Tucson Arizona.
Thanks for being an amazing teacher, I feel so blessed. I’m a cancer survivor and your teaching and my studying the Bible are the two things that I love to do, God bless you, Hillary
That's great to hear! Congrats on your recovery. Gardening is therapy. I believe getting more in tune to nature is healthy for us all. Hopefully, it assists in your continued recovery. Best of luck!
I am learning so much from you!
hey bro, been watching ur videos a lot lately, it's a cool setup you've got there and thanks for the videos, i've learned from them.
i'm out here on long island, where we have extremely cold winters, like where u are too. we have 3 varieties of figs from portugal, they're very sweet and delicious and vigorous. for years we enjoyed hundreds of fruits from our 3 trees, until a very harsh winter killed the tree, but not the roots.
ever since that year, it sprouts up literally dozens of new baby trunks, we have to fight against this vigorous root now to 'cull' so many of these baby trunk sprouts, and every winter since that harsh one that killed the mature and productive tree, the new growth dies again.
this year, my mom decided to leave 3 of these sprouts to grow (i would have chosen just one, but, her house her rules) about a meter apart (3ft) the others are in planters which come inside for the winter and they're loaded with figs now, although not yet ripe.
would you be interested in trading some cuttings since we're in the same area(zone)?
I won't be able to do any pruning for cuttings til the winter. My frosts are pretty late - usually mid to late November, so I don't intend to have any cuttings til December. However, I should have some cuttings available, and eventually some trees. I intend to announce when I have things available at the end of the year or early next year.
@@TheMillennialGardener yea sure, of course. I'll be out of the country, but I'll have my mom send you cuttings when the time comes.
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Just learned your from Philly. I knew I recognized that Philly drawl.... lol. Keep doing what you do! I’m going to try to get a few of the trees you have. I made the mistake of buying a couple that I didn’t research enough. They fruit quite late and I need pretty early.
I am aware of root restriction on trees I got my only fig tree in a terracota pot as I don’t like plastic as all my cuttings have taken will keep 3 and give away the rest about 8 those I will use plastic
All the fig trees I seen in Spain are growing in rocks my small piece of land in Rioja has two very large ones growing in the rocks
Interesting watching your videos very useful in many ways but I live in England and find tiring having to translate all to metrics
All the best with your business
Best wishes
Chonette
Chonette Taylor sorry about that feet and inches and Fahrenheit 😊 As I understand it, fig trees traditionally grow over limestone deposits because limestone is an outstanding source of phosphorous (that’s why I use bone meal) and it retains water to keep some dampness during the dry Mediterranean summers.
Thanks for the tips I’ve learned so much from your videos!
Thanks for watching!
You have nice open plot where my house is more shade
Fist let me say I’m new to figs, not gardening, not fruit trees, just figs. Last weekend I up-potted 12 varieties of fig cuttings that are about 2 months old, all look great, basking in full sun. I’m in zone 9 Louisiana. Did I understand correctly that if I make sure they get sun, heat, water and nutrients that I could see fruit this year? Good fruit? I watched the other two videos you suggested in this one and I know what I saw but I had to ask.. really? 5 months?
Hello. I purchased online 1 year old purple fig seedlings(2). No leaves just stem with roots after one week they developed leaf buds . No winter here and still hoping that this imported purple fig will grow and bear fruits here in mild tropic of mountain Region
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your support and generosity! I really appreciate it ❤
Can I ask how often you are fertilizing your trees during the June-July fertilization for fruiting?
We finally got our first figs. They are small but they are here. I don't think we will eat them until late fall as they are soooo slow. I just want to share this info with you and ask if there is any way we can encourage them to start producing fruit earlier next year here in PA.
Yes, there are ways. Are they in-ground or in containers? It's easier to manage figs in containers and give them a head start, but you can do a few things to in-ground trees as well.
@@TheMillennialGardener They are in-ground. Full sun most of the day. I just want to learn how I can help them
@@cqammaz53 in-ground are a little tougher to get a jump because you can't carry them into a greenhouse like a potted plant. I would suggest two things:
1. Fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer immediately after bud-break and after all chance of frost has passed. Something like blood meal could work. This will accelerate leafing out and give a nice little jump-start. Again, make sure frost is done or your tree could get injured!
2. Add some kind of heat-attracting feature. Either stack rocks around the tree so the rocks heat up the sun and keep the tree warmer at night, add black plastic around the tree to attract more sun, or do both.
If you can add more nitrogen and more heat early in the season, you can shave off a few days of harvest time.
I have seen recipes for Miracle Grow for making your own if you want to control the ingredients.
How do they grow so much in such a short amount of time??! I have my fig cutting that is already one year old and he's not even 1/3 of tall as yours
Three things:
1. Figs really love a lot of sunshine. I give all my figs 10+ uninterrupted, unfiltered hours of sunshine during the summer. The container trees get full sun from 7AM-7PM this time of year (12 hours), and the in-ground trees get 8AM-6PM sunshine or more, depending on how the shadows move.
2. My climate is very warm. Average highs this time of year are about 91F, so from June 1 to September 15, they get temps that are 88-92F, and in May and late September we are well above 80, so we have a long warm season.
3. Fertilizing routine. This is the most critical thing. I've spent 3 years developing a VERY aggressive fertilizing procedure, and it works like magic. I strongly recommend checking it out: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you! Seems like we have similar weather but I don't give enough sunlight to my fig as I should, I'll check the video as well and leave a like, thank you so much!
Tip 5 is definitely the best 😉
Great figs! My little 2 year tree has fruit this year, waiting for them to ripen.....
Excellent! Keep an eye on them. They swell practically overnight with no warning.
@@TheMillennialGardener good to know, they are still hard, little buggers. They don't seem to get bigger either, so next year I think I will fertilize them a lot more😉
What you'll find is you'll be staring at them every day for weeks like nothing is happening, then you'll wake up one day, look and one will be doubled in size and you'll say, "When did THAT happen?" It's pretty cool.
Thank u so much for the information shared here since it is so useful to anyone.. 🙏
May I ask, does that mean we have to re-pot out fig plant a number of times so that foliage & fruit growth would not be hindered by the growth of roots.. each time we have to select the right type of pot for transplanting our fig tree so that the pot isn't to large for the roots to over extending its own root growth that all energy had gone to rooting alone & at the same time we cannot choose a pot that isnt large enough because sooner it will cause rootbound that will inevitably hinder fruiting & foliage growth, am I right here??
Very informative, thank you very much for sharing
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
How many plants can you water with the five gallon bucket with the tomatoe food and bloom booster?
thank you, i like your thoughts on green thumb, cant agree more. ha ha
Thank you so much for watching!
I love your videos and appreciate that you share your practices with detail. I would love to see an explanation of how you prepare your figs for cold temperatures and what you do to get ahead for the next season. Wisconsin almost only has two seasons and I want to make sure I am doing everything right.
Thank you, I'm really glad you're enjoy the videos. That means a lot to me! I haven't quite devised my cold weather plans, yet. My winters are very short and mild, and we rarely drop below 25 degrees but maybe 3-5 days a year, so I will probably only store my figs in the garage in from January 1-February 15. I want my trees to get hit with hard frosts to drop their leaves. I just don't want to subject the trees to
Do you grow yellow longneck figs? If so, how do they compare in hardiness and flavor to all the others? I have heard that they are one of the best tasting as well as one of the largest variety of figs.
Thank you!
So much good information. I have 2 questions. (1) What is the size of the are covered with the fabric? (2) What did you use to hold it down? Thanks in advance.
can you tells us were to purchase cutting and best type to start with
I found this very useful. Thank you.
I will be starting my first 2 container fig trees tomorrow. I was unable to find information about your starter mix. Can you provide a link to it?
Here is a link to making a mix: czcams.com/video/6DEjV3zaOBU/video.html
If you cannot find coco coir, you may substitute peat moss 1:1.
Useful information, thanks!
D - Ameir you’re welcome!
Thank you so much for your video, So happy to see my firstChicagoHardy fig tree have 7 baby fig even she only have 9 leave on the tree.this morning.I live in West Canada .Can I transplant my tree in September? How do I know it ready to eat.? Is Chicago Hardy fig tree does’nt have many leave?
Very specific information. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge
Thanks for watching!
@@TheMillennialGardener It's my pleasure. I enjoy your videos
BTW I am in northern Quebec it gets extremely cold here. 5 months of snow and cold.
Does it get warm enough in the summer to fruit a variety in a container? Or do you use a greenhouse?
I don't have a green house.I store all my trees in the garage for the winter.Most of my trees fruit in mid august but the VDB for some reason has given me 20 figs already.@@TheMillennialGardener
@@vinny6396 that's incredible. How you're getting VdB's this early without a greenhouse is amazing. Whatever you're doing, don't stop doing it!
great video. 2 questions if you can help please
question 1: do you supplement with limestone, calcium, iron, and/or espom salt?If so, when and how much?
question2: you mention you stop using tomato and bloom booster by end of july. what do you do from then through harvest, stop fertilizing all together including 3-5-6 regiment?
thanks!
My general ratio is 2 scoops 5-5-5 style all purpose organic fertilizer and and 1 scoop bone meal. Bone meal contains the calcium and phosphorous. It is similar to garden lime, but more nutritious in my opinion.
After July, I begin ramping down fertilizing. Anything that sets after July won’t ripen, and I want to discourage future growth so my trees lignify. See my ramp-down video here:
czcams.com/video/m9P7Gvo_zK4/video.html
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you. you have a great channel and very informative which is why i subscribed. i think this will help me with some of the fig issues i encountered
Thank you for watching and subscribing. I hope you see great results next year 👍
I would like one of each 😍
Why not use black "wraps" around the buckets? I would say use black buckets but that would be counterproductive when the weather is extremely hot.
What do you mean by wraps? Like wrapping the bucket in black fabric or plastic to attract more heat? I use the black weed barrier to attract heat. It raises the temps by 5 degrees during the day, so that creates my microclimate advantage.
Have you considered planting the fig trees and winterizing them, I find they get more nutrients naturally from the soil as opposed to artificially adding fertilizer
These figs are all trials to see what does well in humidity and rain, and to see what flavors I like best. The winners will eventually be placed in ground. I have a lot of work cut out for me this winter to get space ready for the spring transplanting season.
@@TheMillennialGardener good luck and btw great video, Figs sure are a lot of hard work to keep up in colder climates but definitely worth the effort
Ricardo Da Silva thank you. I can’t wait til I get the good performers in ground. In-ground figs become next to no work.
Would like links to your other videos, this one was very informative ,I would like to see how to transplant my fig tree i just brought i live in central florida, we are new to gardening
I have a fig tree transplanting video here: czcams.com/video/V7PJ0u1EDeE/video.html
As well as a full guide for fertilizing here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
Very helpful video. I was going to plant my black genoa first year cutting in a big pot but will go for your recommended size. Thanks! It's been about daytime 18Celsius here (65Fahrenheit, I think), so I might plant out. We have a fertilizer called superphosphate in Australia which is high in phosphorus and very cheap, so l might give that a go in addition to balanced NPK.
65F sounds glorious. So refreshing. I'm getting tired of sweating, but I'm a sun-lover. Make sure you add some type of organic fertilizer, though. Synthetic fertilizers only come with what the factory puts in, so over time your trees can develop nutrient deficiencies, especially if container gardening. Since organic fertilizers contain nearly every possible trace micronutrient, they help prevent deficiencies.
@@TheMillennialGardener Will add some organics to the figs. Yes, its magic weather here at the moment. I have even got some tomatoes loaded with fruit. I had some thick plastic from a new mattress and turned it into a mini green house. I planted a st pierre tomatoe which is quite popular in northern France with their cooler summers. It is almost like a dwarf, being about 3ft high, and indeterminate as far as I know.
I have some dwarf project varieties on the go too. Love your fig videos and look forward to future uploads.
mr ed that is amazing that you can grow tomatoes in the dead of winter where you live. All I can grow in the dead of winter is kale, carrots, spinach and red lettuces, and most of the US can’t even grow that! Lucky guy. Keep up the good work.
Not sure what your getting at regarding size of pot and root binding. Its about avail nutrients. I've seen 10 foot fig trees in a tiny 2 or 3 gallon pot with tons of fruit and foliage. Im gonna say its about how much nutrients it gets, the pot is just a vessel to hold it up. How do you explain hydroponic, or semi hydro, no soil, no pot just water and nutrients?
Your posts are really helpful. I live in Maryland and have 2nd year Figs in the ground and want to know if pruning them now (pruning some of the limbs that have set figs) will increase the chances of ripening more fruit? Last year we had a lot of fruit but not many ripened. This past winter I did hard prune following your instructions.
Once your tree sets figs that you think have a chance to ripen for you, you'll want to:
1. Pinch off growth tips.
2. Remove any figs you're certain will never ripen.
That will help the tree concentrate its energy into ripening the fruit that has a chance. You have to experiment with proper timing, but the best time to do this is usually somewhere around 90 days before your first frost for earlier varieties, and 100-120 days before first frost for later varieties. I have a video on it here: czcams.com/video/ynorIceeGuM/video.html
Hi. Wrote you previously about salt burn on my fig leaves. My mistake was planting a small root ball in a 20 g container. I was advised to give the plant a large flush of water 2x a week to rinse out the excess salt around the roots. Also apply gypsum powder 1x a month. Was planning to prune back in the fall to let it grow tree like instead of bush. Should I also repot into a 5 gallon container then as well or start over with a new cutting? At what point do you up pot your trees? Mine will always be in a container. Leaf growth has been very slow all summer as I imagine the plant is growing lots of roots in that big pot. Only have 1 fig growing at a snails pace.
Really good info on this video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Janet zone 9b AZ.
Janet Solanik it depends how large your tree is now. If it has been in your large pot for awhile, it is probably too late to move it to a small container. You generally want to up-pot gradually: 1 gal -> 5 gal -> 10 gal -> 15 gal.
You’ll get to a certain point where the tree will become literally too large for you to manage up-potting. What you may have to do in that case is keep it in the biggest pot you can manage, but every 3-5 years you may need to remove the plant, rinse some of the old soil off, cut back some of the roots, prune the tree back heavily and re-pot it with fresh soil. This will “refresh” the tree.
It’s like the old phrase, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Eventually, a tree will get to the point where it is so restricted and choked in its container it can’t grow anymore, and it can decline. Cutting back the roots and trunk can help revitalize an old tree...but this is very far in your future. Just something to keep in mind, and of course, you want to only prune during dormancy.
The tallest part is only about 2 ft tall. So should I downsize the pot? I wanted to prune a horizontal branch in the fall. Can that be done at the same time? Thanks
Janet Solanik at this point, I would probably leave it and let it grow. It may take another season for it to properly fill out its container, but that’s better than risking killing it by ripping it out, cutting it back and trying to stick it in a smaller pot. The good news is fruit trees are an investment that get better with age.
Prune after the tree loses all its leaves and enters dormancy. Don’t prune while it is still growing. And only root the lignified, brown hardwood. Do not root green wood.
Will do. Thanks so much.
When you transplanted your figs outdoors would you leave them outside at night if the temperature was going down to the low 40’s? What was your cut off temp for leaving them out all night?
Great Video, I did use the tomatoes miracle ferlizer with the Alaska fish as ur video show ,but now I start to switch to 20-20-20 and mix with Alaska fish is that almost same as 18-18-21 TY much.
You should have great results. Thanks for watching!
Argh, wish I could use the fish fertilizer, but I'd attract every critter from the forest doing that. I do have Mittleidtner (sp) minerals and rock dust, so that will have to do.Your trees look magnificent!Is there a way to dry the soil in pots after really heavy rains? All my pots have tons of holes in them and palm, cactus, citrus soil, so it should drain, but you know how it is when you get 5 in. rain in 24 hrs. Any advice? Thanks!
If you can't use fish emulsion, use kelp extract / seaweed extract. It won't attract animals like the fish will. You can get it off Amazon. It's similar in cost. I have some linked in my Amazon Storefront in the video description.
I also often get 3-5 inches of rain in a day. In the summer, just let your fig trees suck the water up on their own. On a hot, sunny, 90 degree day, a fig tree will drain an entire 5 gallon bucket and ask for more.
Hi there. Thanks for your informative videos, much appreciated. I have a question I would like you to answer if you don't mind. I have a Brown Turkey fig in a very large terracotta pot. It's probably about 2-3 years old, Ive had it one year. Its about 3-4 ft tall. I'm espaliering it in the pot and it looks good so far. Can you tell me how to get it to branch higher us without pinching out the top as I's like it to get slightly taller before doing that. How can I tell if a leaf stem isn't a branch, I know it sounds a silly question but all I have above the three horizontal branches on each side (spaced 30cm between horizontals) look to be leaf stems? I hope you can advise please.
Branching will occur where you make a cut on the tree. If you want high branching on your tree, you'll have to select a trunk, cut it about 4-6 inches ABOVE where you want the branch, and then remove all of the branches below it. The tree always sends the growth hormone to the highest point of the trunk, so that will encourage branching just below where you tipped the trunk.
I will caution you to keep low branching on a potted tree, though. Figs are extremely vigorous growers, so you'll need to pull the tree every 1-2 years and root prune it, then re-pot the tree in fresh mix. A high-branching tree will make that more challenging. Just consider that.
At each node, there tends to form 2 bumps. One bump will be a new branch point, and the next will be a fig. If there is only one bump, that is the new branch point. The fig forms after the branch bump.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks for the info. Yes I' m planning on keeping the branches low and want 4 rows, which will make it 5-6 foot tall. I got the idea from your tutorial on espaliering your fig trees. I have another Brown Turkey against a South facing wall, planted in the ground. Also I've ordered a Voilette de Bordeaux which will grow in the UK, so fingers crossed. Thanks again for the videos, didn't realise there was so much to learn!
Thank you so much !
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
... and they are really quite tasty!!!!
Thanks for watching!
The problem I have is water .
The soil mix I use is PEAT ,GARDEN SOIL , PERLITE.
4 GALLON CONTAINERS THE TOP 3 INCHES OR SO
IS DRY BOTTOM IS WET . THIS YEAR FOR FIRST TIME
I PUT 4 INCHES OF 1 INCH GRAVEL IN BOTTOM IT
IT ONLY IMPROVED DRAINAGE A LITTLE .
I HAVE NOTICED FROM AMERICAN VIDEOS PEOPLE
USEING WOOD CHIPS A LOT .
You don't have to water until the bottoms start drying out. You may be overwatering. Check out my video on that here: czcams.com/video/bQMqpQHDbl4/video.html
Hello wanted to know if you had any fig cuttings for sale if you could send me a list, I would appreciate it.
Quick question - When do you bring your containerized fig tree indoors (garage , shed , etc) for winter protection.Is it after the first frost date? I know it has to be at least after all leaves have fallen off and all the limbs and branches turn brown but is it a specific date or night time temp reading? I live in southern Virginia which has almost the same climate as where you live.
If you live in a climate where you have to bring your container figs inside for storage, you can wait until they're hit with a few frosts. Container figs can survive outside into the low 20's, so you need to monitor the weather. If you see teens in the forecast, bring them inside, but 28-32 degree lows and frosts are nothing fig trees can't handle. In fact, I would advise you let them get hit by frosts as long as you don't expose them to deep freezes like I mentioned. It'll ensure they're fully asleep, and maybe kill off some overwintering pests.
I live in Zone 8 and only see temps
@@TheMillennialGardenerWhat a comprehensive, detailed response!! Thank you so much. In the situation where you see temps below 22F and you bring them into your garage, do you then leave them there until they start to leaf out in the spring and then bring them outdoors and begin your watering and fertilization regime? I am in Zone 7B and in the past, I was automatically storing my container figs in the garage sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and left them there until they leafed out (around late March) and them brought them outdoors. Based on your response, my container figs might not be fully asleep when I store them. Would you know of or can you expect some consequences if the fig tree does not enter a fully asleep state?
If I see a low temperature plunge to 22F or below, I'll likely pull them outside as soon as temps rebound. I don't anticipate keeping them in the garage for more than a few days or a week. We don't get that cold where I live for very long, and I actively use my garage and don't want them taking up my valuable space.
If my trees start budding in February/early March when frost is still possible, I will protect them up against the house with frost blankets to protect the buds. My house is brick, and the south-facing wall doesn't frost within 8 feet of the house unless we see low 20's, so they'll be protected there. If you want to get a jump start on the season in your zone, you probably will have to do the "fig shuffle" for a few weeks - pull them in and out as nighttime temperatures allow. It's hard work, though.
The fig trees will go fully dormant in the garage because of the lack of light. If you wait until after frost/freeze, the metabolic rates of the trees will be slow enough that they'll manage. Just whatever you do, don't let your containers dry out completely - OR - don't over-water them and let them be damp or the roots will rot. The most challenging part of overwintering figs is the moisture level. That's why I want to keep them outside mainly. The problems with storing trees indoors with moisture can be challenging.
@@TheMillennialGardenerI was aware of the moisture challenge when storing container fig in a garage. I never lost a fig tree yet using this protection method and I think it's because I make sure that the container soil is not wet when bringing them in. If it rained shortly before the target date for bringing them in, I would wait a few more days so that the soil was not wet. Then I would cover the soil with more mulch .I would then check on the them periodically to see if the soil is dry and if it is , I then add just cupful or so of water to each container. The "fig shuffle" is a fresh & interesting approach that I may try this year because it yields a side benefit in that it provides some joyful & purposeful exercise during the winter months. Thank you again for your expert guidance & suggestions as I am anxiously looking forward to next spring when I will begin your fertilization program from the budding stage & employ the "pinching" technique to ensure the earliest fruit ripening possible.
@@shallbyGT16 not bringing in wet trees is a very smart move. If you start with an over-watered tree, you're setting yourself up for disaster. I can't believe we are talking about storing fig trees already. It seems like just a couple months ago I was bringing them outside. Oh well. Best of luck and I look forward to your updates this spring!
Loved the fig videos. Here's a question. My fig tree had about a thousand fig on it in the beginning of last season, they all got yellow and dropped off during the season, what do you think the problem is?
Do you know your fig variety? If I had to guess, you're growing a smyrna type outside of California, which is the only state in the US that has the fig wasp established. Smyrna figs must be pollinated by a fig wasp. Outside of "wasp country," i.e. 99.9% of the US, you're going to have to grow common figs, which are parthenocarpic and do not require pollination to fruit.
Hi. What is the purpose of the aluminum foil on your fig trees?
Can you please release one exclusive brown turkey fig tree and its details?
I do not grow the Brown Turkey variety.
@@TheMillennialGardener good, tks for the reply. I m planning to create one acre brown turkey farm in my own land, hence requested to understand more from you. All your videos looks good with hands of knowledge.
Excellent. Thank you.
Have you grown Dessert King figs?
No. Desert King will only set breba figs, because the main crop requires pollination. Breba crops do not hold well in warm, humid regions. I have never in my life had a breba fig hold on any of my 50 trees. I would advise only people in the PNW grow Desert King, as it seems to do well there and too many main crop figs fail in the cool summers there.
Do your pails,have holes in bottom
From London? .. Please can you help me, I have a Jordan Fig tree 4 years old and each year it produces fruit that's inedible. They are spongy and dry inside .at present they are falling off slowly. Many thanks. Ruby
Thanks for sharing your tweaks! Outstanding results, for sure! Congrats! It is interesting to me that neither of my Chicago Hardy fruited last year, their second full year with me, although they both got to 4' tall or more, yet a newly rooted cutting seems to be forming a fig at its fourth leaf node! It may not be a fig, but is the left of two bumps there, and seems to be following the fig form of my two dwarf figs that fruit twice/yr since they got to be only 14" tall - two years ago. I will get some of that black plastic, even if I spread it only on my back patio.
Make sure your trees are getting at least 6-8 hours of unfiltered sun every day (more is better), and of course, make sure you fertilize adequately. Figs are the heaviest feeders out there.
Your cuttings sale is in January and you notify us here, correct?
Yes.
Great information, I think the fertilizing part is the part that I have not given full attention, in part due to everybody saying fig trees can grow any where ,in any type of soil, they are very easy to propagate, yes out doors in the summer but try indoors and hear from people how many cuttings are lost, especially after getting roots and doing next step, up potting them...
Where did you obtain all your cuttings last year? I would like to obtain a few (Black Mission, Black Madeira, I 258, Panache, Ron de Bordeaux) at some point by this winter so I can have them ready for potting by next Spring. I see a few on FigBid, but that frequently requires following the auctions for days. Thanks. Great educational videos.
helenposvar many of mine were won through Figbid. I would set alarms on my phone 15 mins before the auction ended. I was successful on maybe 25% of them. You need to be diligent.
Some I traded for on forums, some I bought from Burpee, some are from Lowes and Home Depot, some are from Bill at Off The Beaten Path Nursery, some are from Wills from Willsfigs...the list is long. Other good sellers are Just Fruits and Exotics, Bayflora, TreesofJoy, Wellspring Gardens...lots of good options.
I thought potassium is for flowers and buds and phosphorus is for root development. Thats why in flowering stage the potassium is higher which is the third number like 8 3 9 cct.
Phosphorous (the middle number) is for roots and flowers/fruits. See products like MiracleGro Bloom Booster, which is 15-30-15. Proper flower food feeds will have a high middle number for phosphorous.
Potassium, the 3rd number, supports the metabolic functions of the plant. It is a precursor for the chemical reactions inside the plant (cell division).
There are rare exceptions. Potassium is outstanding for the development of bananas and banana flowers, but banana plants are actually an herb, not a tree. Some plants do thrive with high supplemental potash, but the general rule of thumb is phosphorous for flowers.
Thanks but I never heard how frequently you fertilised them.
I have a full, in-depth tutorial on how to fertilize figs here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
It breaks it down by time of the year.
Great tips. Got a fig tree last year and it died over winter. Chicago hardy not too hardy in St. Louis. Is there a reason you place two together?
I place the two buckets together because the rebar stakes are really expensive and I didn't want to spend the money to individually stake each tree. At $4 a piece, when you have 30+ trees, they add up fast! I'm sharing a single stake to cut the costs in half. I think they're actually helping wind-break and shade each other, too. They seem to be enjoying each other's company.
Hi MG,great video! Do you think a concrete patio will be just as good as your black tarp?
I think they would work great together. If you could take the black fabric and place it over the concrete patio in the spring, it will help heat up the concrete faster and to a higher temp. That could help give your plants a head start in the spring. Then, you can remove the plastic in the summer so things don't get too hot. The color black is a key element. It attracts the heat, and when temps are lower in the springtime, it can really make a huge difference. I know it did for me.
I’m a senior citizen living in a senior apartment. I have a balcony and since I moved here my husband died. I miss our yard and all my old fruit trees. So I picked up three CHICAGO hardy fig trees. Currently I need to water by taking buckets through the apartment. I find using a Vedic difficult to understand. So is there a book written by you. I learn better with a book. Can I transplant at any time I do have a few figs . I live near Chicago. Face south east. Windy sun in morning no green growth. Must I bring them inside or can I leave them out side and cover then. .i have a bunch of questions.
Marjorie Petersen I do not have a book. Im afraid my attention span isn’t long enough to be a writer! You should transplant during the growing season when temps are warm enough for growth. Figs generally won’t grow at all if temps aren’t above 60-65, but grow best in 80+ degree temps. Figs need a lot of heat to grow, so anything you can do to add heat is good. Maybe consider a stone mulch, or wrapping the pot in a black trashbag to heat up the roots if the pot isn’t already black.
Afternoon sun is best because it is stronger and hotter. Morning sun isn’t as strong and warm, so it isn’t the best for a sun loving tree like a fig, but if it is all you have, it is all you can do.
And of course, make sure to fertilize. I recommend MiracleGro Tomato 18-18-21 every 7 days. But you will have to do the math to arrive at the proper strength. If you are only watering one tree, you want to take care not to over fertilize. You’d only need something like 1 level teaspoon in half a gallon of water.
Nice
Thank you!
How you can keeps the bird don't eat your fig, can you help? thank you
Two things: set up a bird bath and a bird feeder. Most birds peck figs because they are looking for water. If you set up a bird bath so they have easier access to clean water, most will leave your figs alone. For the hungry birds, a bird feeder will distract them as well. If that doesn't fix the problem 100%, you can purchase bird netting and drape it over your trees or put organza bags around the fruits.
What do you recommend for Florida as far as variety quicker growing with lot of fruit. Where do you get so many different figs
Florida is very tough for figs due to the rain and humidity. I honestly would have difficulty recommending. I know Smith and some LSU varieties do well in humidity, but "well" is open to interpretation. They do "well" compared to most, but no fig does well in rainy, humid climates. They all prefer semi-arid conditions and lots of sun. The best thing you can do is buy a bunch of figs recommended by East Coast growers and trial them in containers and keep the winners. That is what I'm doing. You can also consult with Florida fig growers on Ourfigs.com
Some good places to buy figs:
Figbid.com
Willsfigs.com
Off The Beaten Path Nursery (Google their Facebook page)
Bayflora.com
JustFruitsandExotics.com
Burpee.com
Sorry maybe i missed it but you mentioned at the first 2 fertilising cycles you use a high in nitrogen fertiliser. Just wondering how long are these cycles? thanks
Willyssa Roblox and Fortnite I fertilize every 7 days in the spring and early summer. I go over it in detail in my fertilizing video if you’d like to watch.
czcams.com/video/msbnT2zhZIc/video.html
How often to you feed, once a week, every other week?
I feed them every other weekend when the weather is dry, but if we are stuck in a rainy pattern, the containers wash out, so I add another feeding after 7 days. I detail my entire routine here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
Would you recommend this fertilizer regimen for in ground figs?????
P Jorge for the first couple years until they get established, yes. Supplementing with soluble feed it’ll help as the roots establish. However, you should be trying to build your soil by adding several inches of natural, hardwood mulch and wood chips every year. At year 3, the roots should be mature and you should have several inches of thick, black soil from years of decomposing wood chips. At that point, you should only be adding the slow release fertilizers like organic 5-5-5 and bone meal and you shouldn’t need anymore soluble chemicals. Remember to focus on building healthy soil through added mulch, wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, compost, etc...
With an in-ground tree, you’ll be feeding less frequently but more heavily. Apply as directed on the package.
Hello, I live in California!
I really enjoyed your video CZcams!
I have Panache Tiger stripe fig tree! If you would like me to send you some cutting, I will do (just want thank you for all your tips!)
Ive been to the wilmington area many times i LOVE it there. Wondering why u container grow when u can def do inground with no issues??
I love it here too, but we have very rainy and humid summers. Figs come from climates where summers are rainless, so many types of figs do poorly in wet, humid summers. I am trialing a lot of varieties in containers to see if they can handle our humidity and if I like them first before I commit my very limited in-ground space to them. They last thing I want to do is plant a tree that does poorly here, and then I have this massive fruit tree with bad fruit I can’t eat. I am slowly building a list of what will go in-ground with the proven winners.
My ex is from Holly Ridge. Is the reason ive been to that area a few times. Her grandfather had 2 giant fig trees in his yard and they had lots of beautiful figs. No idea what variety they were as i wasnt really into figs at that time.
Around here, I would guess Celeste. You can see them growing very commonly on streets, and Lowes and Home Depot get a truckload of them in every spring. But you never know. I'm hopeful my varieties will do well in-ground here. I'm hoping to grow a nice tree-form and not be relegated to a bush-form from die-back.
Hello my friend after the 1st. (twice) initial high nitrogen application how long between fertilizing? (One week)???
I applied the soluble fertilizer every 7-10 days. However, I used a half-strength feeding. If you want to use full strength, you can drag it out to 10-14 days. The granulated organic was every 14 days.
Great video!!! Im learning a lot. Do you sell cuttings?
I will have cuttings in January. Thanks for watching!
@@TheMillennialGardener awesome. I will definitely purchase! I'm learning a lot from your channel. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
@@TheJanicetunes Thank you for watching!
Can I use 16-16-16 fertilizer??
I live in NJ. Can I transplant my fig trees in September?
I would not advise you transplant a tree in-ground at this point in the year where you live, because it won't establish before the cold comes in. You may be able to up-pot it into a larger container if you plan on overwintering the container. Generally, I transplant figs in spring.
My rooted contained green fig is 4 yrs. Still no figs. Help!
Figs need four things to fruit well:
1. At least 8 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight a day. More is better. Figs need huge amounts of strong sunshine to fruit well.
2. LOTS of fertilizer. I recommend watching my series on fertilizing figs here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
3. Plenty of water. Contrary to popular belief, figs don't like being in drought. Keep them well-watered during the growing season.
4. Lots of warmth. Figs come from climates with hot, dry, arid summers. They want 60+ days of 80+ degree temps.
Chances are, your tree isn't getting at least one of these things. I'm guessing it isn't receiving enough sunshine and/or hot enough temps, and/or you aren't feeding it enough.
If your tree has been in the same container for 4 years, it probably needs to be pulled during the dormant season, root pruned and repotted with a fresh potting mix. I strongly recommend you do this come winter: czcams.com/video/-oOwNiZzGmM/video.html
How often do you fertilize? Once a week or more often
About every 10-14 days. If you have time, I suggest checking out my recent in-depth series on fig fertilizing: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
What are your fertilizer plans for the rest of the season?
Nectarous C I will stop fertilizing at the end of this month. My first frost usually occurs mid to late November, and I want to stop feeding my plants 60-90 days before then so they aren’t growing new green growth beforehand. Ideally, you will restrict nutrients in late summer so they don’t make new growth and they spend the time lignifying what was already grown.
If you receive your first frosts in October like the majority of the country, you may want to consider stopping fertilizing now, or providing one more application, then stopping.
Is there enough food in the mix to completely stop using fertilizer on September 1?
Nectarous C with that final application, I will include some slow release fertilizer. It takes weeks, if not months, for that to completely break down and it will trickle feed my plants into dormancy without giving them a growth spurt. That’s the plan, anyway.
That’s makes sense. Please share your techniques at that time as I am pretty green when it comes to this area. (Too much nitrogen in my coffee?)
@@oregonfigs3314 I intend to create a video on when to stop fertilizing soon. Later, a "preparing for winter" video will follow. It's tough for me to plan ahead sometimes because my frosts and freezes are much later than most of the country, so I have to remember to get out in front of it or it'll be too late to help most people.
how long do you plan on keeping them in the buckets?
My I-258 will be going into the ground next spring because it performed very well. The buckets are simply to trial the trees to see what can handle my rainy, humid summers. Rain and figs don't mix because they're from Mediterranean climates that are rainless all summer. Rain causes splitting and bursting on most varieties, so it's important to trial them first and not plant them in-ground right away or you may wind up wasting your precious space on varieties that won't grow well in your climate. Ultimately, I want zero container figs. Whatever is good gets planted in-ground and what doesn't work gets culled.
Where are you located. I am in coastal eastern north carolina. Thinking about growing some fig trees from cuttings
I'm in Brunswick County, just southwest of Wilmington. I can get into downtown in about 10 mins.
How can you tell when your figs are forming? Can i use the same method on my citrus and other fruits trees? I used your method and my figs trees are going off. Thank you BTW!!!
That's great! I'm glad you're seeing success. You will notice figs forming at each node. Look for two little bumps. One bump will be the leaf, the second will be a fig. Eventually, the second bump will turn into a fig.
Citrus will be similar, but they prefer a higher nitrogen and lower phosphorous feed. They make a lot of slow-release citrus fertilizers. I find the MiracleGro Tomato works well on them because it's balanced, but for slow release, you may want to get a citrus-specific feed. If you don't, it'll probably be okay, but I'd skip the Bloom Booster on citrus.
@@TheMillennialGardener awesome! Keep up the good content. Love your vids!!!
Kency0522 thank you!
The Millennial Gardener
The jobe’s citrus spikes are amazing, my eureka was COVERED in profuse blooms. Public service announcement: dogs love it just as much and will overturn my pots to get them out 😂
does it have enough time to ripen though? its already almost mid august
chance every tree in my video is near ripening. Some, I’ve already harvested multiple figs off of. By the end of the month, most should be giving me fruits except my latest editions: CdD Blanc and CdD Rimada. They may take until September because I didn’t transplant them til the end of May.
I cut back my tree like in your video, but I think it has died. No sprouts anywhere on the stalk.
Brenda Munro take your thumb nail and scratch away the outer bark on the main trunk. Keep going down until you see green in the cambium layer. When you find green, cut away the dead wood above. My Black Madeira and Marseilles Black VS both got burnt back to the ground. I found green 2 inches from the ground, cut the tree down to a 2 inch tall stump and now they’re sending new green growth from the base. The chances of the roots dying is low if you’re in Zone 6b or warmer if the tree was established.
If your trunk is thicker than 1 inch, shears will not work. You’ll need a hand saw. I use a Japanese hand saw for heavy pruning.
@@TheMillennialGardener thsnks. I am starting to see tiny buds. Thanks.
@@brendamunro8016 awesome! Be patient with figs. Sometimes, they "look" dead but suddenly spring to life. Don't give up on them. I wouldn't call a tree dead unless it showed no growth in an entire year.
Great video! I do same for the miracle grow tomato fertilizer and bloom fertilizer part, the only difference is I alternate every week. So one week Tomato fertilizer with fish and one week bloom fertilizer with fish. What's your opinion of that? Any down side to what you're doing?
Richard Sun that’s difficult to say without performing a side-by-side trial. If you’re happy with your results, stick with it. If you think you could do better, try something new. Maybe trial both methods on different plants next year and see what works better. Thanks for watching.
Outstanding. What is your soil composition and how often are you watering?
Thank you. I am watering daily, sometimes twice daily, unless it rains. We just got a day and a half of rain and it waterlogged the figs and they lost their flavor. But it is supposed to be 90-95 for the next week and dry, so back to watering 1-2 times a day. I show you how to make the soil mix here:
czcams.com/video/6DEjV3zaOBU/video.html
The Millennial Gardener I use promix for a variety of things. Would you replace the coco coir with promix or would straight peat moss be an equilivancy? The potting mix you added resembles my promix.
Today I’m using a 5:1 pine bark fines to promix. I am not thrilled with the growth even with a consistent feeding schedule. It is extremely well draining I’ll give it that. Maybe too well
Brian Charles I have never used Promix, so I cannot comment on the consistency.
What I will say is the recipe you’re writing looks similar to what people root cuttings in. Fast-draining soil is what you want for cuttings to prevent rot, but it isn’t what you want for most trees (except citrus). The reason why is actively growing trees in the heat of the summer will not get root rot. Roots rot in cool, damp soil during dormant periods. If your soil is too fast draining, your containers won’t hold nutrients well. They’ll wash out, and you’ll stunt your growth.
Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want a medium that gets soggy and stays wet, but you don’t want a fast draining medium, either. You want a middle-ground that controls moisture. My mix is doing just that. You shouldn’t have water running out of your drain holes after giving it a small drink.
What is black sheets to cover your garden ?
Stanley Vo it is weed barrier. I have a link to the product in my description. It is excellent. I love it! It has made my life so much easier and added heat which, I’m convinced, gave my figs a huge jump on the season.
What is the size plastic weed barrier do you used ?
Stanley Vo it’s the 4’ wide x 300’ long one I placed in the description.