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#1
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
OK, people - VERY many thanks for your responses to my request for help on
how often to feed/water my fig-tree-in-big-pot. Sadly, though, I'm now in a state of total confusion, because the advice seems to be contradictory... Heaven knows, although keen on my tree, I'm a very long way from being a gardener... so I really do need expert help! Nick Maclaren told me: ... water it only in severe droughts (and I do mean severe). 'Ah!' - I thought - 'that's the answer; I'm obviously overwatering'; and I felt sure this must be true when Tony Anson agreed: Good advice - remember where figs come from... Which would have been fine; except that David Roberts, in a really helpful posting, advised looking at http://www.easyfruit.co.uk/figs/. So I did. It's a most interesting and helpful site - BUT - it clearly says: Figs require copious amounts of water through the growing season and depending on your your pot size and growing medium will require watering daily. If the tree becomes dry at the roots then it is likely that the developing embryo figs will drop off.* Which seems clear enough! Last year, when I had mucho leaves and no figs, I didn't water very much. This year (in Canterbury, if that helps you experts!) so far I only have small leaves: larger, 2-3cm, at the bottom; smaller, 1cm, at the top. They look healthy... And, as I said, I've been watering on an almost daily basis... but now, I don't know WHAT to do! Could someone who's actually grown a fig tree in a big pot maybe advise me what worked for them? Please? In hope... - duncan |
#2
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
"Duncan Langford" wrote in message
... OK, people - VERY many thanks for your responses to my request for help on how often to feed/water my fig-tree-in-big-pot. Sadly, though, I'm now in a state of total confusion, because the advice seems to be contradictory... Heaven knows, although keen on my tree, I'm a very long way from being a gardener... so I really do need expert help! Nick Maclaren told me: ... water it only in severe droughts (and I do mean severe). 'Ah!' - I thought - 'that's the answer; I'm obviously overwatering'; and I felt sure this must be true when Tony Anson agreed: Good advice - remember where figs come from... Which would have been fine; except that David Roberts, in a really helpful posting, advised looking at http://www.easyfruit.co.uk/figs/. So I did. It's a most interesting and helpful site - BUT - it clearly says: Figs require copious amounts of water through the growing season and depending on your your pot size and growing medium will require watering daily. If the tree becomes dry at the roots then it is likely that the developing embryo figs will drop off. Which seems clear enough! Last year, when I had mucho leaves and no figs, I didn't water very much. This year (in Canterbury, if that helps you experts!) so far I only have small leaves: larger, 2-3cm, at the bottom; smaller, 1cm, at the top. They look healthy... And, as I said, I've been watering on an almost daily basis... but now, I don't know WHAT to do! Could someone who's actually grown a fig tree in a big pot maybe advise me what worked for them? Please? In hope... - duncan Well I have and am in the process of growing figs in the open ground and as such rarely need to water them. I think that to say taht they come from hot countries therefore wont need watering is a bit simplistic, they grow perfectly happily in this country in the open ground if against a wall etc and thus get whatever water falls in a season. Pots will naturally tend totdry out more than the open ground and thus to maintain them at the same sort of moisture level then I reckon you'd need to water. Having said all of that, right now it's probably still too cold to be watering every day, since if the roots and compost are very wet at night the tree might get a cold shock or some such esp. since we could still have a frost, heaven forbid. So I'd say slow down the watering a bit, I have lot's of bananas in pots some outside, and they are watering on average every five days or so at the moment, and they come from usually damp, humid conditions, but then where they normally come from it's not as cold as it is here. Hope it helps, but doubt it. Duncan |
#3
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
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#4
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
snipped the post - now do I top or bottom post????
Duncan, some information about our fig: firstly some dodgy photos I just rushed out and took http://www.chelsworth-lodge.nildram....s/DSC00058.JPG http://www.chelsworth-lodge.nildram....s/DSC00059.JPG [you do not require the heap of scrap wood around the pot to ensure growth :-) we are currently installing an en-suite and this is from stripping out the original room] The pot is about 20" high and 50" in circumference. As you can see from the photo the crop of 'indicator weeds' is green and sprightly so no food or water required at the moment. Just to upset you there are currently more than 60 small figs on the ends of the branches. The pot is on a large South facing patio but is not up against any wall to give shelter and reflected heat. However our garden is very toasty in spring, summer and autumn and the tree tries to produce two crops a year. I think some confusion has arisen because not everyone picked up on the fact that your fig is in a pot. AFAIK the fig is used to fighting for sustenance in arid poor soil, so majors on long reach intrusive root systems, and in open ground will reach out and grab any nutrients going and then grow (build plant 'muscle and fat') to prepare for the hard times to come. When the hard times come it will fruit to try and get its seeds carried to more favourable locations. In the UK the hard times rarely if ever come, so it grows big and green with little or no fruit. [When I was a kid we had a fig tree in our garden in Essex and it would produce at best one or two figs a year. ISTR this was an offshoot from a friend's tree which suggests figs can reproduce by spreading and shooting as well as by fruiting.] Strategies are, therefore, to constrict the fig so it thinks hard times are on the way. In open ground you surround it with rocks and rubble to contain the roots, and don't feed or water because there should be enough in the surrounding soil to keep the fig going - make it feel 'at home' in harsh conditions. In a pot, things are a little different. There is no water coming in from the surrounding area, and no food either. If you left the fig in a hot pot in a hot spot it would eventually shrivel up and die, however tough it was. [Cue for joke about Irishman who had just managed to train his donkey to live without food or water when it died :-) ] In a pot, you need to keep the fig well watered during the summer when it will lose moisture through the leaves and need moisture to swell the fruit (if you are lucky enough to have any). If you do not water (from my experience of unitentional neglect) the fig is likely to drop first its fruit then its leaves to conserve moisture, and to start growing again once it is watered with a new crop of leaves and fruit. I don't feed or water during winter or spring, whilst the tree is dormant, but if I remember I feed the tree at the start of the growing season with Phostrogen, chicken pellets, or anything else to hand. Which reminds me - I should feed the poor thing as it is showing signs of a really good crop :-) I note that you are already watering and feeding - this may be too early unless there are signs that the soil is very dry. Until there is a lot of heat and a lot of leaves you shouldn't need to water. You say "Last year, when I had mucho leaves and no figs, I didn't water very much" - suggests that (assuming you had 'much leaves' throughout the growing season and the tree didn't drop them during late summer) that your tree is having it too cushy - it has loads of food and enough water so doesn't feel the need to fruit. This in turn suggests that you should not feed it, and only water it sparingly unless it shows signs of distress. Eventually it should use up the store of food in the pot as it grows and reach a balance where it feels the need to reproduce. Once it is producing figs, then feed and water to make sure the figs grow large and juicy. Several things I haven't checked and can't remember seeing in previous posts: (1) Is your fig Brown Turkey? If not, you may have a variety which will only fruit in a greenhouse in the UK so all the above advice is pointless. (2) Is the fig in a very sunny and reasonably sheltered spot? AFAIK it will require a hot spot to fruit properly. South facing with all day sun is good. (3) How large is the tree in relation to the pot? As you can hopefully see from my photos the proportions of tree and pot are much like those of an average pot plant, and the tree doesn't seem to have grown much in size the last couple of years. (4) All the fruit seems to be on the tips of the branches on my tree - ISTR it fruits on old wood so I presume you haven't been pruning it? (5) Watering 'not very much' - is this not more than twice a day, or not more than twice a month? (6) Is the pot on a patio or other hard standing? I assume there is no chance that a root has sneaked out of the bottom of the pot and is happily grabbing food and water from the garden? Finally, the good news is that figs are not a 'one shot' crop like apples and plums - the trees can produce several crops a year so the lack of fruit now may not mean no fruit this year. One strategy would be not to feed and water at all until the tree shows signs of distress - yellowing leaves etc. - to see if you can brutalise it into fruiting. A really brutal method would be to leave it until the leaves drop through lack of water, then give it some water and tell it "fruit, damn you, or else". Of course, it could just die on you out of spite. A more subtle, psychological approach would be to get a new Brown Turkey tree and plant it in a small to medium pot near to the other one, and see if this one will fruit - you may just have a duff tree for some reason. If both trees will not fruit then it is probably something to do with the location. If a tree in a smaller pot will fruit then your pot may be too large, and require a few seasons of growth and neglect before the tree will fruit. [The psychological bit is to go past muttering "Your little friend seems to really like it here - look at all those figs!" whilst fingering a pruning saw.] In conclusion, I am no expert. We bought a nice pot and planted a fig tree in it. It seems to like it and produces quite a lot of figs. We have a South facing garden near the Suffolk coast so have very warm and dry conditions with mild winters. I suspect if I fed it more consistently during the summer the figs would be bigger and jucier, but I can't hack having to feed and water things every day (or more than once a day) apart from our cats, and although neighbours are very good about feeding our cats when we are on holiday (we reciprocate) I don't think it is reasonable to also give them a complex feeding and watering schedule for the plants as well. So anything which doesn't thrive on neglect doesn't thrive :-) One final suggestion - instead of the 'indicator weeds' which seem to grow naturally every year in our pot despite ocassional pulling out you could plant some annual bedding plants in the top of the pot. This would achieve three things: (1) They would warn you if the pot had dried out by wilting before the tree had to drop leaves to get your attention. (2) They would use up nutrients from the soil to reduce the amount available to the tree (3) The attractive display of flowers might distract you from the lack of figs. Phew - what a long ramble! Best of luck, and keep us in touch with progress. If you can post a picture of your tree on a website and give us the URL it may also help us remote dignosers/bullshitters to make more suggestions. Cheers Dave R |
#5
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
"David W.E. Roberts" wrote snipped the post - now do I top or bottom post???? extensive fig info snipped My fig is in a very similar pot / situation to yours David but the figs tend to fall of before they get ripe... I've printed off your 'instructions' and shall go out and read them to the tree asap :~)) Jenny |
#6
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
Jenny
Remember the muttering and the pruning shears :-) Falling figs is probably too little water. "JennyC" wrote in message ... "David W.E. Roberts" wrote snipped the post - now do I top or bottom post???? extensive fig info snipped My fig is in a very similar pot / situation to yours David but the figs tend to fall of before they get ripe... I've printed off your 'instructions' and shall go out and read them to the tree asap :~)) Jenny |
#7
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
Heaven knows, although keen on my tree, I'm a very long way from being a
gardener... so I really do need expert help! If you want the experts, go ask Reads Nursery. They are the holder of the national collection of figs and have hundreds of them growing in pots. http://www.readsnursery.co.uk Best, - h |
#8
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
Fascinating site - although I could not find the variety "Total Confusion"
:-) "H" wrote in message ... Heaven knows, although keen on my tree, I'm a very long way from being a gardener... so I really do need expert help! If you want the experts, go ask Reads Nursery. They are the holder of the national collection of figs and have hundreds of them growing in pots. http://www.readsnursery.co.uk Best, - h |
#9
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
On Thu, 8 May 2003 19:42:35 +0100, David W.E. Roberts wrote
(in message ): Fascinating site - although I could not find the variety "Total Confusion" -) Ah - that's probably because the variety's "TOTAL confusion!!!" Seriously - very many thanks for all the feedback; I've been attempting to put photographs of my pot-and-tree onto a Web site, so it'd be possible for you experts to check it out; but although taking the photographs was straightforward, getting a site wasn't as easy as it should have been - stay tuned! My tree has small leaves, but no figs at all... And when I tried to dig a small hole to plant a fertilizer-eating bedding plant, the pot seems to be a mass of roots; so, however little seems to be going on above the surface...! - duncan |
#10
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Fig tree - TOTAL confusion!!!
dunkan wrote in
anet.com: Seriously - very many thanks for all the feedback; I've been attempting to put photographs of my pot-and-tree onto a Web site, so it'd be possible for you experts to check it out; but although taking the photographs was straightforward, getting a site wasn't as easy as it should have been - stay tuned! ZIP them up and send them to me and I will put them up for you.... But I'm going away on Saturday morning for a few days so you will need to do it before then |
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