Figs in the Home Garden

Many people are fond of figs and rightfully so. They are very tasty and can be eaten fresh, preserved, or used for baking and making deserts. Figs do well in most parts of Georgia except extreme north Georgia.

I have received many phone calls this summer and fall concerning fig trees. The most common complaint is that there were not many figs this year. A number of conditions may cause the fruit to not ripen or to drop prematurely. Here are a few of the more common conditions that may cause your fig tree not to produce.

Young, vigorous plants will often produce figs that do not ripen. If the plants are excessively vigorous, stop fertilizing them. Quite often, it may be three or four years before the plant produces ripe figs, because most figs have a long juvenile period before producing edible fruit.

Dry, hot period which occur prior to ripening can cause poor fruit quality. This was certainly the case this year. The only solution is to mulch the plants well and give them a little extra water during long dry spells.

The variety Celeste will often drop fruit prematurely in hot weather, regardless of how well the plants are cared for. However, Celeste is still one of the best varieties for our area due to its cold hardiness.

Root-knot nematodes can also infest the root system of fig plants, especially during hot, dry weather. Nematodes are microscopic round worms that parasitize the roots of many plants.

Lastly, you could have a fig plant that requires cross pollination by a special type of wasp. If this is the case, then it will never set a good crop. The best way to resolve this problem is to replace it.

Another common question I receive on figs is 'When to prune them?' The best time to prune your figs is in late winter. Sometime during February is generally a safe bet.

While on the subject of pruning, fig plants can be trained to either a tree or bush form. However, the tree form is not practical for many areas in north Georgia due to the weather. In this region, fig plants are frequently frozen back to the ground, making the tree form difficult to maintain.

Billy Skaggs Agricultural Agent Hall County Extension Coordinator 734 East Crescent Drive Gainesville, GA 30501 Phone:(770)531-6988 Fax: (770)531-3994 Email: [email protected]