Potted Fig Tree Care: Water, Sunlight, Fertilizer, Pot Size & MORE

[@DollyTheLlama]

My grandfather always said that figs trees like iron, so he'd bring home scrap iron from the factory he worked so that he could bury it under their trees. I went looking for more information about the minerals and micronutrients that figs like and it seems they're not too picky, but I did find that iron enriches the color of the fruit. Looking back, they did have some beautiful figs!

[@MattyDemello]

I just got into figs now. Holy moly i can't believe how much they eat and drink. When i bought it they told me to feed it like a fish fertilizer every time i water it. Seems kinda too much. I feed like once a week now. I put it in a home depot bucket. Hope thats a good pot for it. With holes in the bottom

[@RegularJohntv]

Lots of good stuff here. Your tips have led me to a large amount of success growing figs.

[@tammyohlsson7966]

Me as well!❤

[@RossRaddi]

Great to hear it! Thank you.

[@teenadamron7654]

Well I don’t know what I am doing. I am here to get knowledge from a pro😁

[@faithl4105]

We all gotta start somewhere... Usually at the beginning. Yes, this channel has great fig info. 😊

[@bluewolf4915]

I started 6 cuttings this year in Upper Michigan zone 5B. Rooted them and put them in 15 gal. containers. They're doing great and I'll be able to drag them into the basement this winter.

[@RossRaddi]

Be careful of basements! Read this. You'll be glad you did: www.figboss.com/post/winterizing-container-fig-trees-where-to-store-them-how-to-avoid-season-ending-setbacks

[@mulox1]

First of all, I am SO glad I found your channel, LOVE it! Not only do you have such a breadth of knowledge, but your presentation style is so engaging as well! I a fig fanatic who started with 1 tree in 2015 and now I am up to 15. With what I am learning from you in the last 2 weeks, I should have 50 or more by next season, with a lot more production! 🙂 QUESTION: A neighbor of mine is from Italy (we are in North GA, Zone 8A) and he shared a tip with me from "the old country" lol. He said to put large pieces of bark in the bottom 6 inches of every pot - curious to know what your thoughts are on this since you use a bark/peat moss type soil?

[@Drewgaray06]

Shoutout from west Texas and yes it gets too hot here lol i have an irrigation system on my in ground trees but im seriously considering putting one for my potted fruit trees in really comes in handy when we leave town and can’t find anybody to come water them for me lol nice informative video my man

[@johnnyd3387]

Ross the fig boss love it.

[@roccoconte2960]

Good talk Ross, as always very interesting .

[@nickangelovski4358]

You da bomb FigBoss!

[@CoopMauKona]

I use a 10L Gorilla Evolution Poly Cart to move 25 gallon pots indoor and outdoor easily. It's very handy.

[@RossRaddi]

I'll check that out m

[@Chris-bx4vk]

Love every vid you've put out but selfishly we'd love to see more lol. Even just poorly edited fig update vids. Yours are the best. When will we see some tastings? We moved ours from pots to unground mid summer this year...bad move. Either lost the crop or it didn't ripen properly.

[@RossRaddi]

I've got about 8 or 9 tastings available on the blog. They were released recently! I'll likely do another post soon.

[@thehandsurgeon]

Thanks for the great video! I noticed that you have some pretty nice sturdy looking pots that look to be rubberized. Do you have a place you recommend getting the pots that are about 10 gallons or so from? Thanks!

[@sandylove8810]

I wished you showed us the gallon sizes in details so we can observe them in picture more before we upgrade our fig trees

[@lydiahubbell6278]

yes, like meadurements

[@ai-pq4yq]

Hello ross I didn't understand the part in were you said it produces 70 to 100 figs for a 15 gallon container do these figs become ripe and can you eat them? And how long do those trees in 15 gallon containers reach in height without pruning

[@DN-kz7xl]

I came for "more" after having been advised to watch the video to learn about pruning in season as my potted fig are just leaves all over. Alas, no such info here. When and how do I prune to have the tree start producing figs. It is springtime with us now.

[@CapricaSoul]

Soil medium. Easy. Coco coir. I know it works, because I am doing it. Same nutrients as mentioned by Ross.

[@HVACRTECH-83]

No coco coir by itself is not good enough

[@fungholio]

​@HVACRTECH-83 most brands of coco coir I've tested are 60% max water content and 40% air filled porosity at field capacity. Anything above 20% porosity is good for container media on fruit trees.

[@RossRaddi]

Thanks for sharing

[@HVACRTECH-83]

@@fungholio good luck with it

[@claudiososa6507]

excellent video, I would like to recommend 5 varieties for humid and tropical climates... of very good quality

[@RossRaddi]

Where are you growing, Claudio?

[@claudiososa6507]

@@RossRaddi dominican republic tropics

[@sarahcsteele]

Have been growing a fig tree from a cutting of a neighbor’s tree. Totally baffled as to how to prune it to produce more leaves and fruit! Any chance I can send a pic? It is in a container and survived a very cold winter covered outdoors, but I think it could be a lot happier than it is rn. I am in Zone 8 (Portland Or).

[@mssavedin92]

So, Osmocote is good? I just bought 4 lbs on amazon, its slow release 14-14-14. Is that recommended?

[@uyhgar369]

I think the winter was in the negative 30's. I planned about 60 veritys.

[@mssavedin92]

we have a desert king, 4.5 yrs old in a 15 gal container. in zone 8b here in British Columbia. Neither the roots or the tree has ever been pruned .. last summer, I went to lift the pot up and discovered that the roots had come out of the bottom and rooted into the ground which apparently damaged the tree because after that, All the figlets dropped off and there were so many, so we had none last year. So this year...I want to do it right. I assume the roots need pruning? And maybe a light pruning on the branches? What would you recommend? I heard someone say that if the desert King's wood is 4 yrs old, it should be pruned down. Hers was in the ground, but ours is in the container. Any suggestions? Thankyou so much.

[@andressazon4738]

How to fix the leaves that turn like rust.

[@RossRaddi]

www.figboss.com/post/fight-the-fungus-how-to-recognize-and-treat-fig-rust

[@xlrider1565]

I recently bought a Black Fig Plant(supposedly air-layered), for $15. It is about 18" tall and not very leafy. When I first got it, about two months ago, it had around 12 leaves, spread out between 4 individual shoots. It slowly dropped its leaves, until just one leaf remained. Stayed like this for about a month. Then, I noticed new shoots coming out from the tips that once had more leaves. The plant came in a small half gallon, or one gallon pot. When should I transplant it to a larger pot, and how much bigger? BTW, I live in Honolulu.

[@bowlusfineartscenter9965]

We have a potted fig in our East Entrance, which is all glass windows. It is a younger tree, but the leaves are starting to fall off. What do you recommend to help save the tree?

[@Rizzob420]

I’m looking for a specific live fig/cuttings for a cottonwood candy fig. I can only find cuttings on one website and the shipping is more than the product itself. Plus it will take 3 weeks. If you have any for sale, please let me know.

[@keithberry366]

Great video. North FL zone 8B. I would like to mix old chicken manure, pine bark, and leaf compost for container figs. What say you? I have tried seaweed fertilizer in the past but have severe Raccoon problems. Thank you in advance.

[@ozzy_fromhell]

I’m in Southern California I want a black mission and desert king fig is 15 gallons alright?

[@slamrock17]

I wonder if the plastic in the osmocote is bad? I dont want to turn my frogs gay.

[@m.g.3729]

(Not that there is anything wrong with that)

[@sethsmith9999]

​@m.g.3729 other than not being able to reproduce and keep a species from going extinct

[@Abbasshahsso]

Can use clay pots too.

[@ddg8920]

Hi Ross; I have 2 Q if U don't mind; I am in zone 5b (Toronto) and I have 2 trees in containers (cultivars not known): one rooted from cutting last fall, one purchased in summer (probably second year); both have small undeveloped fruit- bigger than brebas; the 2 yo has also bigger fruit growing, hopefully to ripe till the end of season-; #1 what do I do with them (fruits) over winter? I can bring the pots inside (garage is uninsulated); do I leave the fruits on the dormant trees (there are only leaders so far, no branches, aside for some suckers); #2 at the second year tree I have a sucker with several small fruits; I understand that is desirable to remove suckers; do I leave the fruit bearing one? thx

[@mehdisalimian9680]

hello how and when you prune the roots? thank you

[@RossRaddi]

During dormancy: www.figboss.com/post/root-pruning-fig-trees

[@neurocognitive]

Hi Ross - Thank you for your videos and your website. They are great sources of information. Quick Question - is your timer clock battery operated, or is it plugged into an electrical source?

[@RossRaddi]

Battery! Glad you're enjoying the content.

[@neurocognitive]

Thank You@@RossRaddi

[@lourdespereyra1528]

How do I revive a small fig tree where leaves dried while transplanting?

[@RossRaddi]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHq6gpetaZ6hircsi=xGVpjyQmMjmC27MY

[@nofreerides7033]

I’m in Houston tx 100 degree hot and humid and repotted 6 young figs about 8 months old.. should I water daily? Or just check if damp to touch?

[@gingerfield1089]

Sounds like a silly question but yes, I use wood chips to on my potted trees, but come fall like now time to add fertilizer. Do you remove it to add the fertilizer or just poured over the wood chips?

[@michaelyaary3860]

Do they not get root bound in 5 gal containers quickly? I just moved to a 15 gal one this season and already seems to to have filled it. I will probably root prune this winter so I don't have to go bigger than 15 gallon

[@RossRaddi]

They do. By the end of year 3.

[@michaelyaary3860]

@@RossRaddi gotcha. I started a yellow long neck cutting last winter in 2022 and filled my 3 gal in it's first season in zone 8a here. So I jumped to 15 gal this year. Tons of figs!

[@vonadmin6935]

I ordered and planted seeds. Well using google lens I discovered the seeds (wrong ones) are figs. If I send a few photos can you tell the name by the leaves? I think there is 3 definitely 2 different types. Thanks.

[@OldMotherLogo]

There is no way to know because you would need to know what the parent figs were. Figs are not normally grown from seed unless you are experimenting with breeding. Figs are normally grown from cuttings. That is the only way to know what variety it is.

[@julieweir5777]

Hi Ross, why does my potted fig get lots of fogs, then drops them before they are Mature, very frustrating, they get watered, but it's hard to tell if they are too wet at the bottom

[@RossRaddi]

Hello Julie. There's 4 reasons: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2GpqqqVgtmKacUsi=bQNbodVZzKszBl_q

[@nicolecampbell3166]

I'm rooting from cuttings. How early is too early to plant out in pots and start fertilizing like a 'normal' tree? This is my first time with trees, so I don't know anything about growing seasons or when the roots are mature enough for dirt. They look good to me, but I don't want to shock or burn the new roots.

[@RossRaddi]

Good question. That's hard to define through text. Send me photos and I'll confirm either way.

[@nicolecampbell3166]

@@RossRaddi Okay, I sent you an email!

[@lydiahubbell6278]

A 3 gallon is like what height and depth?

[@RossRaddi]

About 10-12 inches by 10-12 inches.

[@naomi8097]

Do you water potted trees in winter?

[@RossRaddi]

www.figboss.com/post/do-you-water-a-fig-tree-in-winter

[@MrLustFn.ß]

Do I need more than one Fig tree to have a successful growth ?

[@OldMotherLogo]

No. They do not need to cross-pollinate, they are self fertile.

[@eusebiuse6537]

Do they eventually outgrow all pot sizes? The stem must get bigger each year. Do you constantly root cuttings to replace the older trees?

[@RossRaddi]

Root pruning does the job. I'm personally always up potting, planting or selling larger trees however.

[@dozerkid9]

I'm in Northern New Jersey. Can I put my trees in my shed over winter? It has no insulation it's just a plastic walled lifetime shed

[@RossRaddi]

You'll have to heat it.

[@RossRaddi]

They gotta stay above 15F all winter.

[@RossRaddi]

You could also try and insulate it really well. That's what I do.

[@fungholio]

Do you prefer coco coir or peat based media for your trees?

[@RossRaddi]

Honestly I have no preference there. I rarely use either.

[@roger55es]

Just started to plant my 1st fig tree in carribean. I appreciate &enjoyed the information . Thanks

[@uyhgar369]

Hey Ross I wanted to talk to you. I grew about 500 figs in 5-20 gal pots. Then I planned 84 outside in my yard in Boise Idaho. 82 of the trees lived threw the winter. I did none of the smart advice you offered on your show as I'm a permicrastinator.

[@CoopMauKona]

Look at the fig jungle. Amazing content.

[@RossRaddi]

Thank you!

[@yannisavramakis7778]

Hi, Ross, I don’t live in the USA 🇺🇸 but in the south of the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 near London! I‘ve got 3 different types of figs VDB, Brown Turkey, and Lime Green fig, can you tell me if I can leave them in the garden the climate here in the winter is 10 to 15 Celsius. Can I live them in the garden do you have an answer to these climates? Thanks! By the way, I follow you all the time because I get the best info. From you!

[@mycatalanhomestead]

Most fig trees can take a max of -10°C (15°F) before taking damage.

[@yannisavramakis7778]

@@mycatalanhomestead My area here is about 45-50*F so I believe that I am safe. Many thanks, my friend 👍 Another guy who lived in my area a few years ago ( now lives in Vancouver ) told me that this place is 10a. We have lots of rain but not snow, or freezing

[@RossRaddi]

They're usually safe in the UK. Keep potted figs above 15F.

[@haslamhulme3677]

Another UK grower here, I’ve rarely had issues with leaving trees outside over winter the thing to look out for is early frosts before the trees have gone dormant and the wood has had time to lignified properly which might damage new growth, and warm weather in February which can cause the trees to wake up prematurely and open buds/push new leaves, which can then get hit by cold weather in March onwards

[@yannisavramakis7778]

@@RossRaddi My dear friend Ross, here where I live we have 45-50F, 12-16 celcious if I say it correctly, and another guy who lived close to my place he said we are 10a. I don’t know what that mean’s, but in the winter is most of the time mild. I see rain but NOT SNOW. Thanks a lot.