Sometimes it take weeks for a shocked figs to reverse, and start pushing out healthy growth again.

You write..."I know that when I put them out in full sun after they came out of winter dormancy, I did it too fast, and the ALREADY GROWN LEAVES, burned".... Your trees should have broken dormancy, and pushed out new leaves, while outside of winter storage, and, in full sun... The newly expanding leaves would have been used to full sun exposure, and you would have had no problems with spring growth drying up. Your fig trees are struggling to survive, so keep them in bright shade, water well, and keep those containers cool, or, you will cook the roots also. Pull off all forming figs for this season, and don't use too much food, if any.

Your trees will probably recover.

Good luck.

Frank

frank,

thanks so much. the newer leaves are doing ok... better than the old ones that were burned after comeing out of dormancy. but im bummed about the lack of new growth.

ive put them in a new spot where they get a few hours of morning sun as opposed to afternoon sun... and i was going to fertilize them this week (havent done it in about a month) but will hold off as per your instructions.

thank you!!

rose

I live in NY zone 5 also. I also have potted Hardy Chicago and Petite Negri. I have been watering them every evening because it has been so dry and hot here. My PN is 2-3 yrs old but has never given any figs yet only leaves...althogh the HC has figlets this year.
Do you think you have been watering them enough? I water with the garden hose and count to 60 for each potted fig. The fig trees are average of four ft high this year.
One of my new fig trees that l bought this year was in a small black pot. One hot morning it looked wilted so l put my hand in the soil which felt too hot so l immediately transplanted into a larger pot...l think the extra soil helped keep the roots cooler. The tree did much better and kept its fruit.
Terry

I live in NY zone 5 also. I also have potted Hardy Chicago and Petite Negri. I have been watering them every evening because it has been so dry and hot here. My PN is 2-3 yrs old but has never given any figs yet only leaves...althogh the HC has figlets this year.
Do you think you have been watering them enough? I water with the garden hose and count to 60 for each potted fig. The fig trees are average of four ft high this year.
One of my new fig trees that l bought this year was in a small black pot. One hot morning it looked wilted so l put my hand in the soil which felt too hot so l immediately transplanted into a larger pot...l think the extra soil helped keep the roots cooler. The tree did much better and kept its fruit.
Terry

I'm seeing quite a few double posts and this last one is a triple post. How is that happening? The few times I hit post again, the message was blocked because it had already posted. I hadn't thought it had.

I'm not complaining, just wondering how this happens, not that I want to post my messages more than once, even if the site would let me. :)

noss

hey guys,

noss- yeah i had a problem posting yesterday... not sure whats going on with the system!

terry- nice to see another local! ;o) i definitely water them enough- every day i water them, usually in late afternoon. the chicago hardy is the only one thats really doing well, the leaves are great on it... but no new growth (compared to last year where i was honestly concerned they were OVERGROWING way too fast). i put them in as much shade as possible and am hoping for the best. i live in an apartment complex and dont have access to as much shade as id like, but if this doesnt help ill just bring them IN the apartment with me. my cats will love that. :o)

rose

Sorry for the late comments....

Heat around the root zone can, and will be, the kiss-of-death for many containerized plants, not just figs. I am convinced, all the wilting leaves, and poor performance is a direct result of overheated medium around the roots. If the roots cook, all the water in the world will not revive dead roots. The trees must constantly grow new roots and that take energy away from fig and leaf production, which equals...lousy figs, or, failing plants.

If you must grow in containers, try to sink the containers into the cool soil, and mulch heavily to keep the broiling heat away from the roots. Cool feet, sunny leaves, plenty of water, and limestone worked into the top layer of soil. Fertilizers cause the medium to go acidic, and figs need alkaline soils for less disease, more fruit, and, better taste.

I was just told recently by a very respected authority, that containerized figs will never reach the same potential as in-ground trees, no matter how good the culture. Containers that are sunk into the surrounding soil can bring these benefits if roots can run into the soil. Then, just spade trim the roots, lift containers for winter storage, and get the best of both words.

I live in The Bronx, NYC, and the neighborhoods are loaded with in-ground fig trees. These trees are ALL healthy, Mosaic-free, lush, vigorous...and some, not all, are very productive. Why? In-ground, and, the cold winters kill off disease. Many are neglected, yet, they still thrive. Containerizing can bring many problems, just be aware of culture...and change what needs changing.

Food for thought. Culture is everything.

Frank

BronxFigs writes: "Heat around the root zone can, and will be, the kiss-of-death for many containerized plants, not just figs. I am convinced, all the wilting leaves, and poor performance is a direct result of overheated medium around the roots."

I recently saw a YouTube video showing how poorly a fig tree did in an open space, but how well a different tree flourished by planting it right against the house slab. He says that fig trees do best when they can find a cool place to spread roots, and under the slab is the coolest place a tree root can find, especially in the South. Anybody else have a comment on this?

Hi Bud,

I think fig trees do well up against building and behind tall fences. If the tree is large enough to shade its own root zone, then it will do out in the middle of nowhere, but I think they do better where they can get a little shade for their root zones.

I was told, not too long ago, that roots do not go beneath house slabs. Rather, they will go up to them and then turn and the reason foundations will crack from tree roots is because the roots suck up all the moisture and the soil gets dry and gives way from that and the foundation will crack. Anyway. Who knows? Also, concrete has lime in it and people say the roots search for limey soils.

noss

I have one of my new figs, Ronde de Bordeaux, double potted. This works really well to keep in moisture and prevent overheating. I know it also helps prevent root freeze in winter because i had a young crepemyrtle in there last winter....and no dieback. My Ronde is doing better than any of my in ground figs, and it has nearly ripe fruit on it. it gets almost full HOT sun all day. i will post a pic asap to show what I mean.

Bud! Do you value your house? Ficus roots can uplift any structure and cause serious damage to your slab or block walls! We found this out the hard way on a house we inherited, after a structural engineer forced us to spend thousands of dollars to rip out the entire slab (seriously cracked and up-heaved from roots), and replace it with a new one so we could list the home for sale. This ate seriously into our profits and I learned the hard way to put all Ficus far from any structure. Many other trees have shallow spreading roots too, so it's not just Ficus.

I suppose if it's in a container, sunk next to the house, root-pruned and moved each winter, it might be OK.

Suzi

Hello Suzi!

Thanks for the warning. Every tree I've ever had was along a backyard fence. It was in a YouTube Video where I watched a guy who had many trees, with his fig trees struggling out in the open, but thriving right up beside his house.

Looking closely, he had a wood frame house, and there was no slab. Ahah!

So, in retrospect, I stand corrected. I had even been considering moving some of my trees up to the house. Better to leave them where they are.

Google Image Searches for 'fig tree' show how mighty the root systems can become. Appreciate the warning. Thanks!

I'm glad my warning helped you. Better safe than sorry! I wish we never had that problem with the roots, and if you don't have a slab, it may not be a problem, but here in California, most have slabs. If it's not the earthquake, it's the fig tree planted too close to the house :-))

Suzi