figs not maturing- drying up and falling off??

18 years ago

I have two fig trees, taken from cuttings, that are 3 years old now. They are about 4 or 5 feet high. I have noticed the lowest layer of leaves are yellowing and brown tinged. The rest look good. New leaves are also growing. The figs never get to the full size- they stop growing, and then fall off. When I cut them open they are totally dry inside! This is the second year this has happened... Can anyone advise me? I live in southern New Jersey, and I have the trees in the sunniest spot I can find where they get the hot afternoon sun. I don't know what kind of figs they are because they were taken as cuttings from my grandfather's tree; he is passed on now (which makes it all the more important to me to get the tree going!) and so I can't ask him. I am really disappointed and would appreciate any ideas. I DO know, that his tree never makes a first crop, then a second crop- whatever grows is what we eat. His tree is going strong and made a beautiful crop this year, about a week ago.

Thanks,

Michelle

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Comments (4)

User
18 years ago
I live in Southern NJ too In Willingboro to be precise.
I know only one cultivar from the common figs that drop part of the crop,and that is Celeste.
However it get ripe more than half of the figs that starts with.
It looks like you have a Smirna fig,one that need polination by the wasp.
If your grandfather lives over sea,Grece Italy Malta,Turkey,or California,that is it,it need polination,if not then is one of those figs that needs a number of years to start producing fruits.
I personally do not have the patience to wait.
If it did not have ripe figs the third year I get rid of it.
I have a small number of cultivars selected for the ability to ripe high quality fruits here in New Jersey.
I also have a good number (40) of new cultivar in trial ,to find better varieties,for our climate.
If you want to see them or taste them Email me privatelly.
Happy Gardening
goodground
18 years ago
Herman,
You are dead on about the Celeste. I'm in Northern NJ and my Celeste has been dropping some small yellow figs lately. But now they are starting to swell up a little and one is adding color. So even though the figs have not grown in about 2 months, it appears that I will get some ripe figs out of this tree. Thanks!
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michelle71
Original Author
18 years ago
Herman-

If you are right about the wasp- how do I attract them? Are they even native to this area? I am a little confused about this since the parent tree has never had a problem making fruit. So, the parent tree is getting the wasp from somewhere.

If it doesn't need a wasp, then you are saying maybe wait a few more years?
If I can add a picture to this post, would that help? I would love to know what kind of trees they are.
User
18 years ago
Well Michelle,You did not say where the father fig was having good fruit,Here in NJ,or oversea.
In NJ ,the wasp do not live so if the old tree produced fruits in NJ,then your young one do not need the wasp,but if the old tree had fig oversea,you will never get fruits here because it needs the wasp.
Hope this will help