thank you for the response.

The tree is in the ground. the temperatures are in high 80s. is that too hot for the fig. i thought they can tolerate much hotter temps.

Good Grief! That's not too hot. So now we'll go back to watering practices. It looks like it needs some water. Only other thing I can think is root damage from some burrowing critter.

i water once or twice a week based on the temperatures.

Is your soil well drained? Is it clay? Are you watering deeply or just surface?

If it's a very young tree this is not unusual. The fig got burned and didn't have sufficient roots to draw sufficient moisture.

When leaf margins turn black like that it usually means there is too much salt in the soil.

@Suzi, the soil drains well and its not very clay. the tree is on a slope and the soils contains lots of small rocks.

@baldeagleomelette, i think the tree is atleast 5 years old(dont know exactly when it was planted)

@Hooserbanana, what are the recommended salt levels for the soil and the what is the mechanism to find those levels.