Carol,

You can espalier it. You can grow it as a single or multiple trunk. You can allow low branches to form close to the ground, or have the lowest branch a number of feet from the ground higher up. Figs are very tough, adaptable fruiting trees.

The main crop, late summer/fall figs, is the biggest and best crop. These later season figs form on new growth, one (sometimes 2 or 3), at the base of almost every large leaf on mature fig trees.

Figs from cuttings take 4-5 years to get old and big enough to start giving a steady, quality crop of figs. Figs from very young trees are usually not that good yet. Baby fig trees take time to hit their stride.

Figs are extremely adaptable to spring pruning before growth begins. Even severely pruned, the nodes on the stem segments remaining on the tree after pruning that sprout new growth in the current year, will produce a fig at the base of just about every large leaf.

My Panache is a very young tree. I purchased it last spring (2017), as a well rooted pencil thin one stemmed, 4 little leafed plant in a little 4" pot. Potted up to a 2qt. pot, it grew beautifully to a nice foot or so baby fig tree, and produced 6 figs, one at each new leaf. They were small, about ping pong ball sized, and did not ripen in time because my growing season is so short, and they formed too late, after July 1st. This little guy startled me with its precociousness!

When a fig tree is mature you prune annually before new, spring growth begins. I find that pruning is primarily cutting last year's growth back to the point where after pruning, no more than 5 new growths emerge on that cut stem, and by summer's end each of those new growths reach a maximum of about 12". When you're getting 3' or longer new growths by seasons end your fig tree is putting more energy into producing growth at the expense of fruit. Young fig trees are forgiven this wild growth. Very robust varieties also can make rampant green growth. There is an art to pruning for maximum fruit production.

All my figs are pot cultured, put in cold storage over winter. Soon to be put out.

I have the highest expectation for my Panache. I bet yours will exceed your expectations, too.

Moses

Oh, thanks, Moses. I will have to copy your post and save. It is so extensive and helpful.

I have 2 other figs in the ground that I planted last year. Nothing as of yet on them. The one in a pot - I just saw the name, Italian, was producing figs from the beginning. Then the figs started having no flavor. They just weren't edible. Just this week, we decided to take it out of the pot and put it in the ground right up next to the others I mentioned. I don't know why the figs on this tree had no flavor. I was reading that we should not feed figs with nitrogen - that it makes the figs lose their taste. I had been pot feeding with alfalfa nuggets so maybe this is why.

All 3 of these fig trees are planted about 1 foot from each other. Glad to know they are forgiving trees.

I will try the Panache in a pot like you have done. The article I read said that when figs are in a pot, they need fertilizer 3 or 4 times a year. I surely want to eat some good figs. The Italian was good at first.

Thank you for all the advice. I surely will keep your post. Any other advice is very appreciated. May your panache make beautiful fruit this year. Carol

Carol,

Young fig trees=very variable quality until they get some years on them. Also, even with trees mature enough to produce the characteristic fig taste and quality for that variety, many other factors come into play.

Some are:

Soil - fertility, pH, drainage

Light - the more the better

Heat - only severe desert conditions would effect a fig tree, they love heat

Water - too much or too little

Insect/disease - usually not a major issue with fig trees

Moses

Carol,

What growing zone are you?

Moses

Hi, I am in Houston which I believe is 9a. It actually got down to 20 degrees this winter and 17 last winter which is very strange. We spent the entire day from morning to dark just trying to cover what we have. No citrus this year.

So maybe you are saying that if I had left that last fig in the pot, it might have been better tasting this year. It was so strange for the taste of the fig to be great in the first year, but bland thereafter.

I am beginning to like the idea of espalier for the panache. I realize you said to prune this spring, but after reading your post again, I see to only prune mature figs. Mine are still small.

One tree we have that is producing is starfruit. Love this tree - the Kari Starfruit. Small tree, but bountiful produce.

As far as I know, Panache is a very vigorous tree. Is it easy to keep it 8' max? I have a small Bay area size yard and it is very important to keep it fairly small.

Thanks, I'll try to prune it once a year to be small. My yard is Full !!

Carol

Carol,

Sorry for my tardiness. Your zone is a good zone for growing figs in the ground. I would not pot culture them. I have to pot culture mine, or heavily protect an in ground fig tree here. I have an ideal cold, but not too cold storage facility for them for over winter.

You can start training the basic branch structure of the espaliered fig tree now.

Moses

Carol,

Heavy rain can lead to blandness and fruit splitting. When I have figs on the tree, I do not provide supplemental water to the tree, just my normal irrigation cycle. I manually water all my other trees as they suffer more from the heat.

This may not be a reason why the fruit was blander the second year, but a possibility.

Best of luck!

Is 6 hours of direct sunlight in September and November (harvest time) enough to still produce sweet Panache figs? My fig will be planted in a place where direct sunlight will be limited till April and from September.

I will have enough heat (inland part of the Bay Area) and 7-8 hours of direct sunlight from April to September.

I am planning on planting the Panache about 13' from my house. Is it a safe distance taking into consideration that figs' roots are aggressive and the Panache is a vigorous fig.

Mikhail,

I think that's plenty far enough away from your house to prevent root infiltration to your home's foundation, but if you have a sewer line closer than 15' from the fig tree's trunk, the sewer line may draw the roots to it, especially if it is an older clay, sectional sewer line. Also if the fig tree is planted within a septic system field, problems will probably be encountered.

Just to be safe about that 13' distance from your house....after the fig tree gets mature in a few years, every spring mark out a semi-circle that faces your house, 6' from the fig tree's trunk with a garden hose. Take a root pruning spade, dig straight down in the soil as far as the spade's long blade will go. Inch along, digging straight down all the length of the semi-circle garden hose. You will sever all the roots that could potentially creep toward your house. Do this every year.

Moses

Thanks, Moses! Hopefully 13' will be far enough.

Unfortunately, I cannot root prune the fig that way since my backyard is covered with one huge artificial grass piece.

My house is brand new, so I think we have only PVC pipes and there are no sewer pipes close to the fig (to my knowledge). We have a corrugated rain drain pipe about 4-5' away though.

Will the fig roots be interested in PVC and try to get in?

I have one of these varieties planted on a western facing hill. Fig roots travel far and are aggressive... i planted it on the hill for that very purpose.... to hold that hill in place.

My Tiger P has a rather compact and vertical growth habit. I think the high heat it endures on the western facing hill limits the fruit quality... so i think half day or more sun should be fine for fruit quality.

Lots of criiters love figs so be prepared for battle!

Hmm, it sounds worrisome, molewacker! Can fig roots be compared to Jujube ones? Those guys break even PVC pipes, damage walkways, and asphalt roads.

Mikhail,

You need the best information for growing figs in your climate. Go in person to the local independent nurseries that sell figs. Ask the experts about fig tree roots. Compare the advice gotten from among them, and you will then be well informed. I think you, as I often do, try to prepare for all possibilities. Perhaps we worry too much.

Moses

A neighbor's Italian Honey was discovered with roots that traveled over 35 ft.... and the thing was less than 6ft tall. Fig roots are very aggressive,,, so while you are fighting for the fruit, you will also be fighting to keep the concrete intact.

That's why I am thinking of putting both figs (Panache and, probably, VdB) in containers. I just hope that taste will be as good.

I have 4 available spots left - 2 in-ground and 2 container ones. I guess I will use in-ground spots on Santa Teresa and NZL and plant figs in containers. Now I will need to learn how to fertilize fig container trees :)

I've not heard results of PanachT in a pot, but have read that the naturally dwarf VdB does well. You may want to consider another dwarf fig variety. Black Jack?...

BTW the ST Lemon will get big depending on the rootstock. My STL on Volk shot from 4ft. To over 20 in 4 years! Great lemon. Not sure about the NZL.

I will plant Panache in a big air-pot, I think it should be fine there. At least I hope so :)

My ST was a lucky buy at Home Depot. It is a FW tree and therefore should not be big. They never disclose their rootstocks, at least to me. According to their website, ST is a semi-dwarf tree and will get about 8-10' tall at a fairly slow rate. NZL will get 10-15'.

My FW trees grow very slow, even in the ground, compared to other dwarf and semi-dwarf citruses from other nurseries.

My biggest concern with ST and NZL is that they are very small now, especially NZL. I will ask about them in a Citrus section.

Hi All, I'm from Dallas, Texas.

I'm looking for Panache tiger fig cuttings or a plant. In exchange, I can share cuttings from these figs Celeste, Brown Turkey & Texas Ever-bearing. Last month I also got two more fig varieties, a dwarf fig variety called "Little Miss Figgy" and Italian Ever-bearing, I can share their cuttings in the fall or next Spring.