Esmeralda,

Do the baby diaper check, only on your fig tree. Half way from the inside edge of the pot to the trunk wiggle your hand down into the soil as long as your fingers can go. If it feels dry, it needs to be watered.

I have found potted fig tree's do better managed a little dry between waterings....but not to the point where the leaves are badly wilting or the soil shrinks from the side of the pot.

Overwatered, and a fig's foliage wilts. If not corrected, it yellows and drops. The leaves wilt because roots are rotting/dying and the fig tree is unable to take up water through dead/dying roots. All because there is TOO MUCH WATER!

45 gallons is one big pot! How are you going to move it?

Moses

Moses this tree has never been indoors. Before my dad stopped taking care of it he use to wrap it up with something. I’m gonna try and do the same. It’s a miracle it still has some life in it.

Moses, Thanks for the advice for the winter. I had planned to leave it and wrap it well. I’m not sure how we will be able to bring it down the steps of my deck. It’s really heavy.

Esmeralda

Esmeralda,

What you may consider doing is let it recover in your current barrel pot. When the first frosts come, when it goes dormant, repot it in a 15 gallon black plastic nursery pot. Gro Pro makes great ones..BPA free and made in the USA.

Two stout hearted folks with good backs can move it then. Every three years in spring before bud break, take it out of the nursery pot, root prune 1/3 of the roots, report with fresh soil below and around the new root mass. Then prune back stems accordingly for balance between top growth and root mass. Come August, start harvesting your bumper crop of figs.

When your fig fruits, which it has every likelihood of doing even this year, check the fruit size and color to determine what variety you have. Leaf form, skinny fingers, or fat ones help to identify a fig variety, also.

I wish you much success!

Moses

Thanks for the confidence your giving me. I don’t think it will fit in a 15 gallon. My barrel is 42-45 and it was almost a perfect fit. I’m guessing the best bet is to remove it from that barrel and maybe bury the root.

Esmeralda,

Wait until late fall to plant it. The shock of doing it now may be too much for your tree.

Properly wrapped for the winter will ensure the maximum number of trunks, branches, and twiggy growth to survive. I would grow it as a multi trunk tree, keeping it short and easy to manage and harvest figs.

Moses

Recall seeing your plant in the half whiskey barrel and yes those are very heavy as i had one but quickly transferred out of it as its was a pain to move with a hand truck.

What can easily be done when (dormant ) with a electric saw and 9 inch pruning blade found at harbor freight when on sale for 20.00 is to take out of its container saw out portion you want with roots or even several smaller portions and transfer to plastic type containers even plant 1 of them inground if you wish next spring.

The way it is now with all those base branches even if trimmed will quickly grow more back to what it looks like now.

You can even airlayer some good looking branches .

Martin

Esmeralda in search on fig forum here type airlayering you will see some different methods of doing it depending on size of limb being airlayered.

Have used a cut in half regular size water bottle then taped after affixing it to limb filled with potting mix . Even used a gallon nursery pot on large limb and cut out a square hole and clear taped it to see roots development.

Try it one day you will see its not that hard at all.

You need help in process just ask.

Martin

The saying goes - figs do not like wet feet, it can rot the roots.

In growing figs in 30g containers can tell by lifting lip of container if it needs water .

With a wooden half whiskey barrel that is hard to do as i have experienced that and no longer grow in barrel but used to stick a dowel rod or slender piece of wood down into mix to give indication when barrel was used.

In short did not like wooden whiskey barrels for growing fig plants as they are difficult to move because of the wide bottom not fitting well on hand truck to move to our garage for winter storage.

Martin