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Posted by pbw2507 (U14501442) on Sunday, 6th June 2010
I have a Fig Tree in a pot. I have a small garden - would it be best outside or in the greenhouse?
Its completely hardy so it can go outside permanently. I had one for years in a pot that never fruited. I put it in the ground in its pot and i have had lots of lovely figs every year since. They like their roots restricted so it you can plant yours in the ground plant it in a pot. It will grow and fruit much better.
If it`s in a pot then greenhouse through the late autumn,winter and early spring.
Then outside for the summer.
Just don`t plant one inside a greenhouse-I did. I get figs OK but I have to tame the thug something rotten
Do vine weevils like figs I have a lot of them in the garden and I worry about putting plants outside if they are in pots.
Mine ("Brown Turkey") is fine in a pot all year round outside. I have never had much fruit from it though so may try what you did Londonplantmad. Or feed it a bit more!
I have a Brown Turkey fig in an exposed position on my allotment, in half a plastic barrel drilled all over with 1cm holes and sunk in the ground. It is completely hardy and gives a crop of figs every year with very little attention.
I have the same variety, grown from a cutting 3 years ago, now about 8' high and loaded with figs this year. It was planted in rich compost in an old water tank. I will give it another 2-3 years,probably, before replacing it.
From experience with other containered figs over the years, I think after 3-4 years they are past their prime, become over extended (even after modest pruning) and the fruit reduces significantly. I'm sure their useful life can be extended through judicious feeding and careful pruning but as it's easy to grow them from cuttings, I suggest having a few small trees in reserve to replace the old one in a big container and fresh compost.
My tree is about 12yrs old now and i hardly ever prune it. It is planted in the ground in its original pot. It is thriving and fruiting well. Some of the fig trees i see around me are very old and they are fruiting very well and not very big at all. I cannot agree with replacing a tree the age you say as its still a baby in fig trees.
OK, maybe I'm playing devil's advocate here but how much of your 12 year old tree is producing fruit, compared to its overall size? A younger tree will produce more fruit proportionate to size as well as being better proportioned. My father in law has one 30 years old and it produces a lot of figs each year. However, it is at least 25' across with a 2' trunk, a monster which should never have been allowed to reach that size.
My tree it about 7 foot high by 8 feet across.. I have never allowed it to get too many branches from the start. The branches it has grow upward rather than sideways. None of the branches are very thick. I get fruit on all of them. Last year i had over 100 figs which is good for what i want. My fig tree is the easiest of my fruit trees. It has no problems or diseases the fruit is good. When mine was tree years old it was barely a tree and it did not give fruit. Its up to you but i was just pointing out that mine is fruiting better now than it was years ago. Even if it is easy to grow cuttings they take a good few years to give you a decent crop. Maybe your father in laws was planted in the ground without root restriction which they need as they can grow very big. With the roots restricted they do not.You have to remember to that figs are dependent om our climate. If we do not get enough hot weather you can have a tree full of figs that never ripen and they will not ripen off the tree so its all luck anyway.
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