Growing fig tree in pot

[IndigoElectron]

I'm about to send off for one of these (free with the latest Grow It magazine):

Fig Tree Brown Turkey|D. T. Brown Fruit Trees

It will be grown in a pot in the front garden. I know I will need a mix of multi-purpose compost and John Innes soil based compost, but which multi-purpse and which no. John Innes is best? I don't really know the difference.

Also, the website says to use a 40cm wide container, is it best to stick to that size or can I use a bigger one (e.g. 50cm or 55cm diameter) so it doesn't dry out so quickly? I know the roots need to be restricted.

Thanks!

[IndigoElectron]

Ah, just found this:
Figs / RHS Gardening

but it doesn't say which John Innes to use at the start. Any advice appreciated.

[Kristen]

Other may have different views? But I think that Brown Turkey is, on the one hand, pretty bullet proof, but on the other the flavour is not that brilliant. Although, many of the better tasting alternatives are not as hardy (or fruit late, so at risk) - so may be better suited to a container that can come in to a conservatory etc. for the Winter.

I think (but doing it from memory, so may have mis-remembered) that they two that have been recommended to me are

White Marseilles
Brunswick

Some links:

Buy Fig Trees - Pomona Fruits
Fig Trees For Sale Online | Fig Trees | Blackmoor Nurseries Figs
Fig trees for sale | Suffolk grown fruit trees | Free advice
Figs | Deacons Nursery Fruits

[Kristen]

Ah, just found this:
Figs / RHS Gardening

but it doesn't say which John Innes to use at the start. Any advice appreciated.

Figs / Royal Horticultural Society

"Plant in a large, 30-38cm (1ft-15in) pot filled with gritty compost (John Innes No 3 with 20 percent extra grit by volume is ideal)."

[IndigoElectron]

Oops! Thanks Kristen :-)

[Kristen]

T'was on a different page on the RHS site

[FB.]

Figs will grow in any size pot - smaller pot means smaller plant.

Figs will also grow in almost any soil; fig pits contain half builders rubble and half garden soil - no compost.

So I would say: grow your fig in any pot you want, with half to three-quarters garden soil and a quarter to half compost. Leave the soil an inch from the top of the pot so you can add an inch of compost mulch each winter to hold in moisture during the summer and to refresh the nutrient levels without needing to re-pot.

edit:
The only problem with pot size will be how big the roots when it is shipped to you. Figs tend to have huge roots with a tiny little twig sitting on top, so even a tiny pencil-sized stick of a fig plant might have enough roots to fill a bucket.

If the fig you've bought has roots that are too big, you can take cuttings from it and grow them in compost (cuttings need more nutrients - hence growing in compost for their first year or two).

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks FB, sounds like they're not too difficult to grow then :-)

[FB.]

Thanks FB, sounds like they're not too difficult to grow then :-)

Very easy to grow and not troubled by diseases. Birds, wasps and other insects sometimes take an interest in the ripe fruit.

They grow best in a hot, sunny spot. In the UK they generally prefer the warmth and shelter of a South-facing wall.

They are not fully hardy; temperatures below -5'C can damage them and temperatures below -10'C can kill them. Varieties vary in their hardiness - Brown Turkey is thought to be hardier than average and that's why it is popular in the UK.

I have a Brown Turkey planted straight into the ground (I have infertile, light soil that's not much more fertile than builders rubble!) near a sunny South-facing wall and despite the warmth, shelter and unrestricted roots, it is very slow-growing. My nearby grape is probably ten times faster growing.

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks FB. It is going next to a South-facing wall :-)

[Luke1]

Brown turkey gets a slating for being very bland and it can be, the problem is it need a warmer climate than we usually have here in Britain.
In my opinion Desert king would be a far better choice, or Madeleine des Deux Saisons.

good luck and hope this helps

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Luke. It's already ordered but if it's disappointing I'll bear your recommendations in mind

[Luke1]

Your welcome,
there are a few tricks to help get a good crop, age is the first one, 2-4 years old and you should get fruit from it,
pinch the growing tips at the end of March on all branches this helps to produce one of two things new buds or fig embryos.
any new growth should be pinched out at the tip at 4-5 leaves this does the same as above, stop pinching at the start of July. And thin out any branches with no fruit. Any fruit that starts to appear after mid July should be removed.
Best of luck and hope this helps.



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[IndigoElectron]

That's really helpful, didn't know any of that so thank you

[AllInContainers]

Your welcome,
there are a few tricks to help get a good crop, age is the first one, 2-4 years old and you should get fruit from it,
pinch the growing tips at the end of March on all branches this helps to produce one of two things new buds or fig embryos.
any new growth should be pinched out at the tip at 4-5 leaves this does the same as above, stop pinching at the start of July. And thin out any branches with no fruit. Any fruit that starts to appear after mid July should be removed.
Best of luck and hope this helps.

Re the highlighted section above, I have my fig tree bundled up in fleece, and did not envisage unwrapping it until May, or until I am as sure as I can be that there will be no more frosts. Last year I saw no growth/foliage on the plant until well after everything else anyway. Should I do any pinching out, or just leave it to it's own agenda? For clarification, that's a Brown Turkey in a pot in Yorkshire