Fig, brown turkey general questions... :)

[4390evans]

Ive purchased another fig tree this year. I dunno where my last one has gone or if its just died .... I dunno.

I didnt get anything off my last tree I thin I had it two year I dont even know if it flowered. The one I get today looks so much stronger and has buds on. Its in a pot so I would imagine Id best leave it in there till Autumn, but I was wondering should I put it in the ground or just a bigger pot, if I put it in a pot should I have it as a greenhouseplant and just self pollinate.
How long should it be before I get fruit, the plant looks mature, although not massive but stocky.

Thanks guys

[greenishfing]

I've got two. They are only little - less than 3 feet tall. I bought one last year and one the year before and got about a dozen figs last year. Mine are in pots. If you plant them in open ground you must restrict the roots or you will get lots of growth and no fruit.

[Invicta]

fig pollination

Good news is that figs self pollinate naturally so you don't have to take the place of pollinating insects as with peaches.

[4390evans]

Oh both fab news

[veggiechicken]

Have a read of Growing Figs | How To Grow | Grow Your Own

[Alison]

Mines outside in a pot all year round

[SarrissUK]

Mines outside in a pot all year round

Same here - in my third year now, still no fruit but it's put on plenty of growth. Hoping for some figs this year!

[Guest]

I made the mistake of having a brown turkey in the GH and it was like a triffid, it got oiked out before it could damage anything. It was all growth and no fruit. They can take several years before they fruit.

[lookbettertomorow]

The buds you see are actually little figs, they don't flower per se , very complex clever system utilising a parasitic wasp. Unless the new varieties are all self fertile,like you I dunno either. What I do know is my 5 or 6 year old has decent size fruit on right now. The fruit set the previous year as mine has for the last few years but it never came to anything thing, fingers crossed this year. I believe it's similar to outdoor grapes in that you need a long warm autumn to mature the fruit. Mines in a pot, extremely hardy and benefit being pot bound,apparently.

[Snoop Puss]

Mines in a pot, extremely hardy and benefit being pot bound,apparently.

I can confirm they are extremely hardy. We get down as low as minus 17 ºC in winter and our fig and others nearby do very well.

If you do decide to put it in the ground, they benefit from pruning side shoots/suckers right back and, if you still don't get any fruit, giving the tree a bit of root shock by taking a spade and chopping the roots back. As described in the article VC links to, you can of course grow them just above a terrace wall or the like, restricting the roots on one side, or contain them in a kind of pit. If you can manage this, I expect they'd do better than in a pot.

Edited to add: That's a brilliant article by the way, VC. You read a lot of rubbish in the British press about growing figs but that one really is very good.

[BUFFS]

I have had one for over 10yrs now, in a half dustbin, in john innes No3, in feb each year I take all the end buds from each stem, they just snap off if you bend them over, this really promotes fresh figs. I put a handful of BFB on the soil in march and from the start of june I feed once a month with tom food and in the autumn it gets about a tablespoon of bonemeal. it is on a southfacing wall (which doesn't mean much around here) and has been out there in -16deg for weeks on end in the harder winters and seems quite happy to fruit each year....... and if they grow here they will grow anywhere...

[veggiechicken]

If you do decide to put it in the ground, they benefit from pruning side shoots/suckers right back and, if you still don't get any fruit, giving the tree a bit of root shock by taking a spade and chopping the roots back. As described in the article VC links to, you can of course grow them just above a terrace wall or the like, restricting the roots on one side, or contain them in a kind of pit. If you can manage this, I expect they'd do better than in a pot.

Edited to add: That's a brilliant article by the way, VC. You read a lot of rubbish in the British press about growing figs but that one really is very good.

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