Fig Plant Outdoors: A Complete Growing Guide

Growing a fig plant outdoors can be a rewarding experience, especially if you live in a warm and sunny climate. Fig plants prefer full sun to partial shade, so choose a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

To ensure your fig plant gets the right amount of water, water it regularly, but make sure the soil isn't waterlogged. This can be achieved by checking the soil moisture by inserting your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If the soil feels dry, it's time to water.

Fig plants thrive in well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. If your soil is heavy clay or sandy, mix in some organic matter like compost to improve its structure.

With proper care, your fig plant can produce two crops of fruit per year, typically in late spring and early fall.

Intriguing read: How Often to Water Fig Plant

Before planting your fig tree outdoors, make sure you have a suitable location with full sun to partial shade.

Choose a spot with well-draining soil, as fig trees don't like wet feet.

Fig trees prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0.

Dig a hole that's twice as wide and just as deep as the fig tree's root ball.

Add organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure to the soil to improve its fertility and drainage.

Plant the fig tree in the hole, making sure the graft union (if applicable) is above the soil level.

Here's an interesting read: How to Plant Fig Trees from Cuttings

Caring for your fig plant outdoors requires some attention to its specific needs. Fig trees can produce multiple crops, but in the UK climate, only one crop will typically ripen in September or October.

In the autumn, remove any unripe figs that won't ripen in the UK climate. These will continue to grow but won't produce fruit. Protect your fig tree from winter damage by covering it with horticultural fleece or straw, especially if it's young.

To give your fig plant the best start, repot container-grown figs every two or three years. This will help it grow and thrive. If your fig tree becomes too big to repot, remove some of the compost from the surface and replace it with fresh.

If you're concerned about winter injury to your fig plant, assess the damage by lightly shaving off the bark on several stems. If the plant tissue underneath is green, you can expect a good harvest the following year.

Discover more: When to Repot Succulent Plants

Plant care is crucial for your fiddle leaf fig to thrive. Fiddles need plenty of light, which can be achieved by placing them in a sunny spot or using grow lights.

To ensure your fiddle leaf fig gets the right amount of water, check the soil moisture by sticking your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If the soil feels dry, it's time to water.

Repotting your fiddle leaf fig every two to three years can help maintain its health. This is especially important for container-grown figs, which can become too big for their pots.

Confining or pruning the root system can invigorate the plant and hasten the harvest. This is a great way to encourage your fiddle leaf fig to produce more fruit.

Here are some techniques for protecting your fiddle leaf fig from winter injury:

Assessing winter injury can help you determine the extent of damage to your fiddle leaf fig. Take a razor blade or sharp knife and lightly shave off the bark on several stems to see if the plant tissue below is green. If so, you should get plenty of fruits that will be produced on shoots emerging from the stems that successfully overwintered.

Pests and disease can be a real problem for outdoor fiddle leaf figs, just like indoors.

Spider mites are a common pest that suck sap juices from the leaves, causing tiny brown dots. Planting chrysanthemums in your yard can help keep them at bay.

Aphids are another insect that feasts on fiddle leaves, causing small holes, honeydew, yellowing, and wilting. Releasing ladybugs in your yard can help keep populations down, and they also hate nasturtiums and petunias.

Bacterial infection can be caused by pathogens spread in the air and even by insects, resulting in medium-brown spots on the leaves. If you see this, remove what you can to prevent the spread.

If your potted fiddle leaf fig is in the shade, giving it a little more light can help prevent bacterial infection.

A unique perspective: Fig Plant Losing Leaves

Tree training and pruning are crucial steps in fig care, helping to manage growth, create space for fruits to ripen, and control the size of your tree. Fig trees can grow quite large and unruly if left unpruned, which is why regular pruning is essential.

For another approach, see: Where to Plant a Fig Tree

To train a fig tree, you can use the fan-training method. This involves tying the stems to a wall or trellis, creating a fan-shape. Pinch out half the growing tips on the main frame of the fan in early summer to encourage growth lower down.

Prune your fig tree in late winter by removing dead and weak branches. This will help keep the framework of the tree open and promote healthy growth. If your tree is growing too large for its space, you can prune it back hard, but be aware that you'll lose fruit for a time.

Don't prune your fig tree in spring, as this can cause it to bleed sap, which can weaken and even kill the tree. The sap of figs is an irritant, so it's essential to wear gloves when pruning.

Here are some key pruning tasks to perform:

By following these pruning tips, you'll be able to keep your fig tree healthy, productive, and looking its best.

To grow a fig plant outdoors, you'll want to start by giving it the right conditions. Figs need full sun, which means at least 8 hours of direct light in the summer, and they can thrive in a wide range of soil types.

Space your fig plants at least 10 feet apart in each direction to give them room to grow. You can also control the size of your plants through pruning, which can help keep them manageable and encourage healthy growth.

To encourage lateral growth, cut back the branch tips after planting. This will help your fig plant develop a strong and balanced structure.

You can also propagate new fig plants by taking cuttings from your existing plants. There are a few different methods you can use, depending on the time of year. In the spring, you can dig up root suckers and transplant them to a new location, or you can try tip rooting, where you bend a low branch to the ground and roots will form where the stem contacts the soil.

Here are the basic steps for taking cuttings in mid- to late summer:

Figs do best in a sheltered, sunny spot, ideally against a brick wall where they can soak up the heat from the wall at night. This is because the wall helps to retain heat, providing the fig tree with a stable and warm environment.

Fiddle leaf figs, on the other hand, prefer a more flexible environment. They can thrive outdoors in tropical or semi-tropical climates, where they can receive plenty of light and maintain ideal temperatures and humidity levels.

To determine the ideal spot for your fiddle leaf fig, consider its temperature tolerance. Outdoors, they can handle temperatures from about 55 degrees Fahrenheit up to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, extreme temperatures can cause problems if other environmental factors aren't ideal. For example, if your tree is in direct sunlight in 90-degree heat and humidity levels are on the low side, you're likely to end up with scorched leaves.

Intriguing read: How to Plant a Fig Tree in a Container

If you're moving your fiddle leaf fig outdoors for summer, choose a spot that provides the right amount of light. Dappled light during the sunrise and then some direct sun in the afternoon might be a good option, but be careful not to overexpose your tree to direct sunlight, especially if it's a young tree.

It's also essential to consider the tree's age and health when deciding where to plant it. A 4-5 year old fiddle leaf fig, like the one in the example, may require a more gentle transition to outdoor conditions.

Figs need full sun to grow well, with at least 8 hours of direct light in summer.

You can plant figs in a wide range of soil types. Space them at least 10 feet apart in each direction to give them room to grow. Plant size can be controlled through pruning.

Cut back the branch tips after planting to force lateral growth. This will encourage the plant to grow outwards rather than upwards.

You can also propagate figs by taking dormant cuttings from 1-3-year-old stems. This is a common method used by nurseries.

To propagate figs by tip rooting, bend and pin a pliable, low branch to the ground in spring. Roots and new top growth will form where the stem contacts the soil.

In mid- to late summer, you can take 8 to 10-inch long stem cuttings from branch tips. Insert the bottom side into a container filled with a lightweight potting mix.

To check for root establishment, gently tug on the cuttings after 4 to 6 weeks. If they're established, you can plant them in the ground by mid-October or leave them outside in their container in a protected area and plant them in the spring.

Here are some key dates to keep in mind for fig propagation:

If you're looking to add some variety to your fig collection, there are several options to consider.

The 'Brown Turkey' fig is a popular choice for outdoor growing in the UK, due to its prolific and reliable production of fruit. It can grow up to 3m x 4m in size.

Another hardy option is the 'Brunswick' fig, which will thrive in cooler parts of the UK and produces large, sweet fruits with green skins and yellow and pink flesh.

The 'Violette de Bordeaux' fig is a compact variety that produces small, sweet fruits with a purple/black color. It grows up to 3m x 4m in size.

If you're looking for a variety that will produce two crops per season, consider the 'Madeleine des Deux Saisons' fig. It produces round, sweet fruits with delicate pink flesh.

For smaller gardens, the 'Dalmatie' fig is a great option, growing up to 2.5m x 2m in size and producing large fruits with amber flesh.

Here are some fig varieties to try:

Growing and harvesting figs outdoors can be a delightful experience. Most outdoor-grown figs are ready at the end of the summer, typically from August through the first frost.

Figs may produce one or two crops per year, with the main harvest forming on the current year's wood. The breba crop, which forms on last year's wood, is lower-quality and its yield depends on the cultivar, pruning severity, and growing conditions.

To determine if your figs are ripe, gently squeeze them. If the skin is soft and almost squishy, and may split when squeezed, they're ready to be picked. Some varieties, like 'Madeleine des Deux Saisons', fruit twice, in June and September.

To ensure a larger main crop later in the season, remove early breba figs as soon as they form, well before they ripen. This will help your fig plant focus its energy on developing a good-quality main crop.

Harvesting your figs is a crucial step in enjoying the fruits of your labor. Most outdoor-grown figs are ready at the end of the summer, typically from mid-August through the first frost.

The figs are ready to be picked when the stem bends and the fruit is hanging down, often producing a drop of sugar at the bottom. You can also check if the skin is soft and almost squishy, and if it splits when squeezed gently.

Some fig varieties, like 'Madeleine des Deux Saisons', fruit twice, in June and September, so be sure to check your specific variety's needs. The remaining tiny, embryo fruit towards the ends of the shoots will over-winter and will ripen the following autumn.

Unripe, green fruits will not ripen once picked, so it's essential to pick fully-ripened and mostly-ripened fruits regularly to avoid attracting birds and squirrels. Fruits that have begun to color and soften will continue to soften and sweeten on the kitchen counter in response to ethylene produced by the figs.

To ensure a larger main crop later in the season, remove any early figs as soon as they form, well before they ripen. This will help the plant develop a good-quality main crop.

Here are some key facts to keep in mind when harvesting your figs:

Growing a fig tree can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it's not without its challenges. Birds and squirrels love figs, so be prepared to use deterrents or cover your tree with net or fleece to protect it.

Figs are a popular snack for wildlife, and they'll demolish a crop if they get the chance. Wasps will also be attracted to split fruit or windfalls, so make sure to pick fruits as soon as they're ripe and pick up any fallen fruits.

Young trees may take a few years to bear fruit, so be patient. There may be other causes for a lack of fruiting, such as water issues, so keep an eye on your tree's watering schedule.

If your tree drops its fruit early, it could be a sign that your plant needs water. Keep an eye out for other environmental factors that might be affecting your tree's health.

Figs can tolerate temperatures from about 55 degrees Fahrenheit up to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but extreme temperatures can cause problems if other factors aren't ideal.

Fig plants can thrive outdoors in warm climates, but they do require some special care.

Fig plants need a lot of sunlight, at least 6 hours a day, to produce fruit.

They also need well-draining soil and a spot with good air circulation.

Fig trees can grow up to 10 feet tall, but can be pruned to maintain a smaller size.

They prefer a slightly acidic soil pH, between 6.0 and 6.5.

In areas with mild winters, fig plants can be grown year-round outdoors.

However, in areas with cold winters, fig plants may need to be brought indoors or protected with a frost blanket to survive.