Fig Plant Types and How to Grow Them Successfully

Growing your own fig plant can be a rewarding experience, and with the right knowledge, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of delicious fruit. Fig plants are relatively low-maintenance, but they do require some specific conditions to thrive.

Fig plants can be grown in a variety of settings, from containers to in-ground gardens. They prefer well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade.

To grow fig plants successfully, you'll want to choose a variety that suits your climate and desired level of care. Some fig varieties are more tolerant of cooler temperatures than others.

There are four main types of fig trees: Caprifigs, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Common. Caprifigs only produce male flowers and don't bear fruit, while Smyrna figs bear all female flowers and require pollination by a caprifig.

Smyrna-type figs develop only when fertile seeds are present, resulting in excellent quality and nutty flavor. White San Pedro figs combine the characteristics of both Smyrna and Common types, producing two crops: one without pollination and one that requires it.

Common figs, like Brown Turkey and Dottato, don't require pollination and have hollow seeds in the mature fruit. These figs were once thought to be incapable of fecundation, but it's been proven that they can produce fertile seeds if the flowers are pollinated.

Here's a list of some common fig types:

There are four main types of fig trees: Caprifigs, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Common figs. The Common fig is the type usually grown in home landscapes and doesn't require another tree for pollination.

Fig trees can be propagated from cuttings of dormant wood taken in February in the Northern Hemisphere. These cuttings grow in one season to a height of 1 meter (3 feet) and are ready to transplant at the end of the growing season.

Some varieties of figs produce only one crop, while others bear two crops. The first crop matures in June or July on wood of the previous growth, and the second crop ripens in summer or fall in the axils of the leaves of the same season.

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Fig trees thrive in a wide range of soil types and in most Mediterranean countries receive water only from the natural rainfall. They can be grown in a variety of climates, including zones 8 and warmer, where they can produce two crops per year.

Some popular varieties of figs include Brown Turkey, Celeste, and LSU Purple. These varieties are well-suited to home gardens and can produce delicious fruit with minimal care.

Here are some key characteristics of popular fig varieties:

In addition to these varieties, fig trees can also be grown in containers in cooler zones, where they will need plenty of light and regular feeding to produce fruit.

The fig plant is a bush or small tree, ranging from 1 metre to 10 to 12 metres high.

Its broad, rough, deciduous leaves are deeply lobed or sometimes nearly entire.

The leaves and stems exude a white latex when broken.

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Fig fruits, known as syconia, are borne singly or in pairs above the scars of fallen leaves or in axils of leaves of the present season.

Flowers are staminate (male) or pistillate (female) and enclosed within the inflorescence structure.

Long-styled female flowers are characteristic of the edible fruits of most garden and orchard fig trees.

Short-styled female flowers are found in the caprifig, a type of tree that produces inedible figs.

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Growing fig trees is easiest in warm climates with long, hot growing seasons, typically in zones 8 and warmer.

The common fig tree, Ficus carica, is a popular choice because its flowers don't require pollination to produce figs. Some hardy cultivars like 'Chicago Hardy' fig can even thrive in zones 6 and 7.

In cooler zones, potted figs can still produce fruit, but they'll need plenty of light and regular feeding to do so.

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Growing figs is easiest in warm climates with long, hot growing seasons, typically zones 8 and warmer. This is because the common fig tree, Ficus carica, thrives in these conditions and can produce fruit without pollination.

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Some hardy cultivars, like 'Chicago Hardy' fig, can be grown in zones 6 and 7. This makes them a great option for gardeners in cooler areas who still want to enjoy fresh figs.

In cooler zones, potted figs can sometimes produce fruit if they receive plenty of light and regular feeding. However, this can be a bit more challenging, so it's essential to provide them with the right conditions.

Training your fig tree to a bush form is a great idea, especially if you live in the Piedmont area of Georgia. Fig plants in this region are frequently frozen back to the ground, making it difficult to maintain the tree form.

Cut off one-third of the young plant at the time of planting to force shoots to grow from the base of the plant. This will encourage a bushy growth habit.

Let the shoots grow through the first season, then select three to eight vigorous, widely spaced shoots to serve as leaders. These leaders should be far enough apart to grow to 3 to 4 inches in diameter without crowding each other.

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Remove all other shoots to prevent overcrowding and promote healthy growth. If the leaders are too close together, they may fall over or split off under stress.

Prune the bush each spring, starting the second year after planting, by removing about one-third to one-half the length of the last year's growth. This will encourage more branching and promote a healthy, balanced growth habit.

Remove all dead wood and branches that interfere with the leaders' growth, and cut off low-growing lateral branches and sucker growth that is not needed to replace broken leaders. Make all pruning cuts back to a bud or branch to prevent entry points for wood decay organisms.

If your fig plant is excessively vigorous, stop fertilizing it, as this can cause the fruit to drop off before maturing.

A young, vigorous plant may take three or four years to mature a crop because most figs have a long juvenile period before producing edible quality fruit.

If the distance between the nodes (leaves) on the current season's shoots is more than 3 inches, the plant is probably excessively vigorous.

Dry, hot periods before ripening can cause poor fruit quality, but mulching and supplemental watering during dry spells can help reduce the problem.

Mulching and supplemental watering can make a big difference in preserving fruit quality during dry spells.

The variety Celeste will often drop fruit prematurely in hot weather, regardless of the quality of plant care, but it's still one of the best varieties.

An infestation of root-knot nematodes can intensify the problem of poor fruit quality, especially during dry, hot periods.

If your fig plant requires cross-pollination by a special wasp, it will never set a good crop, and the best solution is to replace it with a plant from a rooted shoot of a neighbor's plant that produces a good crop each year.

This rare problem can be resolved by replacing the plant with a new one from a neighbor's plant that produces well.

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