Each year the stem / trunk / leader has grown a little bit more, extending the height further each time. Here it is now, showing signs of life already.
Little buds like this are forming too, but I think they will probably be leaf-buds again, not branches.
What should I do? Should I cut the leader shoot? Will that make the tree produce some side-branches? If you know about these things, please let me know.
I have read that you should constrain the roots of a Fig tree, otherwise it will just grow big and not produce any fruit. Mine is currently in a 12" pot and I am thinking of re-potting it into something bigger - maybe about twice the size. Does that sound sensible or not?
Still on the subject of trees - I also have an Olive tree (also from a magazine offer, but much older).
Unlike the Fig, this one has loads of branches, although the tree is basically V-shaped.
Maybe January is not the best time to judge these things, but I think my tree has fewer leaves than I would like. It always seems to look fairly sparse. Is that normal for an Olive? I usually feed the tree with whatever general-purpose plant food I use for all my pots. Is that right, do you think? Or should I be using something different? Also, what do you think of the size of the pot it is currently in? Should the tree be in a bigger pot?
If you have any experience with trees like these, I'd really appreciate it if you could give me the benefit of your advice, in a comment. Thanks!
I think the fig needs the bigger pot and now is a good time to re-pot it. It needs replanting every three years. Once you reach the desired size of the pot you only have to change the top soil. You know that already - the pot plants need regular watering and feeding. In Spring, you can fertilize it every week. The general purpose fertilizer is good and you can also use the tomato fertilizer as well (high potassium feed). I would cut off the tip in spring to encourage the side shoot growth. As for the olive, it is already formed as a bush. I am afraid you cannot do much about it. It already branches very low forming that v-shape. But, I like it as it is.
ReplyDeleteCut the fig back hard and be mean and nasty to it by re-potting in a poor quality compost with plenty of drainage at the base.
ReplyDeleteAlmost the same recommendation for the Olive (save the pruning back)
Gosh, you don't often see poor quality compost recommended for anything! Must drop into Aldi....
DeleteI'm afraid I can't offer any advice, but my little fig tree which I bought in Morrisons for, I think, £2 has grown horizontally, one branch at ground level growing east and one growing west, nothing growing skywards. My next door neighbours have a huge fig tree in a pot which they get a good crop of figs from each year.
ReplyDeleteFigs are tough - twice we have had plants that have been neglected come back from apparent death. One was cut back to a 15cm (6") twig and it sprouted well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about poor compost as we are thinking of repotting ours. Still considering where they go it makes sense. I've heard advice to dig a hole on mainly fill it with stones beg=forte planting too.
I cut the leader of my Brown Turkey fig and then over the next couple of years trained it into a fan form to grow up one side of the greenhouse. It worked well and I got it to fruit. There was just one problem: I don't like figs!
ReplyDeleteAs I've only a few months experience as a fig tree owner, I've no advice to impart I'm afraid; my trees are in the cold cellar right now getting their winter rest. The "cut back hard" advice sounds right as that's what you would do if you wanted a tree to branch out, which is what a fig is. Does the olive tree actually provide you with olives?
ReplyDeleteThe tree has produced a few very small olives, but they are definitely not big enough to be worth trying to eat! Brining them is supposedly a bit of a pfaff too, so probably not worth it for half a dozen fruit!
DeleteI have just moved to Italy and now have fig and olive trees growing in my garden. When in the uk I also like you had olive and fig but grew them outside in the garden and never had any luck with them fruiting despite spending a fortune on feed. The only help I can add is that pruning here on my fig and olives is done with chainsaws and there is no finesse. They respond to hard pruning and you need to get them into a shape you want rather than what we do in the uk is let the plant determine the shape they want.
DeleteDon't be fooled into thinking preserving olives in a phaff, its really easy and takes no time, its just the books that make it sound difficult. I picked 500kilos of olives this year and preserved some and they taste really good
Wow! 500kgs of olives. I think I'll be lucky if I get 50g!
DeleteInteresting about the compost I'm re potting mine this year though if it doesn't produce any fruit it will end up in the log pile
ReplyDeleteThe best fig tree that I have ever seen was in South Australia, it was in the corner of a rural car park and growing out of a pile of rubble. It was massive and dripping with ripe fruit. I have a space earmarked for one in my garden, I will dig a hole out and line it with slabs, back fill with soil and rubble and plant in the middle. There will be 2 choices for the tree, live or die, I have been told not to mollycoddle it at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree on cutting back your fig hard, perhaps to about a foot. It has a 90% chance - I always hedge my bets
ReplyDeleteI suspect the poor compost advice refers to sandy with sharp drainage but low nutrient. Personally I would use good garden soil for both your plants. I had a fig for several years which when bought was from Italy and in clay! I potted it into my soil straight away. For what its worth it gave me several crops of olives although I did not do anything with them The 2010 Winter killed it but my replacement shows no sign of fruiting. They love sun!
I very lightly - about an ounce -top dress mine with yaramila general fertiliser three or four times a year
I like the idea of a fig tree that produces olives, Roger!!! (I know what you mean really). I think both Fig and Olive need more sun that they would normally get in a typical English summer, if they are going to do well.
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