We bought a fig tree last spring and temporarily planted it in a pot until we move into our new home and can plant it in the ground.
It was doing well in the spring and summer, but lately it's dropped it's leaves and isn't looking great.

I feel like I should be pruning it and I'm also concerned that we might have root suckers?

Can someone advise?

Hi HokieLaur,
I don't know a thing about growing Figs (Ficus carica) and I'm not certain but I think some Figs are deciduous and it's normal for them to lose their leaves in the fall or winter. As for pruning, depending on the area of the country, this time of year might not be the right time for trimming or pruning.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable with Figs will be along with suggestions and advice soon.

Hi and welcome! My fig tree drops leaves when it gets that rusty fungus - the reddish spots on the leaves. It doesn't kill the tree and it puts on a whole new set of leaves after that happens, then it loses all those leaves for the winter as well.

No worries, I wouldn't think. Don't take off any of those base branches until the tree is a lot bigger. After you plant it out at your new home, let it grow all it wants for a couple of years, then you can limb it up (cut off lower branches) to encourage more of a tree shape. Early on, it just needs all the leaves it can make so pruning will only set it back.

HokieLaur,
When asking questions it's a good idea to give your location so we know the climate; even the indoor climate.

We have a member here who grows tons of varieties of figs, many are in pots. I will use the @ symbol to alert him to your question and hopefully he can give you some advice.
@ediblelandscapingsc

Figs are deciduous. Put it outside. It needs chiling hours. To produce. You dont want it to start growing before spring. Pruning can be done any time. Prune to shape as it grows. Right now it its in perty good shape if you want it low to ground. It makes for easier picking of fruit. Thats
"My opinion"!!!
They dont get suckers. Unless your talking bugs that suck root. I dont know of any !
😎😎😎

Sorry for the late reply, I agree with Philip and Elaine it's normal for fig trees to go dormant and drop their leaves. I wouldn't prune it. I wouldn't put it outside until you let us know where you are located. If you live outside of it's growing area you could loose your tree.

It looks like a normal looking fig. with all the advice given above.

In the San Joaquin Valley (California), the Indians carried figs from the Missions up the rivers, planting trees as they went. Now those trees (or their children) growing along the rivers sometimes take up acres and look like giant jungle jims. My kids spent hours when they were young climbing through the tangle of branches.

If you want it to look like a tree, eventually those bottom branches will have to go. But be patient.

I have four different varieties of fig trees on my property in Washington DC. The trees are of varying ages. In past winters I have lost all mature growth through winter kill, i.e. down to the root ball which survives and grows back the next year. I am interested in the reason for the winter kill with two possibly theories in mind. The first would be sub freezing temperatures (which is the current weather) generally killing the mature growth. The second reason is sub freezing weather toward spring when the sap begins to move and the thin bark allows wind driven cold to dehydrate the limbs and trunk.
If the later reason is correct, then i still have time to wrap the major trunks otherwise i can expect a total die back and as you know fruit is only borne on the second year of growth. I would appreciate any expertise on this subject and/or should i give up on fig trees?

Tomatorit - Ficus carica is deciduous wherever temps fall close to or below freezing. The colder it gets, the more cold-related dieback there will be. I'm not sure I understand the distinction you are drawing between your two theories. The dieback occurs because of cold temps that start in early winter and continue through the winter.

In your area, the best practice would be to wrap your trees for protection as soon as temps start to get close to freezing in the late fall and leave them wrapped until sub-freezing temps are over in the spring.

I am in agreement with @WillC .
Protect tree's early.
Your out of there zone , with total die back. There going to need some heat, to keep them from subfreezing weather.
Some old fashion Christmas tree lites , the kind that get hot , strung on the trees, during freezing weather, 24/7 if necessary, or something similar.
They are sub-tropical. There roots are active year round . They, also need watering year round.

😎😎😎

In sub-freezing weather of the northeast, artificial warmth from lights will not help in the way that wrapping will. Because Figs go virtually dormant in sub-freezing weather, they do not need any more water than they will get from normal winter rain and snow fall.

??? ???
What does someone from fig country know ?

tomatorit said:I have four different varieties of fig trees on my property in Washington DC. The trees are of varying ages. In past winters I have lost all mature growth through winter kill, i.e. down to the root ball which survives and grows back the next year. I am interested in the reason for the winter kill with two possibly theories in mind. The first would be sub freezing temperatures (which is the current weather) generally killing the mature growth. The second reason is sub freezing weather toward spring when the sap begins to move and the thin bark allows wind driven cold to dehydrate the limbs and trunk.
If the later reason is correct, then i still have time to wrap the major trunks otherwise i can expect a total die back and as you know fruit is only borne on the second year of growth. I would appreciate any expertise on this subject and/or should i give up on fig trees?

To @Tomatorit, Figs are native to the tropics. Most figs can't take those low temps but there are some cold hardy ones that live in our area (Zone 6). Maybe you should look for one of those.

And to Philip:
Maybe something about figs? It doesn't really matter, the OP has been gone for two months

Figs, Italians and NYC- its a SET! Drive through any decent part of NYC in winter and there's these weird blue statue looking things in everyone's yards- and it turns out they are fig trees wrapped up in tarps.

Don't worry, it doesn't have to be a blue tarp, you can use any color you want, lol, but you have to keep the frost off them. I don't know why It works in a six zone, becasue eventually the branches will freeze solid, wrap or no, when we get a week of sub freezing temps, but it does work. They only fruit from mature branches. If you let those branches freeze every winter you'll never get fruit. Saving the roots isn't enough.

Hello, need some help. I purchased 2 figs last month. A Brown Turkey and Golden Honey. I planted both the same, water them the same, and both get the same amount of light. I live in Northeast MA, so I am taking them in at night still. The Brown Turkey is doing great, but the golden honey doesn't look too great. Any help would be appreciated.

@Daisl , @Philipwonel & @Turbosaurus Yes, those San Joaquin Valley figs really do turn in to real tall trees, there !
I tried to keep mine going that way, by overwintering indoors. but I eventually planted it out, after not finding a pot any larger, that could be easily moved in & out & planted in the ground. After twnty years it was huge, but stayed a giant "shrub" & produced fruit like crazy. I had so many pounds of them, when ripe, used a pasta boiling pot, to cook them up & made fig preserves. I'd like to have another 'California style, 'Black Mission' they're so tasty sweet.

It looks like you may be fertilizing it a bit too much. The crispy brown leaf edges are signs of fertilizer burn. Just water sparingly and no more fert until it's about twice as big.

It will make a big surge as soon as the weather warms up, then as Shawn said above, you're going to be wondering where you'll put it when it's 6ft. tall at the end of the season.

I don't know what zone you are in, but having had a white Fig in a rental property years ago, I have to think they are more finicky than the brown figs, as I always had people asking about it, as figs grow all over in this area..

Its fig mosaic virus

Hi, I have a fig tree that I keep in my heated garage during winter since I live in Toronto. In the garage, I also have grown lights for some Tomato plants. I can see that the light was partially on the fig tree. So when I went to love the dormant fig tree, I realized that the branch had figs on it at that it was not dormant. What do I do it's only January and I have figs and leaves and green buds starting to form on my fig tree.