Hi,
I recently purchased a Brown Turkey Fig Tree as a gift for someone. It arrived with figs only just growing on it. However, I have to give it to them in a little while (9 days to be exact). As this gift is a surprise and they live in the same property leaving it outside isn't really an option, I'm afraid.
As of now, it's in the hightest room in the household, which is pretty warm but not much sunlight. Also, its still in the same soil and container it arrived in, although i do plan on changing it into a larger container and fresh compost. Which i do need advice on because the website I purchased it from mentioned something about placing rocks at the bottom on the container. Which has completely confused me.
Right now the plant looks as though it's sad (silly word to use , I know. But best one to describe it). I do know that it's not dying, as there are new leaves growing.
I just wanted to know what further care you recommend for the tree e.i, how much and how often will it need of food and water. As of right now you've probably realised i know absoluetly nothing about plants and in urgent need of help.
I'm truly sorry for the long story but i just wanted you to understand my situation.

I hope to hear from you very soon, Thank You.

What a nice gift, but too bad you ordered it a little bit too soon, right? It's a fruit tree, and as such desperately needs sunlight. Mine is in full blazing sun all day in Florida. Fruit trees need sun!! Can you maybe park it at someone else's place until the surprise day? That would be the best thing to do as long as they will (or you can) water it. A potted tree needs to be watered every day. Put a reminder in your phone. Morning is best, and a good soaking so that the water runs out the bottom of the pot is needed in the height of summer.

There's no need to worry about re-potting if you are giving it away in 9 days, unless you want to spend money on a pretty pot. Will the person be planting it outdoors in the ground? If so, it would be a waste to re-pot now. If they plan to keep it on a patio or deck in a large container, I'd advise you to let them choose the new container. Then re-pot the little tree.

Btw, for future questions we really need to know your approximate location. If you'd please complete your personal profile (the little person icon in the blue side bar to the left) with your city/state/country then that info will come up in every post. See mine in the upper right corner?

Fig trees are weird - they have two crops of figs each year. Their first crop is actually formed in the fall and hangs on the tree all winter so having fruit before leaves is what they do.

The rocks in the bottom of the pot are to keep the plant from sitting in water. Not a problem if the tree is going into the ground. As the tree isn't getting much light, it will need less water. But you say it is very warm where you have it. If the leaves and branches are "stretching", better find a new home before its permanent home.

Daisy

Huh, that's a new one on me Daisy. My fig tree makes a spring or "breba" crop on last year's wood, and a fall crop on new wood that ripens before the leaves drop. But we do have a very long season.

Anyway, if his fig has fruit right now, it also has leaves and needs sun. I think that's the priority for the next 9 days until he can give it to the lucky recipient.

My tree sucks up gallons of water when it has fruit on it, but of course it's in our sandy fast-draining soil so never gets too soggy. If it's going to be grown in a pot for a while don't you think that rocks in the saucer rather than in the bottom of the pot is a better idea?

Here's a whole thread on fig trees, but it's mainly chat about people who have trees already growing. The thread "Figs" in Vegetables and Fruit forum

Not many disasters can happen in 9 days. Keep the soil moist, no fertilizer, no repotting unless you're sure the new owner will keep it in the new pot for at least some months.
Don't put rocks in the bottom of the pot, it does not help drainage. If you want to repot, use good quality potting mix.

Hello All, I've just joined
I have an established Brown Turkey Fig Tree growing in a micro climate at the back of my house in Bedfordshire UK , it grew last year obscuring my patio door darkening the room so it was really pruned hard down to branches 3 to 4 inches diameter , if I'd killed it I was going to finish it off but it has new growth 1/2 to 3/4 thick already and spreads over a 8 to 10 foot area.
I have only ever had a decent crop once [About 7 pounds] they were beautiful but every year there is a good crop which only grow to half or three quarter size and do not ripen .
My question is if I prune this new growth correctly will I get a decent crop of lovely ripe figs again, I get the feeling that I am not pruning it right , some skilled advice would be much appreciated .
Thank You for allowing me to join your Forum desmo11225

Hi Desmo and welcome. I'm certainly no expert but I do have fig trees. Admittedly my climate is very different than yours but I have had a similar problem with figs not ripening.

My take on it is they need a certain length of warm weather time to ripen. Also plenty of water in warm weather when the fruit is sizing up will help matters. So in the UK if you have a long, hot (for you, I know it's all relative) summer you will very likely get ripe figs and if you have a cool, rainy summer, they may not ripen.

Probably extra pruning isn't going to make much difference except that some figs set fruit on last year's growth and others set it on new growth. It depends upon the variety. I'm not sure about Brown Turkey. My Celeste sets an early crop as soon as the tree is leafed out, then sets a second (main) crop on the new growth in the summer. I often get no ripening on the second crop, as the weather cools down abruptly in the fall here before they are good.

My inclination would be to leave it to grow for a couple of years, just pruning a little to keep it out of your way. Keep track of the amount of sun each season, and see what happens as the tree grows out from its recent severe pruning. If the leaves are healthy, and you have a long summer, you should get delicious figs.

Thank's for your reply Elaine, that sounds good common sense and by the sound of it fig trees are pretty easy going and will put up with a lot , I must say having a close look at my tree it looks very vigorous and healthy.
I'll leave it alone for a bit and let it do it's own thing . All the Best to You All. desmo11225

Hello All
Well!!! Winter is creeping up on to us now, here in Bedfordshire, UK we've already had some sharp frosts and my fig tree has shed all it's leaves , there are though , a lot of partly grown figs from pea size to a good thumb size.
Would it be a good idea to leave these on, or should I leave them,or remove the largest or smallest of them .
The tree is very healthy and is almost back to where it was and I've pruned it where it was up against the window.
Thank you All once again and Have a Very Nice Christmas. desmo11225

Hello, and good to hear your tree is recovering. I don't think it makes any difference what happens with the unripe figs. They'll probably all fall off or be devoured by the wildlife in the course of the winter if they have any food value. May as well leave them be, I think. They certainly won't ripen any more or get any bigger now that the tree is dormant.

Happy Christmas to you as well. And may you harvest some figs for pudding .. . next year?

I had a brown turkey fig tree that I planted in-ground as a sapling on the south side of my house. It only had a crop of figs once a year in early fall. We had to cut it down after 7 years because the roots were huge and buckling our fence and getting too close to our neighbor's driveway. It was a beautiful tree, just planted in the wrong place.