Ficus carica

Ficus carica

Fig

• Position: full sun
• Soil: well-drained soil
• Height: 5m
• Foliage: deciduous
• Hardiness: needs protection from severe frosts

A fig is a deciduous shrub or tree with attractive, large, green palmate leaves. It produces edible fruit. In Northern Europe, a fig will often produce one crop of fruit per year. A fig comes from the Mediterranean. So it performs best when grown in full sun, in a sheltered position.

Varieties

Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’

A popular variety is Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’. It will eventually grow to 4m tall. The figs of this variety have a red-brown colour and tend to ripen at the beginning of September.

Pruning

Prune fig winter

Prune Ficus carica (fig) in November or December when the tree has lost all its leaves. Cut back, dead, weak or crossing branches to one or two buds. Or prune the fig at the end of February or in early March. Postpone pruning if the weather is frosty.

Prune fig summer

Summer pruning Ficus carica (Fig). Trim new shoots to four or six leaves in June. This will stimulate the development of embryo fruits in autumn. These fruits will ripen in the following year.

Remove unripe figs before winter

Remove unripe figs. Pick off large, hard green unripe figs in November. Otherwise, they may rot during the winter months.

Overwintering fig tree

How to overwinter a fig tree. A mature fig can withstand -10 degrees Celsius. If necessary protect the plant against frost with a few layers of garden fleece.

A fig tree in a container will need more protection than those in the ground because the roots are more vulnerable. Container-grown fig. Cover the outside of the pot with bubble wrap to protect the roots and the pot from cracking.

Cover the plant with a winter fleece plant cover. Alternatively, store the plant in a frost-free place.

Plant combination

Ficus caria looks good planted with Nerium oleander and Rosemary.

Nerium oleander