Topic: Just how big can a big fig get if....

[bennettsleg]

Hi everyone, it's been a while, 50hr weeks are getting in the way.  Spring is doing its thing so I'm looking at the garden again....!

Some time ago I posted a Q re: figs, a result of which is that I'm going to get a White Marseilles. It will be root restricted by pot (or concrete slab box) buried in the ground.

If a pot measures 600x600x600 (mm) (or 2'x2'x2') how big would a fig grow?

It will live in our 45'Lx19'W garden with neighbours on both sides. We'd like to remain on good terms with them, and a bloomjn' great, 30'H, shade-blocker isn't the way to go. I'd ideally like to restrict it to 8'-10'H max, without conducting major surgery each year avec chainsaw (I jest!). If the restrictive space/pot needs to be smaller than above, this can be arranged, as it doesn't exist yet.

I do want it to fruit, so intend on feeding it when necessary, though imagine/understand that this will also affect growth.

All comments/pointers gratefully received.

[zigzig]

I think and have always thought that unless you want to deliberately make one of those Japanese miniture plants that what ever you grow, should be allowed to have the maximum expansion space available.

Silly I may be but I think everything which has life (animal.vetgetable, even mineral)  should be allowed to expand to it's maximum unless there is a very good argument against..

Designer animals and vegetables here,are necessary to provide food for humans who already over populate this planet which currently seems to have been abandoned by it's creator.

Perhaps the 'creator' is now concentrating on the development of another planet in this huge solar system where the senior species is more agreeable and more deserving of attention than the selfish breed which has evolved on  the planet we call Earth.

THAT IS US.

[tonybloke]

a fig tree left to it's own devices, in fertile soil, can easily attain over 30 ft height and spread.

In it's natural home, the tree grows until it's tap root hits rock, then it fruits.

I grow mine in an drum from a washing machine, which is buried in the ground. the tap root can't escape, but fine side roots are able to 'forage'
 It fruited in it's 3rd year.
btw, 'white marseilles' doesn't do well out of doors, 'brown turkey' is a better choice for the UK

rgds, Tony

[realfood]

Yes, they can grow huge. I used to visit a house in London, where you could pick figs from the third floor window.

[Vinlander]

There's a fig tree in Charterhouse Square near London Barbican - it is actually inside the old monastery grounds and may date from then.

It is more than 15m high and even wider.

I went past it 2 or three times a week for several years (while I was fruiting my own trees), and I never saw a single fruit on it.

Rich soil, possibly monastically manured with bedrock way, way down - tens or even hundreds of metres.

Don't grow figs unrestricted!

Cheers.

[jennym]

The fig variety Brunswick does well for me, as well as Brown Turkey. I find I need to prune the tree (it's quite small anyway. less than 4ft) to get more fruit, as they seem to fruit more on second year wood rather than the older stems. I take out a third of the stems in early spring, the fresh stems that grow that year seem to be the ones that have fruit on the following year. I just use sharp loppers.

[Squash64]

My fig tree was grown from a cutting given to me by my brother in law, who grew his tree from a cutting given to him so we have no idea of the variety, except that it isn't Brown Turkey.

Mine is about 8 years old now, and is growing unrestricted in the ground on my plot.

This photo was taken in June 09 with a friend standing next to it to give an idea of the size.
[attachment=1]

It fruits every year and last year I had a massive crop of very tasty figs.  So many, that I picked at least 40 in one go for my granddaughter's birthday party in August.

I do prune it in a haphazard sort of way because I don't really know what I'm doing.  But it seems to work.

I've also layered the lower branches and given them away once rooted.

[tai haku]

Don't grow figs unrestricted!

Cheers.

True story. I'd second the advice throughout about restricting it somehow.

[artichoke]

There's a huge neglected fig tree near one of my allotments, part of the abandoned garden of a big old house since demolished. It may not be productive for its size, but we have collected loads from its hanging branches. No hope of reaching the top, that would be well up to 2nd floor windows if there were a house there.

My own Brown Turkeys, two in small back garden, are not exactly restricted, just starved next to walls. I occasionally saw off a heavy branch to encourage them to renew themselves, and I keep the height down. They are quite productive.

I saw a very old fig tree in Archway area (London) recently, and was interested in the way the gardeners seem to have brutally pruned off everything going upwards. The result is a strikingly grotesque skeleton in which everything points downwards (no leaves yet). I'm going to try that, in future.

At Sissinghurst, and in a big garden near me, figs are trained flat to the walls so that they attain huge height, with all the branches trained in flattened circles. In leaf, they look magnificent, and are very striking without their leaves because of the patterning. I tried that for a bit, but I wasn't consistent enough, and my branches quickly got too stiff to make into circles.

[Robert_Brenchley]

A horizontal or downward-pointing branch on a fruit tree tends to crop more heavily than one going up, which tends to make growth. So there's sense in those odd forms of pruning.

[artichoke]

I forgot to say that at Sissinghurst and at the other garden (Pashley Manor) they grow their figs for foliage alone, and I have never seen fruit at S'hurst over the last 40 years. Jim at Pashley says specifically he prunes for the patterning and not for the fruit. Sorry to appear to contradict you, Robert, I am sure what you say is generally true. Maybe those two sets of figs are specially chosen unfruitful races. I mentioned them only because they look so striking.

[Vinlander]

My fig tree was grown from a cutting given to me by my brother in law, who grew his tree from a cutting given to him so we have no idea of the variety, except that it isn't Brown Turkey.

Mine is about 8 years old now, and is growing unrestricted in the ground on my plot.

It fruits every year and last year I had a massive crop of very tasty figs.  So many, that I picked at least 40 in one go for my granddaughter's birthday party in August.

You don't mention what kind of soil it is on.

I wouldn't be surprised if a fig could do well for 8 years in heavy undug clay or shallow soil over bedrock, maybe even longer in very stony clay over bedrock.

Shallow bedrock will make root pruning a lot easier if it starts to take off into leaf.

I'd love to know what soil you're on?

Cheers.

[Squash64]

The fig tree is growing on my plot at the allotment.  I'm afraid I don't know the correct term for our soil - I would call it 'normal'!  It is definitely not clay.

None of my Italian relatives restrict the roots on their fig trees and they all seem to get heavy crops each year.  I don't think they grow them deliberately like this, they might not have heard of restricting the roots.

[pumkinlover]

I've taken over a plot previously gardened by an Italian and there are two fig trees, I have no idea if the roots are restricted but they do fruit well. Trees are about 15ft I would think.

I did not get round to removing the small fruits last back end and looked at them yesterday and they look to have been killed by the bad winter.  So I don't know wether I'll get any fruit this year :(

[saddad]

Try knocking off all the small fruit Anne... anything big enough to be recognised as a fig... bigger than your little finger nail.. if you do that now before the sap rises it should produce in late August..

Figs can get huge.. there are free standing ones in the grounds of Anthony House down on the South Coast which are about 25'.

Restricting the roots keep them small enough for you to crop. White Marsailles isn't as hardy as Brown Turkey but still crops even here. In the wild you can get upto three crops a year but we need to tweak it to get fruit to ripen...  :)

[Vinlander]

The fig tree is growing on my plot at the allotment.  I'm afraid I don't know the correct term for our soil - I would call it 'normal'!  It is definitely not clay.

None of my Italian relatives restrict the roots on their fig trees and they all seem to get heavy crops each year.  I don't think they grow them deliberately like this, they might not have heard of restricting the roots.

I've had a tree that grew like topsy on good deep soil, produced huge crops for a couple of years and then went entirely to leaf. I had to dig it out.

On the other hand I've also got one on almost-un-dug heavy clay and it's doing well - 1.3m tall in its 7th year (5 in the soil) and growing quite slowly with good fruiting the last 3 years (for its size) - but the question is how long before I have to root-prune it - and how dreadful will it be to trench round it in clay full of roots!

Not looking forward to it!