How to Plant & Care for Fig Trees

Fig trees produce flavorful fruit.

Fig trees provide an attractive addition to a garden or yard, both for their appearances and their flavorful fruit. They grow unprotected in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 10 and, with winter season protection, it's possible to grow them in colder climates. Fig trees present few worries and most green-thumbed fig-lovers are capable of growing them.

Things You'll Need

• Compost
• Tiller or garden hoe
• Shovel
• Tape measure
• Garden fork
• Lopping shears
• Foliar fertilizer

Instructions

Planting Site Preparation

1. Plant dormant fig trees early in spring. Plant during the fall if your climate zone's winters are exceptionally mild (fall planting provides roots with extra growing time).

2. Dig a hole with the shovel to the same depth that the fig tree grew at the nursery. Search for a mark on the tree's trunk that indicates the depth at which the tree was planted at the nursery. Check the depth of the hole, using a tape measure. The tree's roots must slip into the hole without excessive bending. Enlarge the hole's diameter to accommodate the tree's roots. Use a garden fork to loosen the soil around the sides of the hole.

3. Loosen the soil surrounding the hole's perimeter. Use a garden fork to stab and gently turn the soil surrounding the hole. Loose surface soil encourages root growth.

Planting Fig Tree Stock

1. Form a mound of soil at the bottom of the hole for barefoot stock. Place the tree's roots over the soil mound, gently spread them and cover with soil until the hole is full.

2. Place the wrapped plant in the hole if it is balled and burlap. Remove, twine, binding, nails, and any synthetic materials. Leave the burlap in place--it will eventually rot. Hold the root ball in place and fill the hole with soil.

3. Tip a container plant on its side. Firmly hold the plant's stem while you remove the pot. Remove weak and sickly roots that protrude from the root ball. Set the plant in the hole and fill the hole with soil.

4. Water the tree after you plant.

Caring for Fig Trees

1. Prune the trees regularly. Use lopping shears to remove weak branches and encourage strong branches. Leave space between the branches so that the fruit is accessible for harvest.

2. Apply mulch regularly, using compost. Use a shovel to spread compost around a fig tree's base and continue spreading until you reach the edge of the tree's canopy.

3. Apply a foliar fertilizer once a month during the growing season. "Foliar fertilizer" refers to fertilizers that are applied to a tree's leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• To accurately determine hole depth, lay a board on the ground so that it spans across the hole's opening and measure from the board to the bottom of the hole.

• Although fall planting offers a head start, it presents the risk of total failure--if a young tree's roots freeze, the tree will die.

References

• "Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener;" Edited by Bradley and Ellis; 1997
• The United States National Arboretum: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map