Bay of Plenty
January
Q.
Hi, I have a fig tree growing in a pot. It is in a sunny position on our patio. I water every day. It is laden with figs. The first 2 figs were plump, juicy and ripe. But the rest of the crop does not appear to be fully ripening. They do not grow large and plump. They remain small and fall off the tree while they are still under ripe and dry, they are inedible. Why are my figs not ripening fully and falling off the tree? I feed my tree with a general purpose fertiliser, once a month. Please help. I would love some advice and hopefully can save the rest of my figs.
Sally Hyland
A.
Hi Sally
There could be several reasons for this happening so it will be a matter of process of elimination. It doesn’t sound like lack of watering, in a pot it should be watered daily or every second day in the growing season. It could be too much nitrogen rich fertiliser as they don’t need a lot of fertiliser. If you want to give your tree a boost, use Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic is a natural product that helps improve the overall health of the plant. It could also be due to poor pollination. Is it in a spot that bees, wasps and other insects can access the flowers? Extreme temperature fluctuations could also be a factor. The weather has been inconsistent with warm days and cold days and this can affect flowering and fruiting.
Thanks, Tui Team.
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Why are my figs not fully ripening and falling off the tree? Comments
Good advice. Thanks for the tips - most useful.
W McElwain
The skin on many of my figs was very blemished this year. What causes this?
Anne
Hi Anne, without seeing the damage it is hard to say what the blemishes are, but possibilities are fungal disease such as Fig Rust, insect damage such as mites, hail at some time during the growing season, or birds. Clean up all fallen leaves and burn or dispose of in the rubbish to prevent overwintering pest and disease remaining in the soil. Make sure you have good air circulation around the tree and regularly feed and water throughout the growing season.
Tui Team
The mostly or fully ripened fruit is falling off my fig tree. It has never done that and been a very healthy tree. I do not see anything obviously wrong with the tree. Could it be a pest?
Rachel
Hi Rachael, there are several reasons for fruit drop. We have had a very long and dry summer and autumn, and now have a lot of rain. Drought and lack of water throughout the growing season can cause fruit drop, figs need at least 50mm of water a week, their roots spread a least a metre from the tree so not just around the base. Mulch around the tree to protect the roots and help retain soil moisture, as well as keeping weeds down. Lack of pollinators, this could be due to windy or wet weather at the time of flowering. Sudden temperature changes, affect fruiting and can cause fruit drop. It could be fungal disease, if it is, the tree will be showing signs such as leaf spot, brown spots on the leaves and the leaves dropping, or rust which causes small raised spots that can range in colour from orange to brown, on the underside of the leaves. If you suspect disease then collect up fallen leaves and fruit and dispose of in the rubbish, don't compost as the spores overwinter in the soil. A copper based spray in winter will help as a preventative, talk to your local garden centre for a suitable spray.
Lianne