![]() Using leafy shoots means you need to mist regularly for the plants to root successfully. If you take cuttings in summer, you might find it helps to remove all the leaves and store the cuttings in the fridge for a few weeks before placing them in pots. These winter cuttings are known as hardwood cuttings. In fact, figs are amongst the easiest fruit trees to propagate with cuttings. It normally takes two-four weeks for cuttings to root.Ĭuttings are more likely to root if you take them in the autumn/winter dormancy. You can propagate at other times while the tree is in growth – just as long as you are prepared to take more cuttings as an insurance policy. Late fall/autumn is the best time, ideally before the coldest winter weather bites. If you want to start cuttings from an existing fig tree, the general rule is to do this when the plant is dormant (resting). You should also plant as soon as you can after buying your fig tree. Plant near a wall or garden fence for added protection against drafts and chills. Just make sure the ground isn’t waterlogged or frozen, or that there is no risk of frost pick a mild day for planting, and choose a sheltered spot that will benefit from the most sunshine. There are two optimum times for planting a fig tree: in fall/autumn (September-November) so it has time to establish, or in March-April before things start warming up. Are you going to buy your figs as trees for planting, or would you like to learn how to take cuttings from plants and grow new fig plants as cuttings from your existing trees? Both options allow you to grow homegrown healthy figs – as long as you are savvy to the best growing times and how to increase your rate of success. Now you’re ready to find out how to grow figs, you have another decision to make. Fig trees are charmingly low-maintenance and respond well even to small periods of neglect. Just make sure trees have adequate winter protection, and these hardy trees will grow happily in confined places and a variety of soil types. All you have to do is fool the plant into thinking it is growing on a rocky hillside in the Mediterranean. Examples of 30ft/9m specimens with stunning architectural growth and massive lobed foliage are not unusual, even in small gardens. Surprisingly, figs require root restriction under foot to reach their full potential. As well as sunshine, this involves making sure it grows from a confined base – in a container or by a south-facing garden wall or fence. Key with learning how to grow figs is to replicate its need for tougher growing conditions. ‘Brown Turkey’ is the most prolific, but also look out for ‘Brunswick’, ‘White Marseilles’ and ‘Rouge de Bordeaux’, says Lucy. If you live in a climate with moderate summers, choose a hardy variety. In the temperate UK, we usually get one crop in late August.' Still, you only need one tree for a handsome feast pollination is not necessary, as figs are self-fertile. ![]() As Amateur Gardening’s fruit and veg expert Lucy Chamberlain points out, the fig prefers things hot: 'In its native climes, its closeness to the equator allows it to yield almost continually, producing several harvests a year.
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