What Are the Prospects for Fig Cultivation? Master These Cultivation and Management Techniques

Although it is called a fig (no flower), it is actually a flowering plant. Besides its sweet edible fruit, its graceful tree shape also makes it an excellent landscape tree species. So what are the prospects for fig cultivation? What are the cultivation and management techniques? Below, the Tudiuwang editor will introduce these one by one. You can take a look and see whether you have mastered them all!

I. Basic Information About Figs

1. Origin and Alternative Names of the Fig

The fig is a small deciduous tree that grows in tropical and temperate zones. It is also called ari, ayi, yingri fruit, udumbara, honey fruit, wenxian fruit, milk-fruit, pinxian fruit, and so on. It can be planted throughout China, with the largest plantings in southern Xinjiang. The fig originated along the Mediterranean coast and is distributed from Turkey to Afghanistan.

2. Morphology of the Fig

Fig trees range in height from 3-10 m and have multiple branches. The bark is grayish-brown, and the branchlets are upright and stout. The leaves of the fig are papery with angular edges; the leaf blade is broadly ovate with irregular blunt teeth along the margin, rough on the surface, and covered with soft hairs on the underside. The flowers of the fig are monoecious, flowering and fruiting from May to July. The fruit resembles a pear in shape, and when ripe its skin color is purplish-red or yellow.

3. Value of the Fig

Figs are rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and so on. They have the effects of strengthening the stomach, clearing the intestines, reducing swelling, and detoxifying, and they have a certain auxiliary effect in treating enteritis, constipation, sore and swollen throat, and ulcerated acne. In addition, the fig tree is a purely natural, pollution-free tree. Its graceful shape means it can be planted not only as a landscape tree in gardens, courtyards, and parks, but also as a tree species for windbreak and sand fixation.

II. What Are the Prospects for Fig Cultivation?

1. The fig is one of the fastest fruit trees in the world to come into production. It has high yield, no alternate bearing (no on-year/off-year cycle), few pests and diseases, and is easy to cultivate and manage. Moreover, a fig planted in the same year can bear fruit in that same year. With proper management, each plant can yield up to 2 kg, and the yield per mu can reach about 500 kg. In the same year the fig seedlings are raised, they can also bear a large amount of fruit in the nursery. In this way, the investment can be recovered in a short time. By the 3rd-5th year, they enter the full production period, and the yield per mu during the full production period is generally above 2,500 kg. This could not be better for motivating growers' enthusiasm.

2. At present, the price of fresh figs ranges from 10-18 yuan/jin, while the price of figs used in traditional Chinese medicine is higher than that of fresh fruit. Below is a reference price table for medicinal figs in some regions, compiled by Tudiuwang:

III. What Are the Cultivation and Management Techniques for Figs?

Fig propagation methods include cuttings, division, and layering, among which cutting propagation is the main method. It is generally recommended to start cuttings in mid-to-late March, while division starts in February or March. Below, the Tudiuwang editor mainly introduces the cultivation and management techniques for figs:

1. For fig planting, barren slopes or fields can be chosen. The soil requirements are not high, and sandy soil, loam, or clay are all acceptable, but choosing better soil conditions for planting is more conducive to improving yield and quality.

2. When planting figs, pay attention to density. Before planting, use a mixed fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium as a base fertilizer. Avoid the flowering and fruiting period when choosing the planting time. Generally, in southern regions, planting is done after leaf fall in autumn; in the Northeast region, around Grain Rain; and in North China, before Qingming.

3. Figs have a well-developed root system and strong drought resistance, and relatively high yields can also be obtained when cultivated on mountain slopes. Figs also have strong waterlogging resistance, but severe waterlogging or excessively high air humidity may cause fruit cracking and fruit rot, and long-term water shortage will cause the fruit to become smaller and drop. Therefore, when establishing a high-yield orchard, try to ensure irrigation in drought and drainage in waterlogging, so as to improve yield and quality. In addition, during the fruit growth period (July-September), besides traditional furrow irrigation and hole irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation can also be used for watering.

4. Figs should be topdressed 5-6 times each year. The first application, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, is applied in May, and during the ripening period in August-September, two or three applications of compound fertilizer are suitable.

5. The shaping and pruning of figs is relatively simple, and the technical requirements for pruning and shaping are not high. Generally, the multi-main-branch natural open-center form is used, but 3—5 main branches should be retained on the whole plant, with no side branches, and branch groups growing directly on the main branches. During the young tree stage, focus on cultivating the main branches, and pay attention to raising the angle of the main branches to promote the growth of more branches, so as to rapidly expand the canopy. After entering the initial fruiting stage, focus on cultivating more branch groups in order to promote the formation of a certain yield. During the full fruiting stage, pay attention to cultivating the scaffold branches, renewing large and medium branch groups, and pruning and reducing weak branch groups. For trees that are aging or severely affected by pests and diseases, the sprouting shoots or latent buds emerging from the base or branches can be used to re-cultivate the main branches and branch groups.

6. Figs have very few pests and diseases, but during the fruit ripening period, attention should be paid to damage by birds. In addition, figs are best harvested in the morning and evening on sunny days.

The ripening and marketing period of fig fruit is generally from June to November, and the economic life of the tree can reach thirty to fifty years, so planting fig trees is a very good income-generating project.