How to Grow Potted Fig Trees in Spring

Once the Spring Festival is over, the cold winter has passed, and the spring that revives all things quietly arrives. Many flower lovers who enjoy growing flowers, plants and fruit trees at home are once again restless. Today, the editor of Huinong Network recommends a potted fig tree that is very suitable for planting in March and April.

Why does the editor recommend growing figs? First, figs are rich in sugars, proteins, amino acids and more, and eating more figs also helps our intestinal digestion. Second, growing a fig tree is relatively easy to get started with, basically with no difficulty. Finally, and most importantly, the fig tree has extremely strong vitality, so even if it is your first time growing a fig tree, you do not need to worry about not being able to keep it alive. So this potted fig tree is the best fruit tree to grow on a balcony in spring. Not only does it grow lush branches and leaves, it also produces many sweet, large fruits.

Below, the editor of Huinong Network will tell you about the most suitable method for growing potted fig trees in spring:

1. Figs are easy to cultivate and easy to keep alive, and are generally propagated by cuttings. The best time to collect fruit branches for cuttings is after leaf fall in autumn or before sprouting in spring. After collecting the branches, soak them in clean water for one day, then insert them into fertile soil and keep the soil moist; they will generally take root in one month.

2. After rooting, they can be transplanted separately into flower pots. Loosen the soil around the root system appropriately before planting.

3. Figs multiply in number rapidly and grow relatively fast, so a relatively large flower pot is needed so as not to affect the fruit yield.

4. The flower pot can be placed directly on a sunny balcony. Fruit trees very much like to bask in the sun; you just need to control yourself and not water too much, otherwise the roots are prone to rot.

5. If you want figs to grow better, appropriately adding some microbial agents can reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases, and the fruits that grow later will also be larger and more numerous.

The above is the spring potted fig tree planting method compiled by the editor of Huinong Network. Isn't it simple and easy to learn? If you want to learn more agricultural techniques, please follow Huinong Academy!

Why Doesn't a Potted Fig Tree Bear Fruit? Potted Fig Growing Methods

Recently, many flower lovers have reported that their potted fig trees do not bear fruit. What is the reason? How can this be effectively prevented and controlled? Do not worry; next, the editor will introduce in detail the methods for when a potted fig tree does not bear fruit, to help everyone grow fig trees better.

Causes of and prevention methods for a potted fig tree not bearing fruit:

1. Pollination

If the flowers are not pollinated, a potted fig tree will fail to bear fruit. Sometimes figs do bloom, but people simply do not notice it and cannot see it, so they think there are no flowers. Generally, you should check whether the fig has a pistil; if there is nothing abnormal, it will usually bear fruit.

2. Light

In fig growing, light plays a very large role. If figs are kept in insufficient light for a long time, it is very difficult for them to bear fruit. So generally, when each branch has 7-9 leaves, pinch the top once, pinch the top again in mid-August, and remove young fruits set in late August and afterward, to improve ventilation and light penetration and leave fewer branches.

3. Pruning

In potted fig growing, pruning is very important. If reasonable shaping and pruning are not carried out on figs, the figs will only grow leaves and not bear fruit. This is because, without timely pruning, the vegetative organs of the fig grow too vigorously and consume too many nutrients, ultimately inhibiting the development of the reproductive organs and resulting in failure to bear fruit. So you must promptly pinch the growing tips of vigorously growing branches, which can promote the formation of fruiting branches.

4. Nitrogen fertilizer application

With potted figs, be sure not to apply too much nitrogen fertilizer, because excessive nitrogen fertilizer will make figs "stay green" and grow wildly without blooming or bearing fruit. During the growing season, nitrogen fertilizer can be applied, but after fruit set and before the rapid fruit growth period, some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be applied, which can better promote the growth of figs.

Note:

In potted fig growing, ventilation is very important, so potted figs being grown must be promptly ventilated and given sufficient light; only in this way can they better be promoted to bear fruit.

Cultivation Techniques for Growing Potted Fig Trees

The fig is a perennial tree, with smooth branches, a graceful tree shape, unique leaf shape, and sweet, delicious, extremely nutritious fruit. Potted figs combine ornamental and tasting functions, with a distinctive character. Their cultivation techniques are as follows:

1. Potting container and potting soil

Clay tiles pots, porcelain pots, cement pots, wooden boxes and wooden barrels with good air permeability can all be used to grow figs, but the size must be appropriate. A diameter of 40 cm to 50 cm is best, and it must not be smaller than 30 cm. The height can be similar to the pot diameter, or slightly larger than the pot diameter. The potting soil should be loose, rich in organic matter, and good at retaining fertilizer and water and at air permeability. Humus soil under mountain broadleaf forests is the most ideal.

2. Planting method

Use one-year-old strong seedlings and plant them into the pot after leaf fall or before sprouting in spring. Before planting, first fill the pot more than half full with nutrient soil and press it firm. Water the seedling to be transplanted thoroughly first; immediately after the water seeps in, transplant it into the pot with soil, carrying as many roots as possible, then add soil so that the roots are in close contact with the soil, with the soil surface level with the pot rim. After watering and settling, the soil surface should be 2 cm to 3 cm below the pot rim. A direct-insertion method in the pot can also be used: before sap flow in early spring, cut thick, sturdy one-year-old branches as cuttings, cut them into 20 cm segments, and insert them directly into the pot. Because fig branches take root very easily, green branches with leaves can also be easily rooted by cuttings during the growing season. The layering method is also suitable for potted figs. From before sprouting to the early growth period, press one-year-old or perennial branches of an existing potted fig or field-planted fig into another pot or barrel. For layering, press them about 10 cm into the potting soil.

3. Shaping and pruning

Potted figs can be shaped by the following two methods. The first is the open-center shaping and pruning method: after planting, cut the seedling trunk back leaving 3 to 4 buds at the base, and in the same year select 3 main branches in different directions. The fig is a light-loving tree species, so the main branch angles should be opened wide; you can use the branch-pulling method to pull the main branches to 60 degrees to 70 degrees, and in the second year the mixed buds on each main branch can sprout and bear fruit. The length of the main branches should be controlled at about 40 cm, and overly vigorous main branches should be pinched in time in summer. During winter pruning, remove weak fruiting branches and keep strong ones. The extension branches of the 3 main branches should be retracted and renewed year by year to control the crown so that its size is appropriate.

The second is the trunk horizontal ring shaping method: do not determine the trunk in the first year after planting, and let it grow naturally. Because of its strong sprouting ability, in the same year multiple branches can sprout and form from bottom to top. During winter pruning, according to the distribution of the branches, select and keep about 10 in a staggered ring from bottom to top. After the branches extend and grow, use fine wire to bend and tie them along the branches into a horizontal shape to facilitate continuous fruiting. Be careful to thin out overly dense and overlapping branches. The upward-growing trunk extension branch should be controlled at a height of 1 m to 1.2 m, and should be pinched in time when overly vigorous. After fruiting in the third year, the horizontal fruiting branches have already formed a complete ring around the trunk from bottom to top. Renewal pruning can be carried out every year to maintain fruiting capacity, avoid overlap of the ring branches, and form a beautiful tree shape.

4. Management

Potted figs should be controlled from excessive vigorous growth so that they produce moderate branches; therefore, watering should not be too frequent. Second, fertilizer should be applied reasonably to prevent excessive fertilization and fertilizer damage. Generally, during the growing season, apply once every half month a diluted liquid of soaked and fermented soybean cake water, animal hoof and horn water, or urea. In late autumn, in late August, apply once a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, or superphosphate, bone meal, plant ash and the like. Figs have very few pests and diseases and basically do not need spraying. Branches younger than 5 years old are prone to freezing damage, so before winter the pot should be moved indoors or the branches and trunk wrapped in straw to protect against the cold and survive the winter.