Chicken bald back

[Alis girls]

I got my OH a fig tree a few yrs back as hes a British born Greek Cypriot and loves his bit of Med in our NW London garden. Its now the other woman in his life and he lavishes care and attention on it summer and winter. Some suckers came up at base and I yanked them out and stuck in a pot of compost and they are growing. Question is will they in time produce figs? if so there are 5 of the beggars for him to lavish his love on. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh

[Saronne]

Hi,

 

Yes, if they've rooted, then in theory, they could produce - in time! My mum (who lived in the States) once brought me some cuttings of a fig tree her sister grew in California! (Don't know how she managed to get them through customs ) Anyway, they were quite easy to root and 20 years later one of them is a big fig tree with some nice looking fruit ripening in the front garden against a south-east facing wall. But why are you giving you husband an entire harem?

[Alis girls]

Good question Saronne - i s'pose its cos I love him and if it takes 20 yrs to get a fig I can live with that.

[redbug]

sorry made me laugh (only 20 years)

[clucker1]

You need to contain the roots in order for it to fruit if you aren't already. IE in a pot or slabs around the roots if in open ground. This forces it to stop growing and turn its attention to fruiting.

[Alis girls]

Oh yes its in a pot with a big stake thing for support and every winter its covered in fleece to protect from frost so if you look out lounge window at Halloween it looks like a ghostly figure. Now I will have 6 ghostly figures. things we do for love.

[Saronne]

I'm not convinced that pot bound is best. The fig trees I had never fruited when in pots (they were in pots for a few years) until they were put into open ground - then I got lots of fruit! However, this summer is the first one where I got ripe fruit.

[Olly]

I agree - I took mine out of the pot and planted it (in a narrow border against a wall, so it's still got some restriction) and it's growing really well. Apparently the drum from a disused washing machine, buried below the surface, is the ideal size to contain them.

 

My godmother has a neighbour who is Italian, he grew a fig tree in his garden and gave her a slip from the roots; she planted it some thirty years ago, and gave a slip to my mother; she had a fig tree in a pot for years, and when it produced a sprig, she gave it to me ... and I've given away at least three over the years, and have some more now if I can find anyone who wants one! It needs to be the right conditions for the fruit to ripen, as they are actually last year's fruit which overwinter, but there's nothing more delicious than a fresh fig.

[sjp]

all the fig trees I know that fruit are in the ground with a wall of shed behind them. the best one I know that's fruited for the last 10+years and they ripen nearly every year is up a corner on a west facing wall on a garage forecourt it has nothing done to it and Joe the gaffer gets at least 20 good sized figs off it

[Alis girls]

i will be 71 if I have to wait 20 years if I live that long and will need a ladder to pick anything.

[clucker1]

Well O got the advice from our Head Gardener where I work and sell fig trees. Obviously all fig trees are different. See also:[http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit-A-to-Z/Figs/url]

[Space Chick]

We have a fig tree, we grow it in a huge pot. Last year we had one fig, this year none....... But I'm prepared for the long game

[sjp]

We have a fig tree, we grow it in a huge pot. Last year we had one fig, this year none....... But I'm prepared for the long game

there should be 3 years crops on a fig tree at any one time so in theory sadly you want have figs for at least 2 - 3 years

[Angie]

That is all interesting. I have a kiwi in a south facing garden but no fruit, It is years old. I wonder if I need to contain it too ?

I think I'll get a huge pot when autumn has put it to sleep and pot it, see if I get fruit next year.

[sjp]

That is all interesting. I have a kiwi in a south facing garden but no fruit, It is years old. I wonder if I need to contain it too ?

I think I'll get a huge pot when autumn has put it to sleep and pot it, see if I get fruit next year.

kiwis don't like to be contained . I had one for about 10 years it fruited twice in that time the main problem is the variety the most common one in the UK is Jenny but it's terrible fruiter and grows like there's no tomorrow mine used to put on a meter of growth a year