The fig tree (Ficus carica) is one of the oldest cultivated plants. In Germany, too, they are increasingly being grown in gardens. However, the fruits sometimes fall unripe from the fig tree. Information on this below.
Figs don't ripen
The fig tree originally came from the eastern Mediterranean region down to Persia. The plants thrive here and produce good yields. In contrast, crop failures can very often occur in the home garden. There are several reasons for that:
Souvenirs from the Mediterranean vacation
A small fig tree is very popular to take home as a souvenir from vacations in the Mediterranean, in the hope of being able to harvest the sweet and juicy fruit in your own garden. However, a harvest will hardly be possible here. As a rule, the tree produces flowers from the leaf axils up to three times a year, so-called inner flowers. However, the fig gall wasps (Blastophaga psenes), which are found in another fig species, the buck fig, are necessary for pollination. Without fertilization of the flowers by female gall wasps, only small, yellow, inedible fruits grow, which quickly shrivel and eventually fall off. A fig from warm climes will never be able to form real fruit here, since the gall wasps cannot survive north of the Alps. Such a tree can only be used as an ornamental plant.
Seedlings not self-fertile
Another reason that the fruit of the fig cannot ripen and be harvested is that the plant is a seedling. These are usually not self-fertile. Here, too, the two to three millimeter large gall wasps for pollination are missing. Due to insufficient fertilization, there is no development of edible fruits. Only very small figs appear, rather ovary, which also fall from the tree early.
Longhorn figs are home to gall wasps
Source: xpda, Cynipoidea P1380345a, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
On the other hand, the fig tree can also be a so-called goat fig (Ficus carica var. caprificus). These only serve to preserve and reproduce the gall wasps. Gall blooms are already formed in late winter or early spring. This is where the wasps lay their eggs, from which the larvae and finally the wasps develop. From here they fly to the flowers of other figs and fertilize them. Very small but many fruits often develop from the gall flowers. They are not edible and fall off the tree.
An alternative to harvesting juicy figs in your own garden is the cultivation of cultivated figs.
Tip: When buying fig trees, you should always pay attention to the descent and origin. Only plants should be considered that also come from a fruit-bearing fig tree and also bear fruit well in the corresponding region.
Cultivated figs ideally suited
The cultivated fig is a mutation that arose through many years of breeding. The unique thing about this type of fig is that the formation of the edible figs is parthenocarpic. In other words, the cultivated fig is self-fertile. The countless small stone fruits that make up a fig are brought to maturity without being fertilized by the gall wasps. It can sometimes take ten years before the first harvest. Popular varieties of cultivated figs are
- Dalmatica
- Brunswick or
- Brown turkey
However, even with cultivated figs, premature fruit drop can occur due to incorrect care or non-compliance with the requirements. In addition, large temperature fluctuations are responsible for premature shedding of the figs.
Note: If there is no fruiting, only small ovaries, which fall off early, it is not a cultivated fig, but a non-self-fertile Mediterranean variety.
Proper care is crucial
Appropriate care is necessary so that the cultivated fig can also develop many juicy figs that can ripen on the tree until they are harvested. In addition, the requirements of the trees should also be considered. These include
- full sun, sheltered from the wind
- Soil pH between 6 and 8
- Soil: loamy, permeable, slightly acidic, rich in nutrients
- plenty of water during fruiting until harvest
- no waterlogging
- supply of phosphorus and potassium
- Dose little nitrogen
- with strong growth no fertilization necessary
- Cut back in spring
- large distances between branches
- annual growth of 10 to 20 cm is ideal
- thereby good lignification of the shoots and overwintering
- Mulch the root area
- Use of chaff, grass clippings or bark mulch
- simultaneous protection of the superficial roots in winter
When cultivating in a bucket, sufficiently large containers with a volume of at least 40 to 50 liters should be used. An adequate supply of water and nutrients is also required. These are optimal conditions for ripe fruit.
Notice: A milky sap is present under the grey, smooth bark. Contact with the skin can lead to allergic reactions such as itching, blistering and eczema. Affected skin areas heal poorly, and irreversible pigmentation often remains. So be sure to wear gloves when cutting.