4 Reasons Why Your Fig Tree IS NOT Fruiting
Channel: Ross Raddi
Date: 2022-06-29

This is probably the question I've gotten the most over the years of making videos on YouTube. 
Q: "Why doesn't my fig tree fruit?"
Q: "My tree is x, y and z, but every year the tree just grows and grows and never produces any fruit."
Q: "My wife's gonna kill me if I don't get this fig tree to fruit, Ross."

A: The main reason that your fig tree is not producing fruit is because of a lack of sunlight. Your tree could also be growing in unhealthy soil that lacks air or nutrients, it could be heavily infected with Fig Mosaic Virus, or it may be growing too quickly from a hormonal imbalance, lacking the right metabolic rate or it could be just too young and patience is required. 

Read the full article here: https://www.figboss.com/post/the-4-reasons-why-your-fig-tree-is-not-fruiting

First of all, it needs to be said that fig trees can fruit at a very young age. Even after only 6 months from cutting. They're very precocious, but not every variety is. There is a huge diversity of genetics within Ficus Carica. This precocity can sometimes be determined by a balance of plant hormones, but is more often controlled by the sunlight requirement each variety has genetically coded in its DNA. The best I can explain it is that every variety requires a certain level of intensity of sunlight combined with a certain duration of sunlight. Assuming the tree is meeting this requirement in your environment as it is growing, main crop fruit buds will form along the new branches.

So sunlight is very important, but it's not always that simple.

What about the health of your tree?

Well... yeah. If you have an unhealthy fig tree, of course it's not going to fruit. And that's not uncommon. Quite a bit of fig trees are plagued with fig mosaic virus. It's unavoidable, but with a healthy soil that has the right moisture, air and microbe content, our trees will have an easier time showing less symptoms of the virus. This is why I'm recommending compost tea, which is hopefully a topic you'll hear a lot more about on the YouTube channel (youtube.com/rossraddi), but also on the blog soon.

I've also recommended rejuvenation pruning. A technique of pruning that significantly decreased the severity of fig mosaic virus (FMV). I talk a lot about that technique here: https://www.figboss.com/post/rejuvenation-pruning-a-technique-we-should-do-more-of 

What about metabolism? If our trees are cold, it can be difficult for the tree to operate efficiently. Metabolism is controlled by the soil temperature and the fig tree optimally operates at 78F. Just like us as humans, we operate at a specific temperature and if we're too cold, we shiver to warm up. If we're too hot, we sweat to remain at that optimal body temperature to function correctly. The fig is no different. When soil temperatures are around 55-65F, some varieties can struggle to not necessarily set fruits along the branches, but form the fruits to a larger size. Just think about how our trees and garden behaves in the fall weather. Everything slows down. This is why it's important is places with a mild summer to aid in increasing soil temperatures. By using black plastic pots OR planting our trees in 1-2ft high mounds or raised beds, we can see huge increases in our tree's metabolism.

Hormonal balance is critical for a properly functioning plant. With excessive winter pruning, we only encourage our trees (not just fig trees) to grow the following season. While summer pruning changes the hormones within our trees to actually flower. Lets not forget, the fig is an inside out flower. So be careful about hard pruning or if our trees are whacked by the cold every winter, the same phenomenon occurs. Having said all that, please don't get me wrong. You can still see fruit set on your fig tree the year following a hard prune, but it will be more difficult. And there are so many variables. The variety, sunlight hours, staking, etc... But the point stands, keep pruning to a minimum or try a pruning method that involves thinning to allow more sunlight into your tree.

Intro 0:00
Overall health 3:48
Metabolism 7:08
Sunlight 8:33
Hard pruning 10:49

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