Got my first figs this spring as dormant plants in 5 gallon containers. I haven’t done anything with them yet, they are just sitting in the plastic pots they came in in my front flower bed (faces south west, good sun). one is a celeste and the other is a violet de Bordeaux. I noticed today that both have a few yellowing leaves. any thoughts on what might be causing it? do I just need to re-pot? The leaves also appeared to be drooping a bit.
There could be quite a few reasons. But the most common one is the sun and water stress with container plants.
The best sun exposure for container plants is actually partial sun. Avoid the mid-day sun exposure. That will stress the plants with the hot sun and water stress. Some growers erect shade cloth for this reason.
They look like fig trees that are used to low light being put in the dangerous afternoon sun. Put them in the shade, and give them a good watering.
I can rule this out because they were purchased as dormant plants and have not been moved since they broke dormancy. they have the same amount of sun that they always have
I would not rule out anything.
I have two plants of my own from last year. I put them out in the sun. They put out good growth. Then they started to wilt. Now they are in the ICU. I have backup/replacement for them. So I care less. But everything can happen.
I can’t find anything wrong with the environment…
The most likely reason is short on water, too much heat, and lack of fertilizer. It’s hard to keep figs wet enough under your conditions when they are in small black pots. They need watering every day.
I am starting to wonder how much soil is left in the pot, a fig tree could wind up nothing but roots/no soil, especially in a small pot, the less soil the easier the roots dry out.
It also depends on the type of growing media. Before I mixed in quite a bit wood product to reduce the weight. But the wood chips and barks do not retain water much and most water just running out. So I’ve started to mix in more compost and even nursery sand to the media.
All right fig experts… resurrecting this topic because I’m having a similar problem. My container figs started the summer off fine, but have been getting progressively yellower leaves throughout the year as they grow, and new leaves are coming in more yellow. They are also curling upward and feel dry.
I assume the problem is lack of N and water, but I’m not sure how much more to add. I water every 2 days and we’ve been having very nice weather, like 30-31 degree (C; 85-88 F) highs and dry. I also fertilized twice in the last 4 weeks, most recently with 3 tbsp of organic 4-4-4 and a splash of fish fertilizer. ** edit - 3 tbsp, not 5. It’s two weeks after that fertilization and they have continued to degrade.
Could they need even more N?
If I switch to watering every day, how much is recommendable? I don’t want to just flush all the nutrients out of my pots - I think I had that problem earlier this year. The soil is staying damp already, but maybe they need just a little more.
Thanks in advance!
You’d be surprised how much figs like to be fertilized. My similarly sized container VDBs complain (go yellow) if I don’t treat them regularly to fish / kelp emulsion. But I’d check for water and heat stress first. FYI VDB can tolerate a little more shade than most figs
Edit: I don’t follow a specific schedule for my figs, just give them some attention when I notice them just starting to yellow. Ideally I would keep better track and come up with a more proactive schedule. I know I probably end up fertilizing my container figs at least 5x per year.
Looks like fig bud mites. The spotting is a sign. They can also cause general chlorosis and deformation of new growth. Look at young growth under at least 30x magnification and you will likely see lots of worm-like eriophyid mites. Bad infestations can cause stunting. Worse, they will spread fig mosaic disease if an infected plant is nearby.
Interesting. Could have come with the plants I guess, since there’s no figs grown around me. I have seen a couple young leaves drying up and falling off, and thought it was too much heat / not enough water. They are not wilting like the OP photo.
I tried to take a photo with my 15x hand lens combined with cell camera at 3x zoom. I don’t think I’m seeing anything besides a couple flecks of dirt and the plant’s hairs, but could be missing them.
I never found a solution in the year I had yellowing. I read that if fig leaves turn yellow, they’re likely to stay that way the same season regardless of changes, unless they completely fall off and grow new leaves. That seems to be the case with me. The following season I made changes and they worked really well. First, I tried to fertilize twice a month with granular slow release ferts on the first of the month along with a water-soluble liquid fertilizer, and then just a liquid fertilizer mid-month. I also think the addition of straw mulch before it got too hot was key in helping to retain moisture throughout the day. I also made sure to give them consistent watering on a drip line, but I did this last year too. Not only have my leaves stayed super green, but I’ve also had much more growth this year. One of them is probably about four times the size it was last year. So in summary, consistent watering, frequent fertilizing, and straw mulch worked best for me.
This is not enough magnification to see them. Even at much higher magnification, they can be hard to pick out among the leaf hairs.
I’m almost certain you have a fig bud mite infestation—and not a deficiency. I’ve seen them at work, and these are the classic symptoms.
Several miticides (e.g., abamectin, spiromesifen) will kill them, though I don’t know what is available in Canada. If you’ll apply wettable sulfur several times early next season—beginning right at bud break—you’ll probably not see these symptoms next season. If you can add spinosad (at label mite rates or higher) to the sulfur, you’re even more likely to wipe them out. In the meantime, I’d be careful about sharing cuttings or layers.
Very likely. Fig people—including some nurseries—pass them around with reckless abandon. Not a good idea, as they can potentially become established any place where figs are not routinely winter killed. They are well-established in fig growing regions of California, and I believe they’ve also become naturalized in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
For clarification, I’m not suggesting a solution to your issue @pine , only stating the fix to my own yellowing as the OP.