What is the natural (undisturbed) mineral content of your soil?
didn’t have to do tests on the soil am using(the trees which survive our weather and drought conditions are extremely productive on our bare earth), but generally speaking, vegas soil is mineral rich, being a basin valley.
https://nnsa.energy.gov/sites/default/files/nnsa/inlinefiles/usda%201985.pdf
we generally have high potash concentrations, per our empirical and consistent results in productivity, and per this horticulturist’s report
So why do you supplement?
to buy time if not inclined to re-pot, and/or add micronutrients which may be lacking in our soil depending on plants’ performance.
and sometimes, depending on my whims, i just add it to make them ‘feel the love’(way below recommended dose of course) 
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In Dallas we have light frosts. In ground figs die back for 4-5 years and don’t produce much but then the stems are thick, they don’t die back so much, and they’re very productive.
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I always struggled with math. I have my own system. I mostly depend on Dynamite slow release, with 2-4 supplements of organic fertilizer. I just eye the plants and observe growth, if slow they get some I used green sand this year in my potting mixes. My mix is 3 parts pine bark, 1 part Pro-Mix (instead of straight peat moss), 1 part compost (the darkest, richest I can find). 1/2 part diatomaceous earth the size of perlite. I have been using Opti-sorb oil absorbent sold at O.Reilly’s.
On my cuttings I started this year and on 2nd leaf trees I’m getting good vegetative growth and good fig production too. This one has 1/2 dollar size figs.
@Matt_in_Maryland, here is one of the B. Green’s you sent me this winter. (small cuttings, below pencil size).
I looked back and obtained cuttings December 15 2015. So the plant is 8 months old. I have 2 of these, the other has more mature figs. Not as tall.
Figs are on the south side, so they get full sun almost from sunrise to sunset.
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My driveway. My neighbors probably think I’m nuts! mostly rooted cuttings from this winter, a couple other plants, and 2x 2nd leaf plants in fabric pots.
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Drew,
Your methods must be working, because your fig bushes look amazing for being so young and in that climate.
Make sure you ease up on them though. Even if they’re put in a garage or basement, they’ll need to settle down and harden off for the winter.
Your Battaglia Green is double the size of mine despite being half its age. Mine still hasn’t fruited yet. Yours looks loaded!
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The Sal’s Gene fig you sent me recently set little fruitlets. They won’t ripen before the first frost, but it’s an encouraging sign. The plant is happy in this summer heat.
Oh my. If I saw this in my neighborhood, I wouldn’t think you were nuts, just a very exceptional grower. I would have to come in and stare, and stare, and stare.
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Drew,
You really know your figs! Not many people can’t grow figs like that in a place conducive to growing them.
I stopped any fertilizer in mid July, some of the dynamite might still be in the pots? I’m starting to see ripe figs now. It sort of looks like I over fertilized, but I don’t think so. A 1/4 cup of dynamite, and a couple handfuls of Plant-Tone (June, July), that’s it. Compost and mycorrhizal fungi too. I usually fertilize 3 times, but skipped the last. I thought growth was just too strong. It’s time right now for me usually to give last fertilizer, but I think I will skip it this year.[quote=“clarkinks, post:51, topic:6735”]
Drew,You really know your figs!
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Well 40 years of growing tropical and sub tropical plants. These are easy compared to some. Still trying to figure out black peppercorn vine after 3 years. It is not producing peppercorns. Learning to grow Sherbet berry tree also. Switching from yucca’s, cacti, philodendrons, etc, to edible tropicals.
Most of my 2nd leaf is in the backyard
MBVS
Florea is ripening now here
Osborne Prolific on the left. Notice big figs high up, soon should be ripe! Scott’s Black on the right. Most say hard to fruit, it’s full of fruit on this 2nd year plant.
If you look closely at the leaves, they are fairly dark green, and flawless too.
Here is my black peppercorn. It is growing well, but only three flowers so far. It did have a terrible white fly infestation that took me 6 months to eliminate. I also heard seedlings need three years and it is now three years old. So maybe it was a seedling? Cuttings fruit right away. It should have hundreds of peppercorns if from a cutting.
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I’m not sure what you are doing but they look a million times better than mine. Mine were all planted spring 2015 and they’ve not put on even a fraction of the growth your has. Maybe I don’t give them enough fert or enough water or maybe it’s because I didn’t prune them. At this rate I’m not sure my potted figs are worth having.
Figs seem to be fairly drought tolerant, but like to be moist. i water daily when hot. Leaves tend to turn yellow when over watered. So any yellowing I skip the daily watering. I am now though cutting down on water as harvest approaches.
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You are definitely better at watering than I am…
Some of my figs are barely holding onto 3-5 leaves.
Scott
I guess having grown tropicals forever is showing, seems easy, but probably isn’t. I see major mistakes fig growers do. For example every university paper on figs say that they like acidic soil around 6.5. Yet many very experienced growers use lime. I do not! I use gypsum which is pH neutral.
It supplies any calcium needs, as does the tap water for that matter! Not that big a deal, but enough of these little mistakes, they add up. I have heard many grow in limestone beds naturally. Although it’s not that they will not grow in a basic environment, it’s just they do not prefer it! The tree will adapt! Cacti grow is deserts with no rain all summer, so should I not water all summer? Of course not! And my cacti grow at 5 times the rate they do in deserts! Cacti too, btw like it as acidic as blueberries do. But will live in a basic environment, this also is not well known. When I changed pH of all my cacti they grew in one season what they did in 5 seasons before the pH change. I have 2 species in ground here that are winter hardy. One is a columnar Opuntia. Opuntia’s are usually prickly pear-flat pad types that hug the ground, but this one is not, very cool! Grows to 5 feet tall! Mine is only 8 inches, only 2 years old.
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Today I picked a super ripe Florea. These are not known to be the best fig. Last year I thought they were rather bland. Well live and learn! I let this one sag and wrinkle/ WOW! It was pretty good! A strong seed crunch. I’m thinking dried it would be better than anything I ever bought. I’m very pleased with this. I can’t wait to try the more tasty types. I was beginning to think that my figs are not going to live up to expectations, well that thought is gone forever!
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I have some fig questions and I think I have graduated from the propagation thread. I potted up my figs into approximately 2 gallon pots I believe. They have been out side for several weeks now. The transition has been a little tough on them but they have acclimated now and are starting to grow. These are HC, how long before I see a fig start to form , how big of a pot am I going to need this summer ? Will five gallon do it?
5 gal is a good size the first yr. 10-12 is my biggest size for the most tasty figs. One of those must have 250, maybe 500 figs on it already.
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Yeah 5 is good. I used mostly 5-7 gallon, then i put them in 10 gallon. I plan to keep them there for a long time. I might go to 15 after 3 or 4 years in the 10 gallon.
Once established these things can produce. Quite amazing plants.
Yes all of mine are growing and growing well. It’s not even May yet, it’s going to be an awesome year.
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