This is a violette de bourdeaux fig I recently picked up at a local nursery. It was in a 3 1/2 gallon pot. The guy there told me it was 4 years old. I don’t know how to gauge that, though it doesn’t really look like a 4 year old tree to me and in my experience most trees at nurseries in that size pot are 1 or 2 years old. At any rate, I transplanted it into a 10 gallon container with 511 mix, which is what you see in the attached picture. As soon as I transplanted it, the leaves began drooping and it has been like that for about week now. I’m guessing transplant shock. The tree was extremely rootbound in the nursery pot, and I had to work very hard to disentangle the roots and even then didn’t entirely succeed. There was a very large root that was sort of circling the pot that wouldn’t budge with a lot of the old medium trapped inside. I’ve been keeping the tree in the shade.
How long does transplant shock usually last? Most of the trees I’ve transplanted haven’t gone through shock, and the only one that did (a mulberry seedling) shriveled up and died a couple of weeks afterwards.
Would it be be a good idea for me top this tree right above the single branch extending from the trunk? Would this stimulate more rapid growth and fruiting, or would it be better to just leave it alone and wait for it to recover?
Put it in regular Potting soil. 511 is waaay too porous and doesn’t hold water enough for figs. It’s only needed for indoor citrus mixes, not for anything else really.
I would take it out. Soak it in a bucket of water, then repot it into regular potting soil. Potted figs drink a lot during periods of warmth
Also if there’s a nutrient lockout which I’ve seen some nurseries do to keep their plants smaller, it could have stunted or no growth for the years/months that it’s happening. So it could possibly be 4 years old, just stunted. Nutrient lockout will keep the plants alive but unable to grow.
I recommend a soil mix made from one 1.5 cu.ft. bag of bagged potting soil plus one 0.5 cu.ft. (50 lb) bag of all-purpose sand.
Use an upright 15 gallon pot. Leave the top 3 inches of the pot unfilled.
After repotting, water thoroughly and let drain. Then add a one inch layer of conifer bark – the smaller 1/2" to 3/4" size, sometimes called pathway bark.
The next day, prune the main stalk to 32" height above the soil/bark line. Also prune off all side branches but leave behind 1/8" - 3/16" stubs.
Place the pot where the tree will receive full sun all day long. If you are located someplace like Phoenix AZ then water (fill to the brim) every 5 days this Spring. Otherwise water once per week.
I want to add: For the first few days, it should be placed in shade to give it a chance to heal and recover.
Then after that, yeah 
Multiple transplants can be a little hard on the system.
It is Ficus carica. It will take weeks to recover. It will prefer full sun for recovery. I have 25 years experience with figs in pots and in-ground. I’m looking out the window at 400 of them. You would do better to stop advising members about fruit trees until you’ve gained experience on par with many of the other members here.
After looking at the 511 mix, I don’t like it. If you keep it as a house plant, sure. I like real soil like sandy soil and even a bit of clay. Then, add compost and perlite. I have two figs from cutting and was up potted to 3.5 gallon. By the end of last year, the roots was thick and went to the bottom of the pot. They clearly didn’t have a problem digging their roots all the way to the bottom. It was planted in the ground in Fall.
As far as transplant shock, place the tree in the shade. Water it every other day or frequet light watering. You may prune or remove some of leaves and help direct the energy to the roots. The tree would do the same thing anyway by dropping the leaves. It may take 2 weeks, a month, and in some case 2 months. I wouldn’t top the fig and create more stress for the tree.
I have been dealing with fig trees over 60 years. Used to be LSU ag station 5 minutes from the family farm owned since 1800’s. My father grew up on the farm. Your plant looks like that because of the medium you are using, not so much from transplanting. Follow Richard’s instructions on soil and cutting that tree. Expending too much energy for all that wood and cutting will help with branching.
I think you’ve gotten good advice, but a lot depends on where you are located.
I think a sandy mix as Richard suggested is close to ideal for the tree. I live in VA and have to move pots to shelter each fall and spring. A sandy mix would be too heavy to easily move a few dozen trees twice a year. I’ve settled on a suboptimal 511ish mix that works and is light enough to haul even a 15g around.
As far as trimming, I would definitely trim it. The main crop will develop on this year’s growth. As a result, you’ll want to start it lower so that you can easily reach the figs after the branches put on get off growth. I usually cut around 18-24", but that’s also a compromise to pack them into storage for the winter. I usually take a look in the range I want to cut and try and find the best arrangement/spacing of buds and cut right above that. It will usually start growing branches from the upper most buds and if those are already spaced conveniently then you’ll have less work to do guiding it later.
I’ve got 2 figs that survived in 511 potting mix, but they weren’t ever happy about it or very productive.
I’ll give Richard’s advice a try. I need to repot them anyway. I’m also in VA and use a long-tongue handtruck to haul around 30 gallon pots, so I can afford some more weight.
Wouldn’t full sun during recovery harm more than help? Just like how all the nurseries advise people to not shock things by putting them up in shade or dapple shade for the 2 weeks following transplant or sending them to a new area. Why would figs be any different?
What would the harm be in letting it sit in shade for a few days, especially since we don’t know the details such as weather or growing conditions of the poster? What if they live in a place that’s over 100 degrees during the day right now? Wouldn’t giving them a broad generalization that’s typically recommended by other nurseries help more than harm?
There was/is a Fig grower,Joe Morle,who sold them and had a website.He strongly advised against transplanting and especially disturbing the roots,when they were leafed out and actively growing.He even stated,that it will kill the plant and there were no refunds given.
I really hope he is wrong in this case and rebound happens.
Personally, I’ve transplanted while leafed out with no issues in the past but i can see where the sentiment comes from.
I would rather advise in generalization of not knowing every condition that someone is growing in along with advice and evidence that I’ve seen from some extremely successful nurseries than to just go with what 1 person has done or said regardless of experience.
I worked and owned a coffee stand for over 10 years collectively in the past and i can tell you that experience does not always equate to expertise. My first boss had been in it for over 20 years and she had no idea what she was doing. It took me a year to learn and realize that everything i was taught by her and others was wrong.
While i may not have the same amount of time in the game, I do have many friends who are in or are going in the nursery business currently that deal with a lot of figs. Not one has ever told me directly to stick them in the sun but to let them acclimate to whatever I’m doing or where ever I’m in for a little bit so I’m going to keep directing people to the same general directions I’ve been given that have worked out for myself, themselves and many others. It seems less risky this way, especially to those brand new to a certain fruit and when we don’t know the entirety of their situation.
Even one green world has a dedicated section of figs recovering that they stick in shade. I was just there the other week asking questions. I’ve been to many nurseries and seen a lot of operations. Although i have not seen every way and every nursery, i have noticed all the ones I’ve been to have their new stock shaded before setting them out in full sun.
My 2 cents:
Background: I’ve been growing figs for 12 years. I have ~70 fig trees in pots. I pick ~4000 figs each season. I live in southern New England, where temperatures are usually 75-85 F in the summer, only occasionally exceeding 95 F. Early ripening varieties begin to ripen fruit by mid-August; the season is done by mid October.
Re pruning:
That tree is way too big to thrive in a 3 1/2 g pot, and it’s no surprise that it was horribly root-bound. It will be much happier in 10 g. A root bound tree will never be happy until the roots are pruned. Ideally, that should be done early in the growing season when the tree is still dormant. You can postpone that chore or do it now. If it were my tree, I’d cut back the top to the height you prefer, planning for 3-4 scaffold branches. This will remove most of the foliage, so you won’t be bothered by wilting leaves. Then I’d hack at the roots, removing everything that is circling the perimeter. Don’t be timid. You’ll need a very good saw. Then repot the tree, which at that point will have some roots and maybe a 4’ central leader but not much else. Store it in a warm shaded location until new growth emerges then move it to full sun. Water enough to keep the potting mix moist. In essence, treat the pruned tree like a giant cutting. It’ll be fine. Of course, this will be a “rebuilding year.” You’ll get a good crop next year and thereafter.
Re watering:
Figs are not desert plants. In their native Mediterranean environment, where there is winter/spring rain, they push roots deep to find rain water that has been trapped and/or is flowing above bedrock. They prefer a steady supply of water and they do a good job calibrating their growth to the available supply. So water tends to be the critical input that constrains fig growth. Sure, you can get slow growth and modest productivity from a tree that gets little water. But you can get a lot more growth and fruit from a tree that is watered more than the equivalent of a Mediterranean climate.
As noted, a fig tree can adjust its metabolism to match any supply of water short of a flood; but in my experience (including discussing the question with hundreds of growers all over the country) figs perform optimally in conditions that provide consistent water that is ample during the growing season (spring / early summer, when shoots and leaves grow, then fruit sets and grows) and then merely adequate – definitely not excessive – as fruit ripens (late summer / autumn). Here I have had great success – abundant growth and great productivity – watering twice daily using an automated drip system. So long as your potting mix drains OK, you cannot damage a fig tree by watering it.
Re soil mix:
In the past in the Our Figs forum, a guy who calls himself AscPete has done a great job explaining the best potting mix for figs. Find that forum; search for his posts. At a high level, he suggests 70-75% “fine” material such as coco coir, peat moss, and/or compost; 25-30% “coarse” material such as calcined clay, diatomaceous earth. In all cases, the best material retains water and binds nutrients (high CEC). Viewed through this lens, sand is a poor choice – it holds neither water nor nutrients, and it’s heavy! The 70-30 combination provides for good drainage and aeration.
Jrd51, thanks for all the helpful information and advice.
I’m in southern California (zone 10a) was told this Violette de Boudreaux could possibly fruit multiple times throughout the year in my area - whether or not that is the case I don’t know, but that’s one of the reasons I bought it, in addition to hearing it was one of the most delicious figs.
Considering my tree is in shock at the moment, do you think I can still do all the hacking you suggest and my tree will survive, or should I wait until the tree goes dormant later this year? To be honest I’m a little scared to do all this hacking as I’ve never done anything like that before. Should I prune the tree just above the single scaffolding branch that exists now, or below? If above, should I prune that branch at all also, or remove the leaves on it, leaving the tree leafless?
The mix I have the fig planted in right now is five parts fir bark fines, 1 part coco coir, and 1 1/2 parts grade 3 perlite. I know this is different from the the ideal mix you mention, but I’m wondering what your thoughts are on this mix generally. Could I leave the tree in this mix and still get good results so long as I water regularly and fertilize regularly once the tree recovers?
I am familiar with calcined clay - I think it is also called turface? But I am unable to source this anywhere locally (I’ve looked before) and it’s very expensive for small quantities online. I’m also concerned how much this ingredient will increase the weight of my container? One advantage of my current mix it is a lot easier to move the pot if I need to.
But I could put it in a new mix if you think it is necessary to the tree’s success. I have both peat and coir on and I also have diatomaceous earth, but the only DE I have and that I’ve ever seen is in powdered form and it seems that’s not what you are recommending, since you refer to it as a coarse material. What is this coarse DE and where can I get it?
I agree the mix is way to porous. Your tree looks that way likely because it needs water. Don’t top it now, you’ll only further shock it. Keep it in the shade and water it.
If you have access to Gary’s Top Pot, use that. Or use a citrus-cactus-palm type mix.
Everyone’s putting in their “credentials” haha, so I’ll say mine: 5 year potted fig tree grower with 300ish trees in inland Southern CA, where it is dry and hot.
I just want to clarify that the leaves began drooping before I even got the fig in its new pot; it went into shock when I was trying to loosen the roots, not after transplanting. When I removed the tree from its original pot it was so rootbound, I must have literally spent an hour trying to loosen the roots, spraying them with water, trying to remove the old medium, etc. I now regret going to such lengths to try to loosen them but at the time I’d never actually encountered a tree that root bound and wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed. I have been monitoring moisture levels of the mix and keeping the tree well hydrated. It has also been in the shade since transplant.
I am familiar with Gary’s Top Pot, and I do know it’s a good mix to use for many container trees in southern California. My main concern with that mix is the pot will be insanely heavy. I’d also have to drive two hours to get it. Something like EB Stone cactus palm mix would be easier for me to get my hands on.
Yes, you should be able to get a breba crop (figs on last year’s growth) then, depending on how you water, either two crops (e.g., June-July & Oct-Nov) or one extended crop (June - Nov) on current year’s growth. VdB is a great fig.
Consider: We routinely clone new trees by placing a stick of dormant wood in some moist potting mix. In ~6 weeks, the stick pops roots. In 3 months, you’ve got a nice little tree. What is “shock” compared to a dormant stick? BTW, I’ve seen people root sticks 6’ long and 3-4" wide. Think the advantage your tree has compared to that.
I would cut off the existing branch so you have a single 4’ central leader and nothing else. If you want to increase the odds of success, wrap the central leader in grafting tape (or similar). And keep it in the shade. These steps will reduce the risk of dessication.
Yes, bark fines and coco coir are “fine” and perlite is “coarse.” Your proportions are OK. So this mix would be fine.
FWIW, I find both calcined clay and diatomaceous earth in auto supply stores because it is used to absorb oil spills. I also find CC in stores with auto supply departments, such as Tractor Supply. In 40-50 lb bags, it’s not very expensive. This is not the DE sold for pool filters, which is finer. Both products make silica dust that’s dangerous to inhale, so use a mask, moisture, and ventilation when mixing them.
Just FYI, this is what it looked like as I pruned the roots on some severely root-bound trees. Basically I used a chain saw to remove a few inches off the base, then sections from the entire perimeter. These trees were not quite dormant but had already lost leaves. It looks like they had been top-pruned.
I did something similar to roughly 4 dozen trees. They’re all growing now.
Your take-away should be that the tree can tolerate severe pruning. The question is whether performing such pruning in May is OK. It’s not ideal but I think the tree will be fine.
