Fig Tree (Brown Turkey) Location and Feeding - Container Growning
iamdavidgrant
Posts: 4
in Fruit & veg
Hi All, new here as need advice on my first Fig Tree and I'm not very green-fingered 
From what I've read you should grow a fig tree on a south facing wall and currently it is on the South East wall but I've noticed that by around three in the afternoon the sun has moved past and casting a shadow over the fig tree. The South West wall still gets sun until sunset and this wall holds all the heat from the sun, so much so at night you can warm up with your back to the wall. The downside is that in winter the wind blows down our road and even covered I would worry the fig tree would suffer.
I don't wish to be moving it around the garden or move it inside but I would think getting the most sun and in the hottest part of the day would be better for the fig tree and would make the figs ripen.
Also any advice on watering/feeding the fig tree in a container, again from what I've read it needs to be watered often this time of year and needs feeding weekly with something like a seaweed fertiliser.
*** Image © - do not use, copy, or distribute - David Grant ***
*** Image © - do not use, copy, or distribute - David Grant ***
From what I've read you should grow a fig tree on a south facing wall and currently it is on the South East wall but I've noticed that by around three in the afternoon the sun has moved past and casting a shadow over the fig tree. The South West wall still gets sun until sunset and this wall holds all the heat from the sun, so much so at night you can warm up with your back to the wall. The downside is that in winter the wind blows down our road and even covered I would worry the fig tree would suffer.
I don't wish to be moving it around the garden or move it inside but I would think getting the most sun and in the hottest part of the day would be better for the fig tree and would make the figs ripen.
Also any advice on watering/feeding the fig tree in a container, again from what I've read it needs to be watered often this time of year and needs feeding weekly with something like a seaweed fertiliser.
*** Image © - do not use, copy, or distribute - David Grant ***
*** Image © - do not use, copy, or distribute - David Grant ***
0
Posts
@stuart.dot A huge fig tree doesn't help me.
@B3 East isn't any clearer as are you saying SE wall for me the best option or SW as hottest.
@Joyce Goldenlily The most comprehensive answer but I really need to clarify which wall to place the fig tree on. As for container size then is that only if you wish to have a large fig tree - I was going to grow up wall more like a vine. I can make a bigger container if need be but maybe you could give me some pointers that are easy to comprehend. That planter in photo is my design and sold on Etsy
Just an observation that people might find interesting. Are we a helpline now? Suck it and see is the answer to most questions
Heligan is very different in climate to me, my daughter lives near and everything is way more advanced that my windy exposed place!
I suggest you keep eye on it, if it shows signs of dying later, bring it in for the winter, when it gets bigger it will probably stay outside, I haven’t got to that stage yet.
I do get tiny figs on it, they don’t amount to anything, grow to about an inch then drop off.
It seems to need lots of water, but I don’t know how much as they come from very dry countries where they probably don’t get any.
Do the best you can, as I said. They’re very cheap to buy, trial and error I suppose.
I would say to Stuart that we are a kind of helpline, if not it would be just for saying where we went last night, or I’ve just baked a cake or any other daily doings, helping folks is what we like to do on here.
Figs growing in the UK ideally need to be on a South or as near South as possible, so SW would be OK, red brick wall, or similar. Whilst small enough to move, it helps to move them indoors or wrap in fleece if it is a hard winter. Fan training is also ideal because the sun can reach all fruit. They need plenty of water and once established and growing well will carry 3 seasons fruit on one stem. The largest will hopefully ripen in the current year, the middle sized ones will be next years fruit and the very small ones should be removed in November as the skin hardens, they split and then drop off, weakening the plant. Figs grown in open ground can grow to 30ft with a similar spread. Trees in containers will need to be potted on every couple of years and fed weekly. They usually need to be several years old before they begin to fruit and will never produce the copious crops they form in their Southern hemisphere native habitat.
However, a warm fig, freshly picked and devoured before anyone else finds it is sublime. (The voice of experience) Brown Turkey is the most commonly grown variety in the UK although there are a number of other varieties available, as above. Hopefully you will not have to wait until you are 500 years old to enjoy the fruits of your labours, maybe just a hundred!
The thing I find with mine is that when the weather is a bit colder, the bottom leaves (one at a time) start to die. It will probably live inside for a few more years.