Tree · Moraceae
Common Fig
Ficus carica
Give it full sun and steady summer water, and a fig tree hands you sweet fruit for decades.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
50–95°F · 10–35°C
USDA 7–10
Overview
Few backyard trees pay off like a fig. It is a deciduous member of the mulberry family with broad, lobed leaves, and it has been grown around the Mediterranean for thousands of years. The plant is forgiving and fast, climbing from a cutting to a fruiting tree in just a few seasons.
What sets figs apart is how easy the harvest is. The kinds grown in home gardens set fruit on their own, with no pollinator and no fuss, so a single tree fills baskets. They run fast and large, reaching 10 to 30 feet across in open ground, though a pot keeps one tidy enough for a patio.
The one quirk worth knowing is the sap. Snap a leaf or stem and a milky, irritant sap weeps out that can sting bare skin and bother pets. The ripe fruit is perfectly safe to eat, so the answer is simply gloves at pruning time and a tree the dog can't reach.
Care
The short version: plant a fig in full sun and rich, well-drained soil, water it deeply through the growing season without ever letting the ground go soggy, prune in late winter, and feed it through spring and early summer.
Light
A fig wants full sun, the more the better, to ripen sweet fruit and shrug off disease. It will take a little partial shade, but expect a smaller, later crop in return.
Water
Water deeply and regularly through the growing and fruiting season, since figs need steady moisture to size their fruit and hold it on the tree. What they won't stand is soggy, waterlogged soil, so let the top inch or so dry between drinks. A layer of mulch keeps the moisture even and cuts fruit drop.
Soil
Plant in rich, well-drained loam that stays moist without staying wet. Figs like a pH from 6.0 to 7.0 and dislike alkaline ground, so work in plenty of organic matter before planting.
Temperature
Figs thrive in the warmth, growing best between 50°F and 95°F (10°C to 35°C). They are happiest in mild zones, and in colder spots the top can die back even when the roots pull through.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits a fig fine, somewhere around 40% to 60%. Good airflow through the canopy matters more than any humidity reading, since crowded, damp leaves invite rust.
Feeding
Feed from spring through midsummer, roughly April to July, with a balanced granular fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Stop by late summer so the tree isn't pushing tender growth into winter, and ease off the rates in colder zones to firm the wood for cold.
Pruning
Prune in late winter while the tree is dormant. Cut out dead wood and thin to an open, bushy shape, taking up to a third or half of the past year's growth to spur branching, and never leave stubs. Fruit forms on new wood, so go light enough to keep the coming crop.
Repotting
A container fig needs a fresh start every 2 to 3 years. Refresh the soil and trim the roots when you see them circling the pot or creeping out the drainage holes, or when the soil dries out almost as soon as you water.
Size & spacing
Out in the open a fig grows fast and large, anywhere from 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9 m) tall and about as wide. Give it that much room from buildings and other trees, or hold it smaller in a big pot.
When to plant
Figs are warm-climate trees that want a long, hot season to ripen their fruit. Set young plants out in late winter or early spring once hard frost is past, and the main crop comes in from late summer into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Late winter to early spring once hard-frost danger passes, using dormant bare-root or container plants
- Harvest: Main crop ripens late summer into fall (about July to October); the tiny flowers are hidden inside the fruit and are not showy
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 7–10
Temperature: down to -18°C
Troubleshooting
A fig is rarely a fussy tree, and most of its troubles trace to the roots, the leaves, or the ripening fruit. Catch the signs below early and the fix is usually simple sanitation. Match what you see, then act before a small problem settles in for the season.
Stunted plant with knotty galls on the roots
Dig up a struggling fig and find rounded swellings along the roots, and you are looking at root-knot nematodes, most common in sandy ground with a history of the pest. There is no chemical cure once they take hold. Pull and destroy the worst plants, replant with clean stock in fresh soil, and mulch heavily to keep the surviving roots vigorous.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy severely infected plants
- Replant with clean or container-grown stock in fresh, nematode-free soil
- Mulch heavily and water well to support remaining root vigor
Yellow-brown leaf spots and early leaf drop in late summer
This is fig rust, a fungus that shows up as rusty pustules on the underside of the leaf beneath each yellow-brown spot. It rarely kills a fig, but a bad year strips the canopy early. Rake up and destroy fallen leaves to clear the spores, thin the branches so air moves through, and spray a labeled fungicide only when the disease comes back hard year after year.
Fix:
- Rake up and destroy fallen leaves to remove spores
- Thin the canopy to improve air circulation
- Apply a labeled fungicide only if damaging epidemics recur yearly
Ripe fruit that leaks and smells sour or boozy
Souring sets in when yeasts and other organisms ride in on insects through the open eye at the bottom of the fruit. Pick figs the moment they ripen and clear away anything that has already spoiled. Growing a tight- or closed-eye cultivar like Celeste shuts the door on most of the trouble.
Fix:
- Harvest fruit promptly as it ripens
- Remove and dispose of spoiled fruit
- Grow closed- or tight-eye cultivars such as Celeste
Toxicity
The ripe fruit is a treat, but the rest of the tree is not. Leaves and stems weep a milky sap carrying ficin and psoralens that irritates the mouth, gut, and skin. Keep pets from chewing the foliage, and wear gloves and long sleeves when you prune, since the sap can blister skin in sunlight.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A cat that chews the leaves or stems drools and may vomit, with a sore, irritated mouth. Sap on the skin can leave a red, itchy rash.
Dogs Mild
Watch for drooling, an upset stomach, and pawing at the mouth after a dog gnaws on a leaf or stem. The sap can also redden and inflame the skin where it touches.
Horses Mild
The same milky sap irritates a horse's mouth and gut, bringing on drooling and a touch of colic if leaves or stems are eaten.
Rabbits Caution
There is little reason to let a rabbit near the foliage, since the irritant sap is no kinder to its mouth and gut than to other animals. Keep the leaves and stems out of reach.
Livestock Caution
Grazing animals usually leave figs alone, but the sap in the leaves and stems can still upset the mouth and stomach, so it is best kept off the menu.
Birds Caution
Birds may peck at ripe fruit without trouble, yet the sappy leaves and stems are an irritant best avoided.
People Ripe fruit safe
Ripe figs are a treat and safe to eat. The catch is the sap from leaves and stems, which can burn the skin and turn into a blistering rash in sunlight, so wear gloves and long sleeves when you prune.
Wear gloves when pruning, as the sap can irritate skin and, combined with sunlight, cause photodermatitis.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Hundreds of fig cultivars exist, but a few earn their place in most home gardens for sweetness, reliability, or sheer toughness. These are the names worth knowing.
Celeste
A small, sweet fig with a closed eye that keeps souring organisms out, and it shrugs off cold better than most common types.
Brown Turkey
A vigorous, dependable producer of large fruit grown all across the Southeast, and you will also see it sold as Texas Everbearing.
Chicago Hardy
About the toughest fig you can plant, its roots ride out hard freezes and push fresh growth from the base even when the top dies back.
How to propagate
Figs are among the simplest fruit trees to multiply, and a single plant gives you several ways to do it for free.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late winter to early spring, using 8 to 10 inch dormant cuttings of one-year-old wood · About one growing season before transplanting in fall
This is the easy way in. Take 8 to 10 inch dormant cuttings of one-year-old wood in late winter or early spring and push them into soil so one or two buds sit above the surface. Figs root willingly from hardwood, and the young plants are ready to move in fall after about a season's growth.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · About one growing season
Work with what the plant already offers. From spring through summer, pin a low branch down and mound soil over it, or simply dig up one of the rooted suckers the tree throws and replant it. Either way you have a new fig in roughly a season.
Air layeringModerate
Late spring to summer on semi-hardwood shoots · Several weeks to root, then pot up
Reach for this when you want a bigger, further-along plant straight away. Wound a semi-hardwood shoot in late spring or summer, wrap the spot in damp moss, and roots form over several weeks before you cut it free and pot it up.
Myths
Every fig needs a fig wasp before it will set fruit.
The common figs grown in home gardens set fruit on their own, without any pollination at all. Only Smyrna, San Pedro, and caprifig types lean on the fig wasp, and that insect cannot survive across most of the US anyway. Plant a common type and you will get figs.
The fruit must be poisonous since the plant is toxic to pets.
The ripe fruit is edible and safe for people. What makes the plant a hazard is the irritant milky sap in the leaves and stems, not the figs you pick and eat.