Q&A for How to Care for a Fig Tree

The soil around a fig tree should be moist to the touch but never soaking. They need about an inch of water a week so water accordingly to your local climate and weather.

A lack of water is most likely to blame for yellow leaves. However, it could also be due to a lack of nitrogen in your soil which can be remedied with fertilizer.

To produce fruit, a fig tree needs to be in the direct sunlight. Be sure to plant your tree in a spot that receives plenty of natural sunlight.

An 8-8-8 or a 10-10-10 fertilizer blend is optimal for a fig tree. Fig trees should be fertilized only intermittently when slow growth is noticed.

Fig trees can sustain winter if the freeze period isn't too long. You can help the tree by adding some dirt on the stump to avoid strong freeze for the roots.

It’s a good idea to let a few leaves grow on each branch - more than 4 on one new branch should be pinched off at the sign of its new growth, before it can mature and take away nutrients from the tree.

No, fig tree only produces fruit on branches that are 1 or 2 years old. If you cut new branches, you won't have any figs.

There might be small green figs growing after the summer. If they have only just grown out, then they are new. If the conditions are right, then you may be able to harvest them after a few months, because you can harvest figs twice or three times a year. If they are left from the last season and never grew or ripened, then you can pick them off and throw them away.

You can leave them on the tree, but know that they might not grow if it is too cold or if the conditions are not right. You do not need to pick them off because they might eventually ripen and you can harvest them a second time.