Please give me some advice on keeping my 2 newly purchased fig trees (one 8 ft and the other 6 ft tall) healthy and productive. They currently do not have any fruit on them. I live 90 mins. north of Toronto where winters are cold and harsh. I would like to keep them potted and indoors year round. They were bought from a nursery where they were nurtured in a greenhouse. Can this be done?
It can, but they'll do so much better if you have them outside from May 1st (after last frost) through ... til after the first frost (not a 'hard' one). They're not house plants, and while they may have been born and raised in a greenhouse, they can easily take your weather in summer and early fall, but should be in fast draining gritty soil that drains freely, not in peat or anything that would stay sodden in heavy rain (better, in fact, to have a shelter to pull them into if heavy rain is expected), but they love full hot sun, and you can't duplicate that indoors.
Thanks Rima, I have brought the 6ft. tree outside. The 8ft tree is still inside and I'm very concerned about moving it again. It is very heavy and awkward to move and I'm afraid of damaging it. Would using an indoor grow light help? If so, can you recommend one?
A high wattage fluorescent with a 'full spectrum' bulb in it (or two), or one 'cool white' and one 'warm white'. Humidity will be an issue as well, as they are very greedy about it, and in winter, you'll have to have a room machine going (don't even bother to spray at all except as a ''wash' because it's really useless unless done 100 x a day. Which is all why I didn't buy figs when I lived in T.O. a few yrs ago! I do have ficus plants otherwise, but they're more manageable in size and less hardy.
Do ficus fruit at all? And if so, is it edible? How big does it grow too, and where can you get one from in GTA?
Ficus carica is 'the' tree that grows real, edible figs, vs other ficus like benjamina, microcarpa, retusa, etc. that are more ornamental. I saw a few in T.O. yrs ago sold e.g. at a small family nursery outside a grocery, in a couple of other nurseries, etc., but they're not sold a lot because the weather's too cold to keep them out all winter there, but too hot and stuffy indoors, as they are hardier than the others. If you have a relatively cool place indoors to give them some dormancy in the fall thru Dec., well humidified, I'm sure you can find one somewhere - call Humber Nurseries and ask them, or Sheridan, etc. (I haven't lived there in a few yrs so not familiar with what might now be closed, or new). They normally grow well in places like the southern UK (apart from tropical and mid-eastern 'homes') where they only get light frosts, but not frigid temps and heavy snow like we do.
Rima, I live in T.O., What is the best way to protect my fig trees ouside without bringing them inside. They are planted in the ground right now? Thank you
