The heat-loving fig (Ficus Karika) is considered one of the first plants cultivated by man. Initially, it was grown in the region of modern Arabia, from where it spread first to the subtropics of the Mediterranean, then to Egypt.
And just a few centuries later, the culture could be found in almost all regions, the climate of which was suitable for its cultivation. After the discovery of America by Europeans, it was almost immediately induced in the Western Hemisphere, where it also became a common horticultural crop almost everywhere.
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plant description
Figs in their natural habitat
The success of the fig is due to its more than outstanding characteristics:
- high productivity (up to 200 q/ha);
- removal of two crops per year;
- ripe fruits contain a large amount of sugar (from 24 to 37%);
- high concentrations of useful substances in fruits - vitamins and microelements;
- the versatility of the use of culture (its delicious fruits are used raw and dried, they are used to make jams, jams, juice and even bread);
- unpretentiousness of the plant - it can grow even on stony soils and rocks;
- early fruiting and long life - the plant begins to bear fruit in the third year of life and lives up to 60 years, with virtually no reduction in yield.
Useful properties of figs known for a long time. It has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and improves metabolism. Sweet and healthy figs are also high in calories and can quickly satisfy hunger.
All this splendor of properties eliminates one drawback - figs are a heat-loving crop and in our area can be grown exclusively as a house or greenhouse plant.
The article considered how to grow figs at home and how to care for the plant for its normal existence and abundant fruiting.
The fig or fig tree is a deciduous plant of the Mulberry family with light gray bark.
These exotic plants grow and bear fruit in a climate that has enough days for fruit to ripen.
A powerful stem (trunk) has a straight or slightly curved shape. Its height sometimes reaches 12 m (although there are also undersized varieties, no more than 2 m high), and the thickness exceeds 50 cm. The skeletal branches of the plant are also thick and strong.
Its leaves have a five- or seven-lobed shape and long petioles. The size of the leaves can be quite large (up to 20 centimeters in diameter).
Dried figs are a real delicacy!
A feature of figs is its pollination. During flowering, two types of inflorescences are formed in the axils of the leaves - figs and caprifigs, with female and male flowers, respectively. Moreover, both male and female flowers are located on the inside of spherical oval formations with a hole at the top.
Most cultivated varieties of figs have only female inflorescences (figs). In order for pollination to occur in gardens with cultivated fruit-bearing varieties, you need to plant 1-2 wild trees. Pollination is carried out by insects, namely, blastophage wasps. Getting from the male to the female inflorescence, they carry pollen.
The fruit of a fig (fig, fig) is actually not a berry, but a seed, consisting of many small flowers located inside the fruit shell
Despite the apparent complexity of the pollination process compared to other plants, figs have been using a similar scheme for more than 30 million years. Symbiosis with wasps is beneficial to both species - without figs, blastophages cannot reproduce.
The root system of a plant can have different sizes. If the roots can provide the plant with sufficient nutrients, then they do not tend to grow.
Figs live long enough, up to 60 years. But there are specimens that are over 300 years old.
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In general, growing figs at home is akin to growing ordinary ficus, since the plants belong to the same genus, and, as a result, have similar agricultural practices.
Variety and seed selection
Figs - Crimean black variety
Cultivation begins with the selection of the variety to be grown. Since in the vast majority of cases figs are grown for fruit production, and its pollination pattern is quite exotic, it is necessary to choose varieties that can form ovaries on their own, without planting additional pollinators and using os-blastophiles.
Therefore, for growing at home, you should choose either parthenocarpic (self-fertile) or mixed varieties. The latter usually produce two crops a year, and the first crop does not require pollinators.
The listed groups include the following varieties:
- Sochi-7
- Kadota
- Solar
- Sukhumi violet
There are several ways to plant figs. The plant can reproduce in the following ways:
- seeds
- cuttings
- lateral layering
- sprouts of root shoots
Reproduction by seeds is inefficient. It is also not recommended to use seed from southern countries, since it is not known how it will react to planting at home, in addition, there is a high probability that it is self-infertile.
It is best to use cuttings or layering of a plant that was grown in an apartment.. The following describes how to get seedlings from cuttings.
Planting cuttings
As cuttings, branches of shoots up to 20 cm long are used, on which there are 4-5 buds.
Planting dates can be any, but it is better if it is done in the spring. The cuttings should be cut until the buds open.
The upper cut should be at a distance of 1 cm from the upper kidney, the lower one - 2-3 cm from the lower kidney. The top cut is always straight, the bottom cut is straight or oblique. On one side of the lower part of the cutting, the bark should be cut off or a few scratches should be applied to it to accelerate the formation of the root system.
Before planting the cuttings in the substrate, the lower cut is treated with a rooting agent (for example, Kornevin). The substrate is a mixture of peat and sand, taken in equal proportions. Before planting seedlings, it is recommended to sterilize the substrate - heat it in the oven to a temperature of + 110 ° C and hold it in this form for about 10 minutes.
Planting cuttings is carried out in pots or plastic cups filled with the substrate so that the soil layer fills them up to 80%.. Deepening is made to the level of the lower kidney.
The soil is slightly compacted, the stalk is sprayed with Zircon and covered with a transparent glass jar on top, plastic bottle or plastic wrap, creating a mini-greenhouse
A container with cuttings is placed on the windowsill of the south window. The greenhouse is removed only after the roots have formed.
Rooting figs is fairly easy. To do this, a number of conditions must be met:
- temperature not lower than +22°С
- high humidity
- scattered light
To protect the cutting from direct sunlight, it is recommended to cover the window in the room with a curtain made of white fabric.
Rooting lasts up to 20 days, all this time the substrate should be kept moist. As soon as the buds begin to swell on the cuttings or the first leaves bloom, mini-greenhouses should be ventilated daily, gradually adapting the plants to fresh air. Every day the plant should be sprayed, and if it begins to fade, it is necessary to stop airing and resume them after a few days.
The cutting with roots is transplanted into a previously prepared container with a volume of not more than 1 liter. The composition of the soil mixture includes sheet (but not soddy) soil, to which you need to add wood ash and sand, taken in equal proportions. Transplantation is carried out together with an earthen clod. At the bottom of the container it is necessary to pour a layer of drainage.
Rooted cuttings after the first transplant
10-15 days after transplantation, the plant is fed with fertilizer for indoor flowers. The development of figs is quite fast. If everything is done correctly, after 1.5-2 years the first fruiting begins.
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Fig care at home
Caring for figs is quite simple and does not require any complex operations.
The plant must be watered at regular intervals and fed several times a season. From time to time, the plant is trimmed and transplanted into a container of a larger capacity.
watering
Figs in a pot
Figs should be watered once a week. For irrigation, settled warm water is used with a temperature of 2-3 ° C higher than in the room. Once a month, the plant is sprinkled.
In any case, there should not be too little liquid, because with its lack, twisting and wilting of the leaves are observed.. Sometimes, due to lack of moisture, the plant can shed not only fruits, but also leaves.
top dressing
Figs growing at home
The first top dressing of the season is made after the end of the dormant period - in late February or early March. At the same time, mineral fertilizers are used. It may consist of urea (up to 5 g per 1 liter of water) or fertilizer for ornamental houseplants. Until the end of fruiting, figs should be fed every 10 days.
At the end of summer, a second top dressing is produced, which usually consists of organic fertilizers, containing potassium - chicken manure, mullein solution, humus, fermented nettle, rotted manure, etc. 3-4 applications of the feed mixture are made with pauses of 15 days.
pruning
Formed fig crown at the age of 5 years
In order for the fig to form normally, it should be properly cut and form a beautiful crown for it. When a young plant grown from a cutting reaches a height of 30 cm, the central shoot is pinched off to allow the first skeletal branches to form. Later, 3 or 4 large skeletal branches are left on the plant.
The growth of figs is fast enough and so that the root does not reach gigantic sizes, it will need to be trimmed regularly.
The cropping algorithm looks something like this:
- the diameter of the crown of a plant aged 5-10 years should not exceed 1-1.2 m
- pruning of the central branches and young shoots with high growth rates is carried out
- shoots directed inside the crown are completely removed
- no more than 3 fruits are left on each branch, all the buds above are removed
Disease prevention
Spider mite - the main pest of the crop
Usually, representatives of the genus Ficus rarely suffer from diseases or pests.therefore, it is highly likely that these events can be avoided.
However, figs are often attacked by spider mites when bred at home, especially if the conditions were too dry and warm. Affected plants are sprayed with Aktellik's solution (since other acaricides against ticks are not very effective). For preventive purposes, the plants should be regularly sprayed with cold water.
Of the diseases, only coral spotting, which is a fungal disease, can be noted. They fight it with the help of any fungicide.
Transfer
Fig transplant
Cultivation of figs involves annual transplants during the first 3-4 years of life. At the same time, the volume of the pot is chosen 1 liter more than it was last year. Older plants are transplanted every two years, but the container volume continues to increase by 1 liter.
In the case of planting a plant in open ground (for example, during the summer), a hole is made in it, the volume of which is equal to the volume of the container. Its walls are covered with polyethylene so that the root system does not grow. In the fall, a transplant is made into a larger pot.
In open ground, it is also recommended to feed the plant with organic matter. In this case, the second top dressing is done about a month before it is transplanted into the house.
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Figs in the country
Obtaining fig tree fruits at home is not always effective. It should always be remembered that the plant, being not in its climate, experiences certain difficulties with vegetation and metabolism.
Below are the most common problems in keeping figs at home, the solution of which will help make the culture bloom and bear fruit.
| Cause | Possible Solution |
|---|---|
| lack of lighting | In the summer, move to an open sunny place in the garden or take it out to the balcony. In winter - place on the brightest window sill in the apartment. |
| Too much space for the root system | Transplant the plant into a smaller container. If the plant is planted in the garden, limit the space occupied by the root system with polyethylene stretched over the frame. |
| Crown damage in winter from low temperatures | Provide the plant with additional watering and top dressing; on average, crown restoration takes about 3 months |
| Pest infestation | After the destruction of the cause, the plant should be treated with Epin or similar phytohormones. |
| Too dense crown | Cut off excess branches. Sometimes they are simply shortened. Re-form the crown, leaving two skeletal branches on the tree. To pinch the tips of the shoots. Reduce the amount of fertilizer containing nitrogen. |
| Lack of nutrition (in this case, the leaves wither or turn yellow) | Compliance with the correct agricultural technology - timely watering and top dressing. |
VIDEO: How to grow figs at home Home greenhouse
How to grow figs at home Home greenhouse
Figs at home: propagation by cuttings, planting and growing | (Photo & Video) +Reviews
I would like more material about figs planted in open ground.
Hello Victor! We will definitely take into account your wishes. In the near future we will publish more materials on figs.