By Steven Biggs
How to Care for Potted Fig Trees in Spring
Waking up and caring for potted fig trees in the spring.
It happens every spring: The weather is warm so I move my potted fig plants out of the garage and onto my driveway. It’s time to wake up!
Then…we get a frost warning or cold winds. So I haul my fig plants back into the garage.
I call it the springtime fig shuffle. Some people call it the dance of the figs.
Whatever you call it, it’s heavy work.
But there’s a good reason for the shuffle: Even though dormant fig trees withstand frost, fig trees that are waking up are damaged by frost.
Why Wake up Fig Trees if There’s Still a Risk of Frost?
The weather is warm so I move my potted fig plants out of the garage and onto my driveway. It’s time to wake up!
It would be easier to wait for frost-free weather before moving potted fig plants outdoors. Here’s why not to wait:
Earlier Harvest. Season length limits fig harvests in cold climates. An early start gives more time for figs to ripen before the season is over.
Good Growth. Sometimes fig plants wake up early and start to grow indoors, in dim light. That gives lanky growth. But the bright light outdoors gives compact growth.
Top Tip for Spring Fig Care
Sometimes fig plants wake up early and start to grow indoors, in dim light. That gives lanky growth. But the bright light outdoors gives compact growth.
Treat your fig plants like tender annuals once they begin to come out of dormancy and buds start to swell. Protect them from frost and cold wind.
How Early to Wake Up Figs?
An early start is always good – as long as it suits you, and your style of gardening.
Do what works in your situation. If you’ll be away in the spring and can’t do the dance of the figs when there’s a frost warning, it might be better to wait.
Waking up Your Figs
When your dormant fig trees get warmth and light, they start to wake up and grow.
To start waking up my figs while they’re still in the garage, I raise the temperature. Then, as buds start to swell, and as we get warm, bright days, I take them out of the garage and onto my driveway.
I wake up my potted fig trees about a month before our frost-free weather arrives. Some cold-climate fig growers do it earlier (some even set up artificial lighting to give their figs trees a very early start).
A Protected Space Helps
A bright, protected space like this temporary greenhouse can save you shuffling around potted fig plants on cold nights.
If you want to wake up your fig plants early but want less work, a bright, protected space can save you shuffling around potted fig plants on cold nights.
That bright, protected space could be a three-season sun porch. Sun porches often freeze over the winter, but in the spring they provide figs bright conditions and usually stay above freezing.
A protected space could also be something temporary, such as a hoop house, lean-to, or temporary greenhouse.
But if you don’t have this sort of protected space, you just do the dance of the figs.
What if there is a Risk of Frost?
When the forecast is for freezing temperatures, I move my potted fig plants back into the protection of the garage.
But what if the forecast is for a temperature that will be a couple of degrees above freezing? In that case I drape a blanket or sheet over my fig plants…just in case the forecast is wrong.
And remember: Some parts of your property might have a “microclimate” and be slightly warmer than others.
Harden Off Figs that Start Growing Indoors
Even if you supply artificial light to your fig plants indoors, they should be “hardened off” before placing them in full sunlight outdoors.
Hardening off just means gradually getting the plant used to bright sunlight, cooler temperatures, and wind.
If you have a shaded spot, that’s a great place to start hardening off your fig plants. I have an overhang off of my garage, and the area underneath it gets a couple of hours of morning sun. That’s where I harden off any figs that have started to grow indoors. Their tender buds and little leaves won’t get scalded by strong sun or cold wind.
If your fig plants are still dormant when you move them outdoors, they are less fragile than plants with small leaves.
FAQ: Fig Plants in Spring
Is there an easier way to move around potted fig plants?
Put your potted figs on dollies!
Prevent scalding of new growth on fig plants by hardening off the plants in a shaded, protected protected space.
Do I need to wake up the fig plants early if it’s just for the breba crop?
Good question. No. If you wake them up later, your breba crop will be a bit later…but still well before fall frosts arrive. So there’s no downside to waking up your breba-producing fig plants later.
But…if you want to get both a breba and a main crop figs from the plants, an early start gives more time for those main-crop figs to ripen at the end of the summer.
Looking for breba fig varieties? Check out the Guide to Cold-Climate Fig Varieties.
What about in-ground figs that are wrapped or buried?
An early wake-up helps extend the growing season for in-ground figs too. The only thing to remember is that you can’t easily move them inside if there’s a cold spell.
For the fig trees I lay flat and bury, I start to remove the mulch early to allow the soil to warm up – but I don’t stand up the tree early. That way, if I need to protect it, I can throw a bit of mulch back over the top of it.
Should I feed my fig as I’m waking it up?
No, not yet. Feed once it’s actively growing.
How moist should I keep the soil?
While potted fig trees are dormant, keep the soil on the dry side of moist. But as they begin to grow, I give them a bit more water.
The little leaves and figs on my plant fell off. What happened?
Could be cold wind or cold temperatures. To prevent this, harden off your fig plant, starting in a protected space.
What about pruning in spring?
Check out the Cold-Climate Guide to How to Prune a Fig Tree