(below, left to right) In spring, the structure of the budding fan is clearly visible. By early summer, the fig has put on an impressive amount of foliage.
Spring pruning an established fan MID–LATE SPRING
■ Select a couple of the oldest, least productive main laterals and cut them back to a single bud. This should help open up congested areas.
■ Prune to 1 bud or leaf about half of the sideshoots growing from the main ribs or arms of the fan. This will encourage new fruiting growth.
■ Remove completely any new buds or shoots growing directly into or out from the wall or fence.
■ Cut out any dead, damaged, or diseased wood, including any shoots damaged by frost during the winter.
■ Tie in new shoots that will help form the framework of the fan as it grows.
(left to right) Cut out old stems at the base to encourage new, more vigorous growth. Prune sideshoots on either side of the fan in spring, cutting back to one bud.
Summer pruning an established fan EARLY OR MIDSUMMER
■ Pinch out the growing tips of new shoots once they have 5–6 leaves. This encourages the formation of embryo fruits and lets sunlight ripen existing fruits.
■ If you can, identify figs that will not ripen this year, and cut off the shoots bearing them. New growth should break from the stumps, producing further embryo fruits. If you can’t, don’t worry. Pick off unripe fruit later in the year, in fall.
■ Continue tying in new shoots.
(right) Remove shoots with small, unripe figs by making a clean cut with a pair of sharp pruners.
In a greenhouse, a fig can be trained vertically upward, then fanned out across a series of overhead horizontal wires stretched beneath the roof.
Carefully bend the current year’s new lateral shoots into position and tie them in to the wires using string or flexible plant ties. Don’t secure them too tightly.
Aim for a framework of well-spaced ribs with plenty of room for air to circulate and for sunlight to reach the ripening fruits.
Leaves, stems, and branches
Leaves mottled and bronzed
If upper surfaces of leaves become speckled or mottled with pale yellow-bronze spots, then begin to dry up and die, look underneath with a magnifying glass for tiny spider mites.
In severe cases, you may also see fine silk webbing. Spider mites are much more likely to be a problem in a greenhouse.
■See Spider mites (p.340).
Small, white, wax-covered insects on stems Mealybugs feed on sap that they suck from stems and branches. These pests are recognizable by their coating of fluffy, white wax.
■See Mealybugs (p.337).
Bumps on stems and leaves
Several kinds of scale insects may be found on stems and branches, especially on figs in a greenhouse. They are elliptical and covered with a domed shell. If leaves are also covered with sticky honeydew, then the cause is the type known as soft scale.
■See Scale insects (p.340).
Rusty-brown spots on leaf undersides
Fungal rust causes these spots. Infected leaves may die and drop.
■See Rust (p.330).
Plants grow poorly
If your fig trees seem lackluster, check stems carefully for scale insects. If you find none, then suspect root-feeding nematodes.
■See Scale insects (p.340) and Nematodes (p.337).
Fruit
Unripe figs drop from the tree prematurely In summer, this is probably due to a shortage of water.
In fall or winter, unripe figs fall naturally or are killed by frost.
■See Routine care (p.171).
Fruit partially or wholly eaten
The closer figs are to being perfectly ripe, the more irresistible they are to birds, wasps, flies, and other insects. They feed on the ripening fruit, making or enlarging holes in the skin.
■See Birds (p.334) and Wasps (p.341).
What can go wrong
The term “soft fruit” is something of a catchall, meaning—in essence—any fruit that doesn’t grow on trees. The main categories are bush fruit (currants, gooseberries, blueberries, and cranberries), cane fruit (raspberries, blackberries, and hybrid bramble fruits), and, in a group of their own, strawberries. Strictly speaking, grapes are a type of soft fruit, too, although in this book they are treated separately. Many of the fruits termed “tender and unusual” (melons, cape gooseberries, kiwifruit, and more) are soft fruits as well, but they have been grouped together because of their particular climatic growing requirements.
Soft fruits have a special appeal as grow-your-own crops. They almost all taste at their absolute best when left to ripen on the plant, then picked and eaten immediately. But at that point they are fragile, and unlikely to survive the long journey to a supermarket shelf. Consequently, commercially grown fruit is usually picked before it is ripe, when it is firmer and more resilient. The result? It will never have the sweetness, juiciness, aroma, and flavor of fruit you have grown and picked yourself.
Blackberries might seem an odd choice of fruit to grow in your backyard or community garden. After all, they’re easy to find growing wild. However, cultivated varieties crop more heavily, and some are mercifully thornless.