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Fig tree

EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
in Plants
Good morning ☀️

I have bought a fig standard for my patio.  

Can anyone recommend a pot size? Would multi purpose compost be ok?

The other issue was the soil the tree is in looks like it’s solid clay. Any ideas on this?

I have it against a West-ish wall, but there is not numb else around it.  Will the wall be enough for it to be considered a sheltered position?

Many thanks!




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Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Much , much bigger pot  with John Iness
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    Thank you @B3 👍
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    A couple of my fig trees are in pots that are 50cm diameter X 37cm high. You want a robust pot with a wide base so that the whole lot doesn't go flying in a gale.
    That soil looks ghastly. John Innes no 3 is what you want.....though to be honest mine are in peat -free multi purpose if only because it is a lot lighter than John Innes and doesn't require a fork lift to move the pot. However that also means the pot is easier to blow over.
    As to the sheltered position. It rather depends which way the wind blows in your part of the world. A lot of the time a plant's position is dependent on where there is space for it. As your fig will be in a pot, you can always move it should it be taking too much of a battering from the weather. It will let you know if it is unhappy.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I use JI no 3 with added horticultural grit at a ratio of about 4:1 … the pot is frost-resist ceramic, about 2’ x 2’ x 2’6” and raised up on pot feet to ensure good drainage … the tree gets a good watering about every other day minimum from mid May to October ish. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    I bought a couple of those from homebase last year as they were half price and the soil they come with is terrible but they do surprisingly well in it which bodes well for garden performance in something better. I still haven't got round to potting them up into new pots so it's nice to here people's advice. I'm building to 50x50x50cm boxes for them against a sunny summer wall, which should last them a long time as they like their roots restricted a bit.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Not that long if they're happy
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    The restricted root thing is another gardening myth.

    I had one in my Belgian garden in a mix of loam with some MPC and grit and in a large 70cm tall pot.  It always struggled with the cold winters despite being brought in so I ended up putting it in the ground at the end of the greenhouse and it thrived.

    Here we have inherited one in the ground and it is about 5m diameter and 3m high.  It is always full of figs around now but just before they ripen the starlings come in and strip it so we've planted another small one in richer soil in the veg plot and it is already fruiting.   So far the birds haven't spotted it.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    With mine the plan is for them to not get too big, just a standard with fan tops, because they will be against our sunny house wall and not in the ground. There are a few locally in the ground and they do very very well in our climate judging by their size. 
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    @Ceres thank you for the advice 🙂 💐 
  • EscapetothegardenEscapetothegarden Posts: 188
    @Dovefromabove thank you! 🙂🪴 
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