Fig (Edible)

Tamil Name: Athi pazham; Scientific Name: Ficus carica;

Expert Level

B G T

Planting/Sowing

Aug – Sept;

Harvesting

Feb – Mar; (2 years later)

First Harvest

~730 Days

General Info

Crop category	Fruit
Life span	Perennial
Type of crop	Shrub
Part(s) of the crop to harvest	Fruit
Avg. Height	1 metre (3 feet) to 10 to 12 metres (33 to 39 feet) high

Climate & Humidity

Figs grow best in areas with mild-tropical and sub-tropical climate.

Planting / Sowing

When to plant / sow seeds (ideal season):
August to September;

How to plant:
Direct planting of hardwood cuttings. Size of the hardwood cuttings should be about 20-30 cm long and 0.5 to 0.7 cm thick. These cuttings should be taken from 1 to 2-year-old shoots, especially in the month of July-August.

Soil Depth & Spacing Requirements

Pits of dimensions 60 x 60 x 60 cm are dug at least one month before planting. The spacing between the plants should be 4 x 4 m. The depth of planting should be 2 to 4 inches for the plants to have a high survival rate.

NOTE: Please go through the Guides in the Knowledge Base for more details on topics ranging from Spacing & Lighting to Soil and Nutrients.

Irrigation

During the summer (May-June) irrigation to be done every 4-5 days, but during winter i.e. February-April irrigation is given at an interval of 10-15 days.

NOTE: Irrigation should depend on how moist / wet the soil is. Check your plants everyday to see if they require irrigation or not. Check the Watering & Irrigation guide for more info.

Pruning

Fig trees are pruned annually to induce growth of the flower and fruit bearing branches. This pruning technique helps in higher productivity. Light pruning to be done in the last week of December. Some 3 or 4 buds on the shoots from the previous growth are left on the plants during pruning. Training is done to keep the height of the trees to a certain limit. The main stem is allowed to grow to a height of 70-80 cm from the ground level after one year of planting. After one year the side shoots are encouraged to grow in an open center system.

NOTE: See the Pruning guide for general info.

Harvesting

When to harvest
The fig tree produces fruits after 2 years of planting. The main harvest season is during February –March and is almost over by the end of summer. The plants produce a commercial harvest only in the third year of planting. The yield from the trees increases every year until the eighth year and then stabilizes. The fruits are harvested manually with an interval of 2 or 3 days.

How to harvest
A ripe, fresh fig will come away from the tree with ease; hold the base of the fruit in your hand and lift it up and away from the tree; really ripe figs may even drop to the ground from their increased size and weight if not picked first; If the stalk develops a milky white sap once the fig is picked, then the fruit is not yet completely ripe.

NOTE: Harvest periods can vary depending on environmental, climatic, and soil conditions.

Pests & Diseases

Pests	Stem borers, beetles, leaf defoliators, scale insects, fig flies
Common Diseases/ Problems	Rust and leaf spot
Pest and Disease prevention measure(s)	You can protect the plant from pests by spraying a jet of water. Spread wood ash at the base to stop ants from climbing the tree; use Neem oil spray, but don’t use it if the temperature is too hot, as it can damage the leaves.

NOTE: Read Pests & Diseases for more information.

Did you know?

The edible fig is one of the first plants ever cultivated by man. Fig fossils were found in an early Neolithic village in the Jordan Valley (9400–9200 BC), predating the domestication of wheat, barley, and legumes, making it possibly the first known instance of agriculture. [Source]