Anyone who tends a real fig tree hopes for a rich fruit yield. If the fig tree does not bear fruit even after a few years, this can have various reasons. In addition to the wrong location and an unsuitable choice of variety, care errors can be responsible for the lack of harvest.

Most common cause: fertilization problems

In our climate, only self-pollinating fig trees bear fruit. Fig varieties that produce male and female flowers require the help of the fig wasp for pollination. However, this gall wasp species can only survive in very warm habitats south of the Alps.

Hormonal processes in the plant

Unfavorable weather conditions can severely disrupt the plant's hormonal balance, preventing it from bearing fruit. Possible reasons for this are:

  • sudden onset of winter
  • unusual periods of warm weather in January or February
  • rainy periods

Over-fertilization makes the fig lazy

Many owners suspect that a lack of nutrients is the cause of the lack of fruit set and therefore increase the fertilizer dose. As a result, the fig grows very strongly and puts out numerous new branches and leaves; but does not bear fruit. In this case, stop fertilizing completely for a while and observe whether the plant forms flowers.

Strong cutback

In our latitudes, the fig only sets fruit on one-year-old wood. If it is necessary to cut back the wood in the spring, a complete crop failure can be the result. Be patient and give the tree time to recover from this pruning. In most cases, the fig will flower again the following spring.

Winter cold

Even fig trees that need cross-pollination produce flowers in the form of small, bottle-shaped figs. If the aggregate fruits are not fertilized, the tree sheds these figs. If these flowers do not form the tree either, the one-year shoots of the fig are completely frozen in winter. In this case, ensure good winter protection in the future or transplant the figs into a bucket and overwinter the fruit tree in a frost-free room.

Too much fruit set

Some figs put on abundant flowers, which they throw off again in the size of grapes. Here it can help to pick off some of the aggregate fruit. As a result, the plant puts all its energy into the remaining fruits.

tips and tricks

Heavily frozen back figs often sprout below ground level and below the grafting site. In this case, trees that are not ungrafted form inflorescences that would have to be cross-pollinated.

Category:

Indoor plants