Fig Facts

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My newly planted Alma Fig

The sad little twig that you see on the left will soon grow up to be an Alma fig tree.  A friend of mine propagated it and several other varieties and then handed them out to his friends.  Thanks Tim.  I love receiving “pass along” plants.

Botanically speaking, figs are members of the ficus family.  Some research shows that they have been in cultivation in the Mediterranean area for over 4000 years.  The first figs grown in the U.S. were brought to Florida by the Spanish around 1575.  Franciscan missionaries took the fig to California where the first orchards were developed in present day San Diego.  Those early orchards were comprised of “Mission” figs.  Mission is still one of the most popular varieties in cultivation today.

Figs have been grown in the South for as long as there has been a South.  When I was a kid, everyone’s grand mother had at least one growing in their yard.  One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting at the chrome and formica kitchen table in Streetman, Texas sipping hot tea out of a saucer while eating toast and fig preserves with my Pa and MaMomma.  To this day, I think of them every time I see a fig or a jar of preserves.

My wife's alma fig preserves

Figs are very easy to grow.  They grow as well in clay as they do in sand and they can tolerate that scorching Texas heat.  Plus, they are relatively easy to care for.  They don’t need to be sprayed and they don’t need commercial fertilization.  Feed your fig by constant mulching or with a top dressing of prepared compost.  Too much nitrogen will make figs split on the tree and will cause the fruit to have a watered down taste.  Figs can take some drought but they do like frequent water.  A large fig bush should be given about 10 gallons of water per week during the really hot months.

Alma is a relatively new variety that was created by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1974.  It is a very tasty fig in a rather unattractive wrapper.  The figs tend to develop dark spots on their skins as they ripen that some say resembles a bacterial infection.  Regardless, the lovely amber colored flesh is very tasty.  It is great raw and it is well suited for canning.

Alma figs ready for canning. Note the dark brown blotches on the skin

Alma has a vigorous growth habit and it is an early producer.  It is not uncommon to get a nice crop from your first year’s growth.  Alma is not a closed eye fig.  However, it does develop a thick resin covering that keeps the dried fruit beetle at bay.  This greatly reduces the threat of on the tree souring.  Alma is a little frost sensitive and should not be planted more than 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

Figs are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings.  Simply take stem cuttings from one year old growth during the dormant season.  Some people recommend treating with a rooting hormone and letting the cutting scab over before planting.  However, lots of old timers say you can just cut them and then plant them and they will be fine.  Figs can send up suckers from the ground level and these can be used as cuttings.  However, remember that figs are very susceptible to nematodes and cutting suckers is a good way to spread this problem.  Just a little FYI on nematodes.  They don’t like black clay.  So, if you are in area of clay soils, then nematodes will not be as big a concern. 

Figs can be pruned to grow like a tree.  However, this makes them a little more susceptible to freezing.  Unless you live on the coast, grow your fig into a bush.  The bushing habit will protect it from freezes.  If it does suffer some damage from a hard freeze, cut out the damaged wood in late winter or early spring.  Also, if you have a mature fig and it seems to be producing less and less each year, take your shears and open it up.  This will encourage both growth and fruit production.

16 thoughts on “Fig Facts”

  1. Yupnecki,
    Thank you for the 101 on figs. I caught your post with the google news web crawler.
    Great way to collect things that interest you.
    Started to love and appreciate figs at an advanced age. Now I’m catching up big time.
    Have a few friends with fig trees. Promising anything to enjoy their bounty.
    Memorizing the shape of the leaves to find public fruit on the road.
    This was a rant, about figs.
    Good luck on your mature pursuit of an AG degree. We’ll stop learning and challenging our ourselves when we’re dead. I think it’s the only way to live.
    “Rage against the dying of the light.”
    Magically,
    Dana Law
    San Diego

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your comment and thanks for the info on how you found me. I am a relatively new blogger and it never ceases to amaze me as to who and how folks find me. Thanks again for taking the time to do this. If you ever have any questions please feel free to contact me again.

      Reply

  2. Very helpful supplement to the TAM article:
    HOME FRUIT PRODUCTION – FIGS
    Calvin G. Lyons and George Ray McEachern
    Extension Horticulturists

    I live in The Woodlands, TX and would like to plant a couple of alma fig trees this winter. Do you have suggestions on where I can buy them?

    Keep up the good work!

    Weyman

    Reply

    • Thanks for the comment. I got my Alma Fig from a friend. I do not know anyone that sells them in the area. Let me ask Dr. McEachern and a couple other here at A&m and see what I can find out.

      Reply

    • Doug Welsh suggests you try Producers Coop in Bryan. Call first, but according to him they get a shipment in October and they usually receive Alma. Bill Welch suggested Womack’s Nursery in DeLeon as a good mail order option. Feel free to contact them if interested and they should be able to get anything you need. Here is their website: http://www.womacknursery.com/index.html

      Thanks for subscribing to the blog and thanks again for the question.

      Reply

  3. I caught the fig ‘bug’ last year and now have four planted in the yard. I have four rooted cuttings waiting to be set out. I live in north central Texas and it gets HOT. I’m anxious to see some fruit, but I’ve got to be patient. As for a source for figs, I kept my eyes open as I drove around town and spotted figs trees in several places. They are quite easy to root from cuttings. Just follow standard rooting guidelines and you’ll do fine. But ask first! I did purchase two black fig varieties, but I’m good for Brown Turkey. Womacks in DeLeon are a first class outfit with excellent products.

    Reply

    • Great to hear back from you Ed. I too am going a little fig crazy. I lost a decent sized “Celeste” this winter. I am glad to say it has sent up several root shoots. I am going to cut and propogate these and try and start a fig hedge this fall. Thanks for the comment!

      Reply

    • She is definitely flattered that you would like to try her preserves. However, we don’t really sell things from the website.

      Reply

      • I HAVE 4 ALMA TREE’S PLANTED RIGHT NOW JUST THIS YEAR AND I CAN’T WAIT TO TASTE SOMETHING REALLY GOOD LIKE PRESERVES FROM THEM.. I DO THANK YOU FOR THE ARTICLE THOUGH.. REALLY QUITE INTERESTING!! ARE YOU ALSO A MEMBER OF F4FF (FIGS 4 FUN FORUM)? I’M THE FIGSTER ON THERE IF YOU ARE!!
        IF YOUR WIFE EVER CHANGES HER MIND, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!
        VIC.

        Reply

        • I have not heard of the Figs for Fun Forum. I will have to check it out. Check back with us in a week or so. The figs are just about ready and she is going to make some more jelly soon. we would be happy to share a jar with a fellow fig lover.

          Reply

          • I KNOW NOW THAT I HAVE TOTALLY BEEN BLESSED WITH NOT ONLY GOOD FRIENDS, BUT PEOPLE WHO SHARE A COMMON INTEREST AS I DO IN FIG TREE’S! WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT YOU SHARING A JAR FOR ME! I AM BEYOND HAPPY!!!! I AM 66 YEARS OLD AND A USAF (4 YRS) VETERAN, SO I JUST CAN’T SAY ENOUGH THANK YOU’S FOR YOU SHARING A JAR OF IT WITH ME!! I DO PAYPAL IF THAT WOULD HELP YOUR COSTS IF NEEDED!!
            HERE IS THE LINK TO REGISTER FOR FREE ON FIGS 4 FUN FORUM… IT HAS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FIGS IN EVERY CAPACITY! A MAN NAMED JON RUNS THE FORUN AND IT’S FREE FOR EVERYONE! GOT A QUESTION? NO PROBLEM.. SOMEONE ON THERE WILL KNOW THE ANSWER FOR SURE.. AND THERE ARE NOW OVER 1,000 DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF FIGS YOU CAN ACQUIRE AND PLANT! BY FAR THE BEST ONE I HAVE EVER FOUND IS THE BLACK MADEIRA! ALMOST THE SAME AS EATING A BAR OF YOUR FAVORITE CHOCOLATE, BUT MAYBE EVEN BETTER!! I’LL EMAIL YOU LATER ON AT THE ADDRESS YOU PROVIDED!! GOD BLESS AND I PRAY FOR YOUR SAFE AND HAPPY TRIP!!
            KIND REGARDS ALWAYS
            THEFIGSTER (VIC)

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