Chicago Edible Fig Plant – Ficus – Hardy – 2.5″ Pot – The Hardiest Fig

Description

From a garden near Chicago comes this excellent fig which, once established, can freeze to the ground and come back to produce a crop the same year! The fruit is medium-size, with dark purplish-brown skin and a sweet, rich flavor. The fig is a picturesque tropical-looking tree or shrub with a dramatic spreading habit. The breadth is often wider than the height of 15′-30′. The bark is smooth and silvery gray and the deciduous leaves are 3 or 5-lobed and 4″-10″ long. One plant can produce 100 fruits or more per year. Originally from the eastern Mediterranean region, figs have been cultivated by humans for over 5000 years. Light: Part sun to full sun. Moisture: Average, well-drained. Drought tolerant, once established. Hardiness: Hardy in USDA Zones 8-10, but with winter protection can be grown as far north as Zone 5. Propagation: Dormant hardwood cuttings and root suckers. As a patio plant, set outside during the summer and move indoors in the winter. Fig trees usually begin bearing fruit within two years. Mulch heavily with organic materials to conserve moisture, improve soil structure and reduce root knot nematode levels. Once established, figs are drought tolerant and generally free of pests and diseases. When fully dormant, fig trees can tolerate temperatures as low as -15 degrees F. In colder regions, figs are grown as bushes with multiple stems and branches close to the ground that are laid down and buried before winter. Even if frozen to the ground, figs often will resprout from the roots and produce a crop the following summer. Fig trees respond well to pruning. They can be espaliered or pruned heavily in the dormant season for size control and to increase the main crop. The fig tree makes an especially attractive specimen in the landscape. It’s graceful, spreading shape and smooth, twisting branches command attention in all seasons.