Marianne's Response

Fig tree drama

I have a fig tree that produces lots of fruit but even though they look good on the outside they aren’t on the inside. They are not sweet and kind of dry and then all of a sudden a good amount of them fall off of the tree. This is a mission fig and have ate them most of my life wild and domesticated and have never seen this before. I have never been able to eat any from this tree however. Please help🤪

Posted by Thel Whight on June 26, 2019

Marianne's Response

The most common reason for dry fig taste is the weather. Too much heat and lack of water will ruin the flavor of the figs. Irrigate the tree is you have had hot or dry weather. The other cause is lack of nutrients. Figs do not need to be fertilized every year but if you notice slow growth as in less than one foot a year than your tree may need fertilizer in the spring and a mulch of compost or manure to improve the soil. There is one more less common reason that could cause this. Sometimes a male fig is planted by mistake that attracts a certain insect that ruins the fruit by entering through an eye or hole. If your tree gave great fruit in the past I would blame the weather or lack of nutrients. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti