Fresh figs are delicious, sweet treats, a real taste of sunny climes. Figs are well worth the effort to grow, and their attractive, scented foliage makes a great addition to the garden, too. Fig trees are native to Iran and Afghanistan, and while fig trees in Britain might not yield the same quantity or sweetness as fig trees in the Mediterranean, they can be grown successfully in a sheltered, sunny spot, such as against a wall. The idea is to trick them into thinking they are growing on a rocky hilltop in the eastern Mediterranean by keeping their roots restricted.
- Green figs: As the name suggests, green figs have green fruit. They also have a round crown and grow in a vertical direction. It has a lot of branches and leaves, and most of the time it has more than one trunk. This plant has very sweet fruit with a thin skin. It also has a lot of different vitamins.
- Black mission figs: The black fig is a type of fig whose fruit is dark purple and has a wide crown that can handle cold. It has a thin skin and a taste that is both sour and sweet. It is good to eat right away.
- King Fig: Another type of edible fig with a medium-sized fruit is the King Fig. The fruit of this plant looks like a pear and is golden yellow. The fruit of this plant tastes sweet and is great to eat right away.
- Matthias figs are another type of edible fig with a medium-sized fruit and a wide crown. This plant's fruit is yellow and tastes sweet. Most of it is eaten fresh or turned into jam. It's not possible to dry this plant's fruit
When do fig trees produce fruit?
The leaves of fig trees are rough and crooked, with 3 to 5 deep slits. The part we eat, which is called the "fig fruit," is a pear-shaped part where many fig flowers are arranged and sugary substances gather. The thick liquid from the fig tree has a strong, burning taste. Inside the pear-shaped inflorescence are both male and female flowers. Male flowers are put at the entrance and under small scales in the upper pear-shaped chamber. The female flowers are in the inner half of the pear-shaped chamber. When the male and female flowers come together, they make a lot of small fruits inside the nahanj. "Blastophaga," a bug that is between 2 and 3 mm long, does intercourse. This insect lays its eggs in female flowers and moves pollen grains from male flowers to female flowers as it does so. Female flowers make small fruits with fleshy bases that stick to the wall of the anther. As the fruit ripens, the pear-shaped flower head gets soft and sweet. Botanically speaking, figs are complicated fruits because they have a bunch of small, dry fruits inside a sweet, fleshy pulp. Rainfed fig trees should be planted in places that get 300 to 400 mm of rain per year from mid-autumn to early spring. Rain figs can be grown in places that get less than 300 mm of rain a year, but the type of planting will change to wet. Rainfall during planting and harvesting affects how much a tree can produce. Rain during harvesting makes the products less good and makes them go bad. When it's humid, the fig fruit gets smaller and tastes less good. In dry conditions, the fruit's tail gets shorter or goes away, but it gets bigger and tastes better.
How are figs pollinated?
When it comes to fig pollination, the most important thing is what's on the inside of the fruit. A young fig that has reached the point where it is ready to be pollinated will have an enticing smell. Because that smell attracts her, the female fig wasp digs deep into the fig and makes a path for herself that is so narrow that she has to give up her wings and parts of her antennae. She won't need those things. She will go to the dark inside of the fig and die there when she has finished her work for this life. Once she is inside, she will move from flower to flower, spreading the pollen and eggs she brought with her from the fig tree where she was born. The flowers that she pollinates will soon make seeds, and the eggs that she lays will soon hatch. Her larvae will then eat the tissue of their hidden nursery. Lincoln said, "Male fig wasps come out first. They don't have wings and don't have much. They mate with their sisters who are still growing inside the fig." After that, they dig their way out of the cave and eventually die. The females are already pregnant when they hatch, and they are getting ready to leave through the same tunnel. Female fig wasps leave their edible nests with a supply of pollen. They are ready to lay their eggs in another immature fig to start a new life cycle for fig wasps. Female fig wasps are born and raised inside a fig, which acts as their edible home.
Do fig tree roots cause damage
The roots of fig trees are some of the most invasive of any fruit treetree the roots of a fig tree are not kept in check, they can damage sidewalks, driveways, and walls. For the best results, plant the fig tree at least 25 to 50 feet away from buildings or grow it in a pot or root barrier. The roots of fig trees collect the most important things from their surroundings, such as:
- Nutrients,
- Water and
- Oxygen
Ideally, the best soil for fig trees is one that’s loose, rich, moist, and slightly acidic (pH of 5.5-6.5). Soil that meets all three of these qualities will promote the best root growth. The reason why fig trees grow such long roots is that the topsoil is where much of the nutrients and water are located. Additionally, by spreading their roots out, fig-trees anchor themselves from the wind and pressing herbivores. On the other hand, the growth of fig tree roots is limited by:
- Cold weather
- Compacted soil
- Lack of water or nutrients
Compacted soil is common in suburban areas or construction sites and will give fig trees a hard time growing their roots. The same is true with heavy clay soils. The compact nature of clay soil not only makes it difficult for the tree’s roots to grow but creates poor drainage and makes nutrients in the soil unavailable. The tree’s shallow roots are effective at growing through the topsoil and gathering fresher nutrients, the deeper roots specialize in accessing deeper water tables (along with stored nutrients). They commonly reach 2-3 feet deep.
Do fig trees produce fruit before leaves
On fig-trees, flowers grow inside of structures that hold fruit. These structures are called a syconium. Fig wasps, which are also called Blastophagaga, are in charge of putting larvae in the flower pistils when the tree is dormant. When the larvae are fully grown, the male wasps will make the female wasps pregnant. This will cause the females to come out of the syconium and spread pollen to fig trees nearby. The female wasps can only stay alive for one or two days outside of their home tree's syconium. They do this by crawling into a syconium on a nearby fig tree, putting pollen on the flowers, laying eggs, and then dying. When fig tree flowers open, they release seeds that can grow both in their natural environment and in potted gardens. There is a chance that fig peduncles will grow on a fig tree's growth from the previous season. Most of the time, a fig tree needs to go through several growing cycles before it can produce figs. There could be two harvests of fruit every year. Figs can be ready to eat at different times during the growing season, depending on the type of tree and how it is cared for. As the fruits ripen, they get heavier and softer, and the sacs on their stems turn darker. Fruit skins are split into several kinds. It is possible that fruits won't ripen in the Mediterranean if the weather is colder than usual, and some fruits don't get sweeter as they age. Figs that aren't fully grown and have tough, rubbery skins are usually not good to eat.
How to contain fig tree roots
If fig trees are the wrong variety, planted incorrectly, or have poor soil, their roots can spread. Fig trees' deep, spreading roots can be problematic when creating a garden. These trees thrive near the yard's border or in open areas. Trees in containers or beneath retaining walls help prevent root invasion. The type determines fig tree spread. Fig trees are ficus, with shallow, fast-growing roots. Smaller trees like Celeste or Malta figs have small root systems, while brown turkey, magnolia, or Florida strangler figs tend to take over. These roots can harm sidewalks and driveways. Fig tree roots are thick and near the surface. They hail from the warm, dry Mediterranean and the Middle East. Thin, chilly soil slows root growth. If its environment isn't correct, a fig tree may not develop to its maximum size or extend its roots. Gardeners explore strategies to restrict fig tree roots from growing too much without starving the plant. Fig tree roots must usually be severed before being transplanted. Fig trees thrive in indoor pots, like another ficus. Indoor-started seeds have close-knit roots that don't spread quickly. The roots will develop less after being transferred outside. Young fig trees can be planted in plots with brick walls or liners where the roots can't go too far. These restrictions let roots grow naturally but slow them down and maintain them in place. Trees can generate as many roots as needed, but they stay close to the trunk. The plant goes underground, where it can't spread. Young fig trees don't spread as much when pruned. Only prune tiny trees. Pruning helps fig trees make fruit and maintain sturdy branches. Trees must be cut hard to slow their root growth.
Fig flower to fruit
The fig tree's leaves are large and have sharp points. They look rough. The leaves are split into three to five deep sections. The part of a fig that you can eat, which is called the "fruit," is a graft in the shape of a pear that grows a lot of fig flowers. This graft has glands that store the sugar in the fig fruit. The different parts of the fig tree all have a lot of milky latex coming out of them. This latex has a taste that is both strange and tempting. On this tree, the part of the pear inflorescence that is closest to the trunk has both male and female flowers, which can be told apart by their sexes. In the top part of the pear-shaped container, there is a small opening. This is where the male flowers were kept, right below the scales of the entrance. The flowers of the inflorescence are in the hollow center of the pear container. When the flowers are fertilized, they cause both small and large fruits to grow in the fleshy part of the containers. Blastopha is the name of a tiny insect that is only two to three millimeters long and is in charge of fertilizing plants. This insect finishes reproducing inside a female flower, which is how pollen gets from male flowers to female plants. The female flowers will eventually turn into tiny fruits with fleshy stems that stick to the sides of the containers where they grew. As the fruit ripens, the pear pulp changes into a fleshy pear and slowly builds up large amounts of sugar. Botanically speaking, a fig is a compound fruit. This is because the final product, the fruit, is made up of a series of small dried fruits that are separated by fresh and juicy parts of the deposit.
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