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Briefly, I have been gardening since I was in diapers.
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Some people argue that I am getting close to wearing them, again. I joined CRFG nearly 20 years ago, and have been growing figs for more than 20 years.
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I operate an online nursery named Encanto Farms Nursery. I have many fig varieties available for sale as plants, and as cuttings, along with nearly 100 banana varieties that I grow.
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Understand, however, that I am a hobbyist like you. I am not a biologist, not a botanist and I have no formal education or background in botany or agriculture. So when it comes to growing things, I am not doing anything that you wouldn't be able to do. I keep experimenting, and I hope that I can shorten your learning curve by sharing what I have experienced. Along the way I have benefited greatly from the experience of CRFG's Richard Watts, and many collectors I've met on the Figs 4 Fun Fig Forum.
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I grow about 800 varieties of figs and, although each has its own set of characteristics, the similarities far outweigh the differences.
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My goal here, as it has been classically expressed, is not to give you a fish, so that you can eat for a day...
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...but to teach you to power fish so that you can eat for a lifetime. I hope to introduce you to the basics of figs, to help you understand the principles underlying successful fig cultivation and to make you aware of information resources available so you can successfully grow any fig.
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So I'm not going to devote much space here to the details of botany, except where it is important to successful growing of figs. Each variety has many similarities as well as differences, so before we get to the end there will be several reminders urging you to become familiar with your variety, its specific characteristics and its habits.
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I am biased. I do not grow organically. This doesn't mean I'm opposed to that philosophy and form of plant care, only that I am not qualified to address fig cultivation in terms of organic gardening. So if you grow organically, you will have to adapt my remarks to your situation.
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A note about fertilizing: if you have a tree that is a poor grower, try really over fertilizing it for a year and see if it doesn't break out the following year.
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