Anyone who takes care of a real fig tree hopes for a rich fruit yield. If the fig tree does not bear fruit even after a few years, there may be various reasons for this. In addition to the wrong location and an unsuitable choice of variety, care errors can be responsible for the failure of the harvest.
Why doesn't my fig tree bear fruit?
A fig tree does not bear fruit due to fertilization problems, weather conditions, hormonal imbalances, over-fertilization, severe pruning, exposure to cold or excessive fruit set. This can be remedied by choosing the right variety, winter and balanced fertilization or targeted thinning of the fruit.
Most common cause: fertilization problems
In our climate, only self-pollinating fig trees bear fruit. Fig varieties that produce female and male flowers require the help of the fig wasp for pollination. However, this species of gall wasp can only survive in very warm habitats south of the Alps.
Hormonal processes in the plant
Unfavorable weather conditions can severely disrupt the plant's hormonal balance, preventing it from producing fruit. The possible reasons for this are:
- sudden onset of winter
- unusual warm periods in January or February
- Rainy periods
Over-fertilization makes the fig lazy to bloom
Many owners suspect that a lack of nutrients is the cause of the lack of fruit setting and therefore increase the fertilizer dose. As a result, the fig grows very strongly and sprouts numerous new branches and leaves; but does not produce fruit. In this case, stop applying fertilizer completely for some time and observe whether the plant produces flowers.
Strong pruning
In our latitudes, the fig only produces fruit on annual wood. If it is necessary to cut back the wood heavily in spring, this can result in a complete crop failure. Be patient and give the tree time to recover from this pruning. In most cases the fig produces flowers again the following spring.
Winter cold
Even fig trees that require cross-pollination produce flowers in the form of small, bottle-shaped figs. If the collected fruits fail to be fertilized, the tree drops these figs. If the tree does not produce these flowers either, the annual shoots of the fig are completely frozen in winter. In this case, ensure good winter protection in the future (€18.00 at Amazon) or transplant the fig into a pot and overwinter the fruiting tree in a frost-free room.
Too rich fruit set
Some figs produce an abundance of flowers, which they shed again the size of grapes. It can help here to pick off some of the collected fruits. This means the plant puts all of its energy into the remaining fruits.
Tips & Tricks
Heavily frozen figs often sprout below the soil surface and below the grafting site. In this case, non-rooted trees form inflorescences that would have to be cross-pollinated.
