Skip to main content
Customize by ZIP Code

User account menu

  • HELP CENTER
  • Log in
Menu Search
Home Home
Ortho

Main Navigation (US)

  • Bugs

    • Products

    • Essential Oils

    • Tips & Solutions

    • Featured Products

      Ortho® BugClear™ Insect Killer for Lawns & Landscapes Ready-to-Spray Front
      Ortho® BugClear™ Insect Killer for Lawns & Landscapes Ready-to-Spray
      Ortho® Home Defense® Max Indoor Insect Barrier with Extended Reach Comfort Wand® Front
      Ortho® Home Defense Max® Indoor Insect Barrier with Extended Reach Comfort Wand®
    • Featured Articles

      House fly sitting on a table.
      How to Get Rid of Bugs Indoors
      Modern kitchen with white cabinets and an ant infestation.
      How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen
  • Garden

    • Products

    • Tips & Solutions

    • Featured Products

      Ortho® Dial N Spray® Hose End Sprayer
      Ortho® Dial N Spray® Hose End Sprayer
      Front of package
      Ortho® MAX® Garden Disease Control Concentrate
    • Featured Articles

      Yellow Lady Bug on Leaf
      Vegetable Garden Pests
      Large spider on a spider-web.
      The Benefits of Spiders in the Garden
  • Weeds

    • Products

    • Tips & Solutions

    • Featured Products

      Ortho® GroundClear® Super Weed & Grass Killer1
      Ortho® GroundClear® Super Weed & Grass Killer<sub>1</sub>
      Front of packaging
      Ortho® WeedClear™ Lawn Weed Killer Ready-to-Use with Comfort Wand
    • Featured Articles

      Dandelions growing in a field.
      Dandelions
      Landscape with mulch, pink flowers, grass, and a hardscape.
      6 Tips for a Weed-Free Landscape
  • Pollinator Promise

  • Purpose

  • Help Center

Search

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Problems and Solutions
  3. Fig

Free shipping on all orders over $35!

Problem Solver Plant Marquee

Plant:

Fig
Image of Fig
Adaptation
Grown in warmer parts of the country.
Pruning
Lightly thin out branches, and head back long shoots to maintain tree vigor and shape during the dormant season. Remove any weak, diseased, dead, or crossing twigs and branches.
Soil
Any good, deep, well-drained soil.
Water
Water deeply but infrequently.
Fertilizer
Fertilize with an all-purpose plant food.
Harvest
Harvest figs when they have fully ripened. They are ripe when the fruits bend over at the neck and the flesh is soft. Remove the fruit with the stem still attached. Wear gloves and protective clothing when picking figs to avoid irritation from the milky sap.
Related problems

Bird Damage -

Image of Bird Damage
Bird Damage

Fig Mosaic Virus -

Image of Fig Mosaic Virus
Fig Mosaic Virus

Rust - Fig

Image of Rust - Fig
Rust

Scales - Fig

Image of Scales - Fig
Scales

Souring -

Image of Souring
Souring
Close

Bird Damage -

Image of Bird Damage
Bird Damage
Description
Ripened figs have holes in them and may be partially eaten. They may have been knocked to the ground. Birds may be feeding on ripening figs.
Analysis

Some birds feed heavily on ripening figs. When the fruit is fully ripe, birds peck at the soft flesh, leaving holes in the fruit. The wounded figs may decay, becoming inedible.

Solution

Check the tree every morning and harvest daily to save as many ripe figs as possible. Throw nets over the tree to reduce bird damage. Nets can be purchased at your local nursery or hardware store.

Close

Fig Mosaic Virus -

Image of Fig Mosaic Virus
Fig Mosaic Virus
Description
Leaves are mottled yellow and may have translucent areas. Often the fruit is spotted yellow. The leaves may be stunted, and foliage and fruit sometimes drop prematurely.
Analysis

This plant disease is caused by a virus. Mosaic rarely causes a plant to die, but it can weaken the plant extensively and greatly reduce the fruit yield. The virus may be spread by microscopic fig mites (Eriophyes fici), which feed on diseased figs and transfer the virus to healthy trees at later feedings. The virus is also spread by infected cuttings.

Solution

Reduce the number of fig mites by applying a horticultural oil spray in the winter. If you are planting new trees, select healthy stock from a reliable nursery.

Close

Rust - Fig

Image of Rust - Fig
Rust
Description
Rust-colored, raised spots appear on the undersides of leaves. On the top side are dark brown, smooth spots. Infected leaves turn yellow and die prematurely. Fruit yields may be reduced.
Analysis

This plant disease is caused by a fungus (Cerotelium fici) that infects figs and several other closely related plants. The fungi spend the winter as spores on the bark or in plant debris. Infection starts in the spring as soon as the tree begins to grow. Wind and splashing water spread the spores to healthy leaves. They germinate on wet foliage, causing spotting and eventually premature leaf drop. Although rust infects the leaves rather than the fruit, premature leaf drop may weaken the tree after several years, causing a reduction in fruit yields.

Solution

Spray the tree with a fungicide labeled for rust, following label directions.

Close

Scales - Fig

Image of Scales - Fig
Scales
Description
Brownish crusty bumps; thick, white, waxy bumps; or clusters of somewhat flattened yellowish, gray, or brownish scaly bumps cover the stems or undersides of the leaves. The bumps can be scraped or picked off; the undersides are usually soft. Leaves turn yellow and may drop. In some cases, a shiny or sticky substance coats the leaves. A black sooty mold often grows on the sticky substance.
Analysis

Several different types of scales infest figs. They lay their eggs on leaves or bark, and in spring to midsummer the young scales, called crawlers, move about and then settle on leaves and twigs. These small (1/10 inch), soft-bodied young feed by sucking sap from the plant. The legs usually atrophy, and a hard crusty or waxy shell develops over the body. Mature female scales lay their eggs underneath their shells. Some species of scales infesting figs are unable to digest fully all the sugar in the plant sap, and they excrete the excess in a fluid called honeydew, which often drops onto the leaves below. A sooty mold fungus may develop on the honeydew, causing the fig leaves to appear black and dirty.

Solution

Isolate infested plants as soon as scales are discovered. Remove as many scales as possible with a cloth or toothbrush dipped in soapy water. Apply an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, following label directions. Avoid bringing scale crawlers into the house.

Close

Souring -

Image of Souring
Souring
Description
A pink, sticky fluid may drip from the tiny hole (the ''eye'') at the end of the ripening fig. The fruit is soft and mushy. When cut open, an infected fig has a strong fermented or alcoholic odor.
Analysis

This plant disease is caused by various types of yeast. The yeasts that cause souring are spread by insects (including the dried fruit beetle and the vinegar fly). The insects enter the fig through the eye. If the fig is infected, the insects become contaminated with yeast cells while crawling around inside the fig. They can then infect healthy figs. The dark, moist conditions inside the ripening fig provide an ideal environment for the rapid decay and fermentation of the fruit.

Solution

Pick off and destroy infected figs. Remove all unpicked fruit from the area to reduce the population of dried fruit beetles. Plant closed-eye fig varieties.

STILL NEED HELP?
TWEET US
LIVE CHAT
EMAIL US

Home

© 2022 The Scotts Company LLC. World rights reserved.

Ortho Family

  • Careers
  • Our Brands
  • Scotts Miracle-Gro

Resources

  • Check Order Status
  • Return Policy
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • About Cookies
  • About Interest Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Contact Us
  • Investor Relations
  • Site Map
  • Responsible Bug Disclosure Program

Connect

  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
  • Our Brands
  • Investor Relations
  • Careers