fig

Plant the fig against a wind-sheltered, sunny south wall, cover the root zone thickly with leaves or straw and wrap the trunk and bundled shoots in several layers of horticultural fleece or reed mats; remove from March. Leave potted figs outside for as long as possible and bring them in only when temperatures stay below 0 °C, into a bright, cool and frost-free place (e.g. an unheated conservatory or a garage with a window), where you water only moderately.

The most reliable method is propagation by cuttings. In late winter to early spring (February to April), before new growth begins, cut a 15 to 25 cm long hardwood cutting from a well-ripened, strong shoot of the previous year, directly below a bud. Such hardwood cuttings root most reliably. Remove the lower leaves (if any) and either put the cutting in a glass of water in a bright, warm place out of blazing sun, or directly into a free-draining, loose seed compost. Keep it moist and warm (around 20 °C); roots form after about three to six weeks. You can then carefully move the young plant into a pot of normal potting or container compost. In late spring (May/June), green tip cuttings from young shoots also succeed. Then put a clear bag over the pot to keep the humidity up. A second suitable method is layering: in spring, bend a long, flexible shoot in an arc to the ground, bury the middle part about 10 to 15 cm deep and fix it with a hook, leaving the shoot tip pointing upright out of the soil. Keep the spot evenly moist. Once strong roots have formed after a few weeks, separate the layer from the mother plant and plant it out. For higher shoots that cannot be bent to the ground, air layering also works. Sowing from seed is botanically possible, but unsuitable for cultivars true to type: the offspring differ genetically and often bear no usable fruit. Grafting is unnecessary in the home garden, as the fig grows well on its own roots.