Fig Tree, NO FRUIT - Grow Figs Not Leaves | The 4 Reasons Why Your Fig Tree IS NOT Fruiting

This is probably the question I've gotten the most over the years when educating growers on fig trees.

Q: "Why doesn't my fig tree produce fruit?"

"My tree is x, y, and z, but every year the tree just grows and grows and never produces any fruit."

"My wife's gonna kill me if I don't get this fig tree to fruit, Ross."

A: The main reason that your fig tree is not producing fruit is because of a lack of sunlight. Your tree could also be growing in unhealthy soil that lacks air or nutrients, it could be heavily infected with Fig Mosaic Virus, or it may be growing too quickly from a hormonal imbalance, lacking the right metabolic rate or it could be just too young and patience is required.

There are a lot of possibilities, but in this blog post, I will give you all of the tools to diagnose your fig tree’s problem to grow figs, not just leaves.

Figs Not Forming vs. Figs Dropping

First, let's understand the problem. It's important to clarify what I mean by "not fruiting" or “not producing fruit.” This problem is different from the issue of figs dropping off prematurely or not ripening on time. Fruit drop can be caused by a whole host of other issues like underwatering or a lack of pollination.

Click here to read about why your figs are dropping off of your tree.

Instead, I’m focusing on the main crop of figs that forms on the new growth, which is typically the most desirable and delicious crop for fig enthusiasts. If you've noticed that your fig tree is producing lots of leaves but no figs, then you're experiencing the problem that we'll be exploring in this article.

How Long for a Fig Tree to Produce Fruit?

Fig trees can fruit at a very young age. Even after only 6 months from cutting. They're very precocious, but not every variety is. There is a huge diversity of genetics within Ficus Carica.

It's important to recognize that some trees may just take longer to start producing figs, especially if they are still young. Don't give up hope if your fig tree isn't fruiting right away, as sometimes it just takes a bit of patience and TLC to get your tree to produce the sweet, delicious figs you're craving.

Fig Tree Light Requirements

The precocity of fig trees can sometimes be determined by a balance of plant hormones but is more often controlled by the sunlight requirement each variety has genetically coded in its DNA. Every variety requires a certain level of intensity of sunlight combined with a certain duration of sunlight.

Assuming your tree is meeting this requirement as it is growing, main crop fruit buds will form along the new branches even on very young fig trees.

To read more about the importance of sunlight, click here: