Yellowing Fig Tree Leaves: Causes and Solutions
- Ross the Fig BOSS
- Jul 30
- 6 min read
Hey there, fig growers! As someone who’s helped hundreds, maybe even thousands, of folks with their fig trees over the past decade, I’ve seen it all. One of the most common issues I hear about is yellowing fig tree leaves. Those vibrant, dark green leaves you love can turn pale and sickly for a handful of reasons. In fact, I’ve identified 11 common mistakes fig growers make—check out my article on those below. Today, we’re diving into why your fig tree leaves are turning yellow and, more importantly, how to fix it.
The Number One Culprit: Watering Issues
The most frequent reason for yellowing leaves is improper watering—either too much or too little. This is especially true for fig trees grown in containers, which have limited soil volume, root space, and water retention, making them highly sensitive to changes in moisture.
Underwatering Fig Trees
Underwatering is a big issue, especially during the heat of summer. Picture this: you head out for a vacation, forget to water your fig tree, and come back to a sad, droopy plant that looks nothing like it did when you left. When it’s 80 to 90 degrees (or hotter), container-grown fig trees need water every single day. Skip a day, and they’ll stress out, with leaves drooping as the first sign.
To check if underwatering is the problem, lift the pot—if it feels light, it’s dry. Stick your hand in the soil or use a soil moisture probe to confirm. Guessing doesn’t cut it. In summer heat, a well-rooted fig tree in a 5-gallon pot needs about ¼ to ½ gallon of water daily. For a 10-gallon pot, double that. Miss this, and you risk leaf scorch—yellowing or browning leaves caused by a combo of high temps and dry soil. Once leaves are scorched, they’re damaged for good and won’t recover, though new growth can still be healthy.
Pro tip: Set up an automatic irrigation timer with drip irrigation to keep your trees happy while you’re away. I’ll include a link below with details on parts and setup.
Setting Up Drip Irrigation
I couldn't grow 100s of fig trees in containers without drip irrigation. Especially when connected to a battery-operated automatic timer. This allows me to go away on vacation, daily watering is no longer time-consuming and eliminates watering errors.
To assemble a drip irrigation system, you'll need some fittings and tubing. To see a full list of the materials you'll need, visit my storefront. You can also purchase these products on Drip Depot.
Follow these steps for an easy setup:
Following the images above, you'll need to connect your irrigation line to your outdoor hose bib. If you have a high PSI or high water pressure, you'll need to reduce it to 25-35 PSI to work with this system. You can find a pressure regulator here.
Then connect a brass "Y" connector with shutoff valves to continue using your garden hose whenever you please. On the other half of the "Y," attach your irrigation timer. Configure your timer to your specific watering needs.
Then attach a female connector to the bottom of the irrigation timer. That connects to the main irrigation line (1/2 inch). Cut it to size. If you ever need to adjust the length, you can always cut again with scissors and connect each end with an irrigation line coupler.
Then, with a hole punch, create the spots in your main irrigation line where you'd like to insert your 1/8th inch irrigation lines. Did you make a mistake? Invest in goof plugs. At the end of your 1/8th inch lines, insert the spot spitters and place those where you want to be watered. I like the blue spot spitters. They emit a wide radius of water at a rate of 12.6 GPH.
Finally, at the end of the main irrigation line, attach the end piece.
Overwatering Fig Trees
Overwatering is just as bad and often trickier to spot since the symptoms—yellowing leaves—look similar to underwatering. Unlike underwatering, which shows up fast with droopy leaves, overwatering is a slower process. It’s more common in colder weather when the fig tree’s metabolic rate slows down due to lower soil temperatures. The tree doesn’t uptake water or nutrients as efficiently, and excess water sits around the roots, creating an anaerobic environment that can lead to root rot.
Root rot, a fungus fig trees are prone to, damages roots and makes it hard for the tree to absorb nutrients, even if they’re present in the soil. This can look like a nutritional deficiency, with pale or yellowing leaves. Overwatering is especially risky during dormancy (check my article on that below), as dormant trees need very little water. Planting in poorly drained areas—like swampy spots or places with standing water—can also cause this issue. Fig trees love drier, sunnier, warmer locations, so choose your planting site wisely.
Related: Fig Tree Watering | How Much Water, When to Water & Why Excess Water Leads to Watered-Down Figs!
Nutritional Deficiencies
Another major cause of yellowing leaves is nutritional deficiencies, particularly in potted fig trees. If your tree’s leaves are pale green rather than vibrant dark green, this might be the issue. For in-ground trees, a soil test is the best way to pinpoint what’s missing and how to fix it. For potted trees, testing every pot isn’t practical, so I recommend a simple approach: use a well-balanced, slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote. It covers nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK), and micronutrients, feeding your tree for up to six months—perfect for the growing season.
For specific needs, products like greensand, rock dust, gypsum, lime, or oyster shell can provide trace minerals like sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. Diatomaceous earth is great for silica. If pH is off, sulfur or lime can adjust it. Adding life to your soil—like compost tea, mycorrhizae, or mulch—also helps with nutrient uptake by fostering a healthy soil ecosystem. Synthetic fertilizers or years of monoculture (like a grassy lawn) can disrupt this balance, so organic matter is key.
Fertilizer Links:
Osmocote: https://amzn.to/44SfQFa
Greensand: https://amzn.to/43a7Jm4
Rock Dust: https://amzn.to/4dteXVD
Gypsum: https://amzn.to/3F4COyp
Oyster Shell: https://amzn.to/4mrCSZN
Lime: https://amzn.to/43b8g7h
Sulfur: https://amzn.to/3FiKJbq
Diatomaceous Earth: https://amzn.to/3H5Y1bA
Mychorrizae: https://amzn.to/43tG928
ProMix HP: https://amzn.to/3FfKa22
When you correct nutritional deficiencies, leaves will gradually shift from pale green to a healthy, dark green. This takes time, so be patient.
Natural Causes: Dormancy and Leaf Rejection
Sometimes, yellowing leaves are just part of the natural process. As fall approaches or after a frost, fig trees, being deciduous, will naturally drop leaves, which may turn yellow first. Lower leaves that don’t get enough sunlight might also yellow and fall off as the tree “rejects” them to save energy. This is normal and not a cause for concern.
Fig Rust: A Fungal Foe
In humid climates, like the South or Deep South, fig rust is a common fungal issue. It’s less of a problem in dry regions, but where morning dew lingers, rain is frequent, or air circulation is poor, rust can take hold.
Look for brown spots on leaves, which may lead to yellowing in severe cases as the tree rejects affected leaves. Mild rust won’t cause yellowing, but heavy infections can. To prevent it, ensure good airflow, add silica to the soil, or use fungicides as a preventative measure. Check my article on fig rust below for more details.
Key Takeaways
Yellowing leaves aren’t the end of the world. Underwatering is fixable—water consistently, and new growth will be fine. Fig trees are drought-tolerant, so even if they lose leaves, they’ll survive.
Overwatering, however, can lead to root rot and potentially kill your tree, so be cautious, especially in cold or dormant periods.
Nutritional deficiencies are straightforward to correct with the right fertilizer or soil amendments.
And don’t panic about natural leaf drop or rust—just manage humidity and airflow.
