can i help this little fig tree?

i was at home depot today and they had small fig trees on sale for $8.99. we have been talking about planting a fig tree for sometime and i just couldn't pass it up. However it doesn't look exactly healthy. It is about a foot tall and has small fruit on it. however, there are small brown/rusty colored spots on the leaves. i bought it with the intent of coming home and posting here for advice :) So, what can i do to help this little tree grow healthy?? Are the spots a fungus? HD has a one year return policy, so i figured i would try my best and if it doesn't survive i can always get something else. (but, really, for that price it doesnt matter!) Any advice is much appreciated!! Tomorrow, i plan on planting it in a container and keeping it in our screened lanai, until it gets bigger. will try to post some pics soon.

THANKS!

brown turkey fig

spots :(

The first bit of advice I will give is to carefully clip all the figs off as the tree is far to young to support fruit. Clipping the fruit off will allow the fig to put all it's energy into growing. Second, are you planning to put it in the ground this year? I wouldn't recommend planting it now until fall so it won't have to struggle in the hot summer temps. We get some fairly good frost here in the winter and my figs struggled for the first two winters in spite of having a good layer of mulch on them. They froze back to the ground but came back in the spring so if yours freezes back don't dig it up to throw away too soon as they can take a while to put up new growth. I have three Brown Turkeys and one Celeste and both types behaved the same. Also, figs like plenty of water. They don't want their roots standing in water, just keep it fairly moist. It will be quick to let you know if you let it go too long without water. It will especially need plenty of water for the first two years after you plant it in the ground. After mine got big enough to produce fruit, I started fertilizing them with Wal Mart brand tomato fertilizer (any fertilizer that is meant to help plants produce fruit should do).
My figs occasionally get rust spots on their leaves and it's never hurt the plant in any way so I just leave it alone. As for the pale color--a small dose of any type of plant fertilizer will help that.
One more thought for you--Brown Turkey figs trees will begin to drop their lower branches as they age. These branches will eventually touch the ground and put down roots. After they have established good roots (give it at least one year) you can sever the limb from the mother tree, carefully dig it up, and plant it as a new tree.
Brown Turkey figs make wonderful jam! Good luck with your new fig tree.

thanks for the advice! I planted it in a container in our screened lanai with some new tree fertilizer and clipped off the fruit. Do you think i should wait till spring to put it in the ground, when the high heat and frost are no longer a threat? Or can i just keep it in the pot for a few years untill it gets larger?

Like you, I'm in a hot zone and I always prefer to plant young trees, shrubs, etc. in the fall (usually in mid to late September). That way the heat doesn't bother them as they are close to going dormant for the winter but they will continue to set down roots during this time. Come spring they are in better shape to handle the stressful hot months. You would still need to keep it well watered for the first couple of summers until it gets mature enough that it's roots are deep so it can reach the water level deeper down in the soil. You did the right thing by putting it in a larger pot and in a protected area for now. BTW, if it puts on a good amount of new growth next year, you could leave a few figs on it so you will have some to taste. It's always exciting for us gardeners when we get that first fruit!