Hi, folks, it's been forever since I've posted. I'll take pics later. We have a fig tree that we planted when we moved into our home 30 years ago. we really cut it back last year after the Texas Drought.
It came back and then some with the rains of spring. Now the first fruit has disappeared (maybe birds.. we've been busy) and it's pushing tiny new fruit, lots of leaves and some appear to have rust. This summer in Spring TX, we've had lovely rain, weeks without and then too much rain.
Do I need to really cut it back again, treat with fungicide ... what???
Miss you guys!
fig tree issues
Hard to believe it has rust- pix would be nice- noticing fall is goin to be early this year- we are already having cooling streaks turning leaves to crimson and fall colors not far north of you. If you think its rust, treat it by all means, but look really close and make sure there isn't some bug actually responsible. The bugs have had an awesome bumper crop this year, sigh.
Hello. I'm south of both of you guys, near the gulf, and our poor fig trees look terrible. They leafed out this spring, had lots of small figs but by the time the figs should have been ripe/ready to pick, the fruit was shriveled and the leaves developed spots. I don't think it was fungus, just bad weather conditions this year.
Here are a couple of Texas A&M resources on growing figs and problems you may encounter:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/files/2010/10/figs.pdf
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/fruit/figs.html
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Last year was extremely hard on the plants, I'd treat It- advice is to use a neutral copper based spray - tho treatment is usually in May and April. Spring had some really awful wet spells which could cause rust- tho it isn't supposed to affect the fruit, the leaves turn yellow spots, then brown, and all fall off. Thes fallen leaves can carry the fungus into the ground and contaminate what they touch- so 'burn' ? If possible with burn bans? These leaves as soon as possible.
Pictures -- seems it has too much leaf growth for this time of year.,
Garden Sass was right on with those links and I see your leaves, nope growth of all those leaves is fine, but did you recently fertilize? and if your fig prod is down those nematodes on the roots should be checked for. You need to read those links.
thanks all, yes read the TAMU documents. Is it too late to fertilize? Should we prune back the tree and spray?
Can you kill nematodes with diatomatious earth?
Doubt the DE will work if they are in the roots, am over my head here, you need a better person to help than me. My iPhone is being difficult here so I can't see the forum you need , sigh, sorry
Can you try posting these pix on the Garden Pests and Diseases Forum? They have folx who are accustomed to spotting and treating these things, they are quicker than I am too!
sure
Wow my neighbors figs were long gone almost 2 months ago. Why are these so late in the year?
Micro climates
wow
"Beneficial nematodes" (the active ones on the blue sponge) may help plus lots of finished compost as a mulch to help microbes in your soil out power the "bad guys". You could send leaf samples to Texas A&M plant pathology lab for analysis or to the Texas Plant and Soil Lab to find out if it's a nutrient problem. Just Google those for the contact number, address and fee information.
Our wacky TX weather has a lot to do with fruit ripening plus the fig variety...