By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
When I first moved to Napa, many years ago, I was surprised by the abundance of fig trees in
people’s yards. My next-door neighbors had two. The house across the street had one. My
house had one. I was told that we have lots of figs in Napa because many Italian immigrants
settled here. The first thing Italians would do when they bought a home would be to plant a fig
tree—and a few rows of grapes, too.
The fig (Ficus carica) is an ancient plant, even older than grapes and olives. It is native to the
Mediterranean area and was brought to California in 1769 when the Spanish established the
missions. The most popular variety in California is the dark purple Mission fig, followed by the
pale green Kadota. The many varieties of fig are grouped in four types—common, Smyrna, San
Pedro and caprifig. Most figs we see in Napa are common figs, which do not require pollination.
We consider the fig a fruit, but it is really a modified stem that forms a case for hundreds of tiny
flowers, which you can see when you cut the fig open. The “common” variety of fig does not
require pollination, unlike the other types. It is easy to propagate and, once established, will
produce figs for decades.
Plant your fig tree in full sun. In my neighborhood—downtown Napa—you can plant them in
the fall, but if you live in parts of the county that get colder in winter, wait until early spring. Dig
a hole somewhat deeper and wider than the root ball. Add compost to the hole, add the tree, and
fill with soil. If it’s a bare-root tree, soak it in water for a day before planting so you can spread
the roots out in the planting hole.
Fig tree roots can grow quite long. I had a volunteer fig appear in a half barrel of blueberry
bushes, and its roots split the barrel and nearly choked the blueberries.
Give your new fig tree a good watering. You can fertilize it a few times during the growing
season, using a balanced fertilizer. Do not apply a lot of nitrogend unless you want a heavy leaf
canopy and fewer figs.
You can top dress the area around the tree with compost and put mulch on top of that to keep the
soil from drying out. Once the tree is established., water it every two weeks during the growing
season. Overwatering results in figs that are less sweet—the sugar is diluted.
Figs are easy to propagate. Cut off a dormant, hard branch about 8 inches long, below at least
two nodes. Use a sharp knife to lightly score the bottom of the branch, cutting just through the
thin bark to the cambium. This scoring encourages root formation.
Dip the bottom end into rooting hormone and put it in a pot filled with damp potting medium.
Place a plastic bag with a few holes over the branch and place a rubber band around the bag to
secure it to the pot. Place in a sunny location. The goal is to keep the soil moist so roots form.
I know people who have successfully rooted a fig branch in a canning jar filled with water, but
you risk root rot. When the branch feels rooted, or is putting forth leaves, you can plant it in the
ground or in a large pot or half barrel.
Figs are fun. You can weave stems together in a braid when they are young and flexible and
create an ornamental plant. My fig “self-espaliered” when the hawthorn next to it grew
enormous and shaded it. The fig stretched out for sun and now looks eccentric but produces lots
of figs.
Regarding pruning, opinion is divided. Some people believe in regular pruning, and they have
handsome ornamental fig trees. Others leave their fig trees alone and have a rustic, original
ornament for their garden.
If you are going to prune your fig for shape, do it early in the spring and wear gloves because fig
sap can irritate your skin. Take a good look at a fig tree that hasn’t been pruned in a long time.
My neighbor’s fig tree was enormous, and its limbs were heavy. It hadn’t ever been pruned. It
split down the middle during a storm, and a beautiful landscape tree was lost.
Figs don’t attract many pests unless you consider birds and rodents as pests. The neighbor’s cats
keep the rats down, and my dog chases off possums and racoons. I imagine the critters still get a
few figs, but I have plenty.
I have not been visited by the scourge of Napa County: gophers. If you do have problems with
pests, go to ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/fig and you will find solutions.
In most parts of the country, figs are a luxury crop. With their thin skins, they don’t travel well,
and they really are best fresh off the tree. Pick them when they begin to droop on the branch.
They will not ripen after being harvested.
A century ago, my West Virginia great-grandfather traveled the country on business, and his
favorite place to stay was the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. He said it was the only place he
could get his favorite breakfast—figs in cream. We are fortunate to live in a place where we can
grow so many delicacies.
Photos by Cindy Watter
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a free talk on “Invasive Species:
Your Knowledge is Your Key to Control” on Thursday, October 2, from 7 pm to 8 pm via Zoom.
Invasive species can be insects, plants, animals or pathogens. Learn how to keep invasive species
from ruining your garden and California’s wildlife and native plant communities. Register to
receive the Zoom link.
Tree Walk: Take a guided walk through Napa’s historic Fuller Park on Sunday, October 12, from
10 am to 11:30 am, with a UC Master Gardener docent. Discover some of the many exotic and
native trees there and learn some park history. Meet at the corner of Oak and Jeffereson Streets.
The walk is free but registration is required for each participant.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on
Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative
Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to
mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief
description of the problem.