
University of California
UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County
Figs, Figs & More Figs
By Joe Michalek, Sonoma County Master Gardener

Fig trees do best in well drained soil but here in Sonoma County they seem to thrive in most soils. Gophers can be a problem in the West County. Trapping the gophers or planting the tree in a wire basket is necessary if the tree is to survive. If left on their own and not pruned, fig trees will produce two crops a year. The breba, or first, crop of figs is very iffy in our county due to the spring frosts which kill the young fruit. The second crop, in the fall, generally does much better as figs need a lot of heat to mature and our Indian Summer in September and October brings up the sugar in the fruit.
A few words of caution. This tree can be quite messy if not given proper care and pruning. If left on their own, figs will grow to be large trees, thirty feet high by thirty feet wide and will send suckers from every root around the trunk. Suckers need to be removed each spring and throughout the growing season as they will take energy from the tree. Pruning should done in the

Figs grow on their own rootstock so it is not necessary to plant the tree in any special way, however the tree is susceptible to sunburning, so in the early years the trunk should be painted with white latex paint diluted 1:1 with water from two inches below the ground to the first set of branches.
