Q. I put up some shade cloth to protect my fig trees from
the heat. The new growth is good and the leaves look fine so I don’t think its
water, but I think they can’t handle this heat. I will take the shade cloth
down after the temperatures come back down to maybe 100F.
A. I have grown 15 different varieties of figs over a
period of 20 years and none of them needed shade cloth. They were all in full
sun. They did however have lots of wood mulch covering the soil and regular
irrigations applied when they were producing fruit.
The
usual problem with fig fruit drying up in the heat is a lack of available water
in the soil. For several reasons this problem can be resolved simply through soil
improvement. Figs are an “oasis” plant, similar to palms, and the organic
content of the soil near sources of water is higher. Figs in those locations
have access to more water and better soils.
If
you’re going to use shade cloth, never go higher than 30 – 40 %. When using
shade cloth, achieve a balance between food production and food quality. In the
case of figs, the fruit needs protection from birds rather than the sun.
What varieties of figs do you recommend to be the best for the desert? Do you have to provide cold protection? Which varieties have the lowest water requirements?
I have tried all different kinds of figs over the years here and never had problems except with Brown Turkey. But that could have been my fault. I have grown yellows (white), purple and brown types. Varieties I tried include Black Mission, Kadota, Desert King, Janice, Excel, LSU Purple, Black Jack and others. They all have been successul if they are given enough water and the soil is improved at planting time and the soil surface covered at least three inches deep with woodchips under the canopy. It will work without woodchips but it is better.