Planting Fig Tree Offshoots

This will show you how I typically try to plant offshoots from trees. I am working with some fig plants specifically in this instructable.

• Hoe
• Shovel
• 5 gallon buckets
• compost (or other rich soil)
• water
• Fig offshoots

I have been invited to come out to a friends house and pick figs from their many fig trees every year. The other day he suggested that I try to get a start of his trees for my own yard. I stopped by his house and examined the trees to see if there were any trees that had offshoots or suckers growing near the base or from the roots. I found that may little trees were growing that I could try to collect. I cleared the leaves away from the the base of the prospective plants and looked for any that had roots I took my razor blade and cut them with as much of the root as I could. I immediately moved them to a bucket of water once separated from the main tree. I brought them home and put them in the shade until I was done prepping a place to plant them.

Requirements and issues to consider

Figs like full sun. 8+ hours a day

Fig trees have a lot of bugs around them when blooming and producing fruit.

Fig trees can grow large.The trees at my friends house are almost two stories tall and 15' across.

Fig trees have shallow roots that need water regularly, especially while they are producing.

Figs produce an many soil types

Taking these things into account I found I have a sunny area in my lower front yard. This area is far away from the house and where my children play. Considering the bugs I would like to keep them away from our normal traffic area. Most of my yard is clay dirt but figs do not need very rich soil. I will try to plant them here and see if I can get them to flourish.

Once I chose the spot I used a hoe to remove the sod in an area. I scraped the top of the soil grass and weeds back with a hoe and threw it in bucket for later.

Our soil is hard Georgia clay and unless it has rained recently you cannot dig it easily with a garden spade. I used a large spade shovel to break up an area a few inches at a time.

Once the soil was sufficiently broken up I mounded and shaped it around the hole. This will serve as a barrier to hold water in longer when I water.

I have a compost bin that I pulled some better soil from. Most of the compost is leaves and garden\kitchen trimmings. Although figs will grow in poor soil, giving it a better start at least cannot hurt. I pulled out a few buckets of soil and dumped in the grass and weeds I collected in to start their composting adventure..

I centered one of the fig offshoots down in each hole. Each offshoot was a little different so I had to adjust the depth and hole size a little for each plant.

Once centered I packed compost around the roots and covered all of it with the clay soil for rigidity and to prevent fast drying out of the compost. I then filled the hole with water and continued to do so until the area was saturated. I will do this over the next few weeks every few days until the plants establish.