Me growing trees in containers and the 90 deg summer almost annihilated my Japanese red maple. While I am not growing fruit trees this was Beautifully explained. The best on mulch I have searched for so far. 🙏🏽 wish I knew about mulch before the summer😢
Dale is far smarter than the average dog, and a lot of humans I know! Once again, concise, easy to understand instructions on a vital function for great gardening. Thanks!
It is scary how smart he is. My mother says it's basically his job to just sit there and observe our habits all day and figure us out to get what he wants, and I think it's true. He has an exact routine, just like a person. He behaves on a strict schedule of meals, walks, etc. It's really interesting to see. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for another helpful and informative post. I'm just starting to add fruit trees and bushes to our edible landscape. Your posts have been very helpful.🙂 Dale is too cute!😃
Good information. When I bought my citrus trees, they had rice hulls as mulch, which I had never seen or heard of. I was told it’s good for citrus plants because it takes a while to break down and if/when it mixes in the soil, it aerates.
A lot of growers use rice hulls as a top dressing when they're rooting fig cuttings, because they help maintain an even moisture and prevent fungus gnats from reaching the soil and laying eggs. I looked into buying them, but I was really surprise how expensive they were. I'm sure they're great, but they're 10+ times the cost of a bag of mulch at Lowe's. I can get a 2 cubic foot bag of cypress mulch at Lowe's for $2.50, where a 25 pound bag of rice hulls on Amazon is $40. I could literally mulch around half my house with cypress mulch for $40, so I can't justify the cost. If you only have a couple trees, it may not be too bad, but I'd go broke 😂
@@TheMillennialGardener They are expensive. You would think that coming from a food as cheap as rIce, the byproduct would be inexpensive as well. I guess not. But I only have 4 trees compared to the 20+ that you have.
From one of your original subscribers (I think you were under 25k when I signed on), congrats on hitting 100k+!! Very well deserved; I've learned stuff from you that no one else even discusses. Your knowledge level and communication skills are outstanding. And Dale...well, he's the star of the show (no offense...)!! Jim in FL
Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it. Hopefully, it keeps growing from here! As for Dale, well, he has a much better personality and is much better looking, so it only makes sense to make him the leading man.
Very informative as usual. Love to see your videos. I have been doing a lot of things to my fig that you have suggested. I am in Central Florida. It is humid and hot as you may know. Thanks again for all the information.
I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. In your climate, I bet they'd do well growing under cover to protect against the rains. I wish I could do that. Thank you for watching!
i found a 2-4mm gravel that works well as a mulch. doesnt allow bugs to set up shop and keeps moisture in. it can be dug into mix without problems. lasts for years.
I prefer to use a mulch that decomposes. Gravel mulch won't add organic matter as it decays. A natural wood mulch makes it easier to apply granulated fertilizer, in my opinion.
Mulching is a must for every plant - in-ground or container. I use straw and horse bedding as mulch, and it's water & money saver. I only water on a weekly or so basis; I use moisture & pH probe so I can dig in & check the water moisture deeply. Another thing to be mindful is if you use those fabric growing bags/pots; they dry-up fast. For my fruit trees, I use cardboard I get from order I receive, then i put the leaves and other pruning underneath the cardboard. Again, another money saving materials, as well as, picking up the free natural woodchips/mulch from our village park; free pick-up & use for the town residents. So, another thing to check in your village or town. It beats spending money & buying things that otherwise available to you for free.
Straw makes very good mulch. I used 6 bales of straw last winter to protect my bananas, and this year, I spread them to mulch all my in-ground bananas and figs and the results are fantastic. I strongly, strongly recommend not using fabric grow bags for anything but annuals for the reasons here: th-cam.com/video/0Yhcu0gZvHo/w-d-xo.html They tend to dry out quickly, and the roots tend to interweave, which can cause catastrophic damage later. I've been trying to get a Chipdrop for a year. I wish I had a good source of natural mulch. My county gives away mulch for free, but I don't have a truck, so that option is out the window, unfortunately.
Hi. Great looking dog. Could you tell me if you know if we should mulch flowers in containers too. I have a lot of flowers in pots in Atlanta, and I have never mulched before, but I am wondering if I should. Thanks.
It's getting over 100 degrees here and our vegetable plants and fruit trees need some mulch to help keep them cool. I have a few bags of cedar mulch, a little bit of bark and wood chips from the firewood pile, some fallen leaves/needles from some kind of huge juniper type tree, and a few dry leaves from a deciduous tree. The only thing I can buy in my area is hay or straw from a local feed store. Which one of these for mulch would you recommend for my raised bed and fabric container vegetables (eggplant, cucumbers, okra, peppers, pole beans, and tomatoes) and in-ground fruit trees (apple, apricot, jujube, peach, plum, and pomegranate). By the way, I gave away my figs but looking at your trees makes me want to find a different and give it another try. Cheers!
I love your channel! Thank you so much. One thing I've been wondering is if you have plans to transplant your figs into the ground at some point? BTW, I am in western NC and am moving onto a property with .7 acres in the next month and am going to start growing stuff. I'm excited, but I wanna do it right, so I am using your channel as one of my main research sources.
Thanks. I have 13 fig trees in ground. You can see my earliest selections here: th-cam.com/video/NrqYxQkpa48/w-d-xo.html I have a ton of videos on figs for your reference: th-cam.com/users/TheMillennialGardenersearch?query=fig
I actually don’t use lime. I use bone meal. People use limestone for the calcium content. I strongly prefer bone meal because: 1. It contains phosphorous, which is amazing for fig fruiting, in addition to calcium. 2. It is sourced from animals bones, which is more bioavilable for soil microbiology than simple rock dust. Any nutrient that comes from a decomposing animal is generally of the highest quality.
@@TheMillennialGardener appreciate the response. I'll have to pick up some bone meal. My italian grandfather use to use dolomite lime as I remember. Now that I'm in my 30s I've started some figs and trying to remember what he used.
Lime is like $1.50 a bag and bone meal is like $7. Old school gardeners love lime because it is so dirt cheap (since it is literally just rock dust). Lime is a good source of calcium, but bone meal is a multivitamin and a steroid injection for fruiting.
@@TheMillennialGardener ...I never miss it! ...that business with dale not wanting to go through the sprinkler & how he thought he was smart running down the outside fence! ...had me in hysterics!
Thanks! That is a Pastiliere fig. I used this tree as my root-pruning example in this video if you're curious how I achieved the form: th-cam.com/video/-oOwNiZzGmM/w-d-xo.html
Dale has more personality than most humans! I use black pots because I don’t want them to stay cool. The figs love the heat, and believe me, our sun is very hot, strong and oppressive. I put that black weed barrier down for even more heat. All my plants love the very hot microclimate.
I think solarizing the soil might require more mass than what is found in pots, so maybe in the heat the potting soil isn't actually heating(as high as) for sterilization like solarizing can do.
@@TheMillennialGardener Oh, I see. Your more humid climate must help them thrive in the hot sun. Here in my hot dry climate, I have to paint black plastic pots a lighter color and keep them shaded or the roots get cooked. Another trick I’m trying is sinking plastic pots in larger clay pots with soil filled in between the plastic and clay. Figs must be tough because I have one that survived in a pot for two years even though I thought I’d lost it at one point. I finally got it planted in the ground, and it’s doing great.
@@SlackerU Thank you for mentioning this. My issue with black plastic pots is that the roots get cooked in my dry climate. I’m not sure what happens to the soil quality though. I’m going to look into solarization for some weed prone areas of my yard where I’d like to expand my garden.
Nice looking plants. If you ever do experimenting I'd like to know if drip-irrigation can fully soak a pot of soil just as well as flood-&-drain. I have found dry patches in my larger pots of soil & am not sure if drip is as efficient as simply dipping in a tub.
I think it depends on what kind of drip irrigation you use. Individual drippers, misters, sprinklers, drip line, soaker hose and drip tape can all be used. If you want to soak the soil down, you may want to use a ring of soaker hose or 6”-spaced drip line.
@@TheMillennialGardener There is a fungus from an inedible mushroom here that makes my soil hydrophobic multiple times per year. In peak summer I use a tiny bit of soap when flood-&-draining my pots. I was thinking of upgrading to more of a wicking-bed instead where the upper portion of soil in the pot gets less compacted from the soakings by watering bottom-up.
Aww Dale! Do you know how long it generally will take for leaf mulch to break down in a garden bed. Idk why I’m having so much trouble finding that answer :-)
Almost none of the trees where I live are deciduous, so I have, literally, no leaves in my yard come winter. I don’t have access to many leaves where I live, believe it or not. I’m not a good person to ask that question, and I think it would strongly depend on how many “greens”’are mixed in with the leaves. Just leaves will take awhile to break down because they are “browns,” but if you mix in grass clippings or coffee grounds, it’ll accelerate the process.
I think in some forest research I had read they say a log can take 7 years to break down in Canada where in Florida that same log would break down in two years. Basically the more hours you have them between 55f-164f the faster they'll disappear.
@@SlackerU the relationship between warmth and decay is true. Most soil bacteria doesn’t come alive until >55F. In most of Canada, rot-causing bacteria is “dormant” most of the year. In Florida, where the soil temp is warm almost all year, there is always active decay. Where you live will influence breakdown rates. Where I live, the soil is in the 50’s during most of the winter, so I can bury kitchen scraps all winter long in my garden and it breaks down pretty well.
Would a plant container wrap help protect 3 baby fig trees from frost damage during the coming winter? I already have a few rolls of insulated pipe wrap, but I wonder if it might be detrimental to the root system of the fig. Another great video.
Plants are not like humans, in the sense that they don't generate heat. Humans are warm in a jacket, because our bodies generate heat, and the jacket holds the heat in. When you cover a plant, there is no heat to hold in, so all covering a plant will do is protect it from the lightest frost. It will not protect against freeze damage, unless you lock in some kind of heat source. This is how I protect my subtropical plants: th-cam.com/video/62ZM615RBdc/w-d-xo.html I should mention that figs are frost tolerant, and can tolerate hard freezes when dormant. They don't really take damage until they get into the teens when they're dormant.
They are #15's. The containers are so great, I have them linked in my Amazon Storefront and made a whole video on them here: th-cam.com/video/LuBHbBmh3hU/w-d-xo.html It's tough to get excited for a nursery container, but these were awesome. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hi Millennial Gardener, My Peach tree broke at the trunk. Someone just mentioned that I may have had borers. The tree had so much fruit on it! I guess that I can take clippings and start new trees?
If you had borers, you would see holes in the tree with weird spaghetti-like strands of sawdust coming out. This is what it would look like if you had borers: www.gardeningknowhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Granulate-Ambrosia-Beetle-damage.png How big was the tree? It simply may have snapped due to wind if you had a bad storm. It happens from time to time. I had three young figs snap on me in a bad storm last year. The bad news is, you probably can't just take cuttings and start again. The reason why is because the majority of fruit trees are grafted. They use very specific rootstocks for very specific reasons (disease resistance, vigor, dwarfing habit, etc.). Most scion wood will not do well on its own roots, so if you were to root the cuttings, there is a good chance they won't do well. Where did the tree snap? As long as it is above the graft, I would just cut the tree and let it branch back out. As long as you're certain it broke above the graft, you can prune your tree just like I did in this video: th-cam.com/video/EHLfAN5R1Dc/w-d-xo.html It will leaf back out beautifully and in another season or two, it'll be in good shape. However, if you *do* have vine borer damage, the tree may be lost. You may have to dig it up and replace it. Also, if the tree broke below the graft, you will have to re-graft the scion wood onto the rootstock and start again.
@@TheMillennialGardener I uploaded a video of the tree on my channel. I'm so hurt! The tree has new growth as well coming from the top part. It was very windy here and that may have caused it to snap. Thank you so much for all of this awesome information! I figured that I would reach out to you... Love your channel 🤗🌱💜
Great video! Question: I get sooooooo many pillbugs after I started using mulch. Is that bad? What should I do about the pillbugs? Kill them or ignore them? Thank you!
Where do you get your mulch? I would consider a different source. Pill bugs are not harmful in the sense that they don't bite or sting or harm us in any way, but they can feed on plant roots. A few here or there are totally harmless, but if you're importing plagues of them, that's definitely a potential problem. If you buy your mulch from the store, I would suggest you find a local place that turns their own mulch and get a small truckload, or see if you can get locally-made stuff by the bag. Alternatively, you could try a different type of mulch. Just by going to Lowe's, I can choose between Cypress, Cedar, Shredded Hardwood, Pine Bark Nugget and Mini-Pine Bark Nugget mulches. At the very least, you may want to change your mulch type. You can even go indoors in Walmart and get the big bricks of cedar that's made for lining animal cages in the pet section for hamsters, birds, etc. That can be used if there are no other ingredients than pure cedar. If you still strike out, other alternatives are hay, straw and weed-free grass clippings. They will be relatively pest-free. Final tip: call your local county landfill. A lot of them give away mulch for free. They do a lot of tree timing to protect the power lines, so they wind up with all this excess mulch. They like to give it away instead of paying to dispose of it. If you call, you can probably show up with a 40 gallon trash can and just fill it up for free.
Container figs should primarily be fertilized with water soluble fertilizers, which are mixed in a watering can and poured over. If you add supplemental granulated fertilizers, I just drop a couple tablespoons on top and scratch it in with my fingers.
Mulch rots. It's generally not a good idea for rotting material to be piled up against a tree's trunk, because the same bacteria and fungi that break down the mulch layer can theoretically cause trunk rot on your tree. A little bit of contact is fine, but you don't want it piled up in a "mulch volcano." If you google "mulch volcano" you'll see what I'm talking about. That can kill a tree.
The bulk of the food I give them is soluble, so that drains right through the mulch. As for granulated fertilizer and bone meal, all you need to do is lightly scratch it in.
Question, please answer: in one of the videos you mention slow release fertilizing every two weeks. My question is how do you give slow release fertilizer when you have mulch on top of container?
You simply take your fingers and work it into the top 2 inches of the container. Sprinkle it on top, take your hand and shake it around, scratch it into the soil, then water it in. Organic granulated fertilizer needs to be consumed by the natural bacteria and fungi in the soil to be usable. Plants can’t use it in its granular form. It has to be consumed by the bacteria and fungi, then excreted back out. Then, the plant can use the excrement. It’s like manure. It needs to be pre-digested.
@@TheMillennialGardener Sorry if my question was not clear. I meant to ask how can you work the fertilizer into the soil when you have inches of mulch on top of soil? Do we remove mulch and then put fertilizer or just mix fertilizer into layer of mulch?
Why figs in pots? You can raise banana plants, and they're a lot more sensitive than figs. Mulch, definitely. But, when it gets too hot, will you put something reflective around the pots?
Figs evolved in Mediterranean climates, which are rainless in the summer. Figs evolved to ripen with no rain, and as such, if any rain contacts the skin of the figs, it causes them to split, burst and rupture. Figs ripen during my rainy season, where it storms about 55% of the afternoons. As such, I have to carefully select rain-resistant varieties, and I cannot do that until I trial them. Most figs are not suitable for in-ground planting here. The figs I keep in containers are either first-year trials, or varieties that aren't suitable for in-ground planting, but I like and keep around in case we're fortunate to get an August dry spell and I can get some fruits.
@@TheMillennialGardener Keep up the good job! Good one, testing is always the right thing to do. Our domesticated figs came from the Middle East, but Asia and the Americas have many. Some will even grow on a beach in salt water. Interesting family! I have cold resistant papaya, both from 9,000 feet in dry forests of the Andes. These two varieties are from seedlings grown near Chico, CA, Zone 8--we're 9 A. And, I'm going to experiment with the rocoto chili, which is supposed to be winter hardy in this area. Hope it likes our gentle summer sun, as well. Average temp is 97+ with high, dry winds.
Absolutely. I can already tell a big difference in my containers since adding mulch. The 5 gallon buckets were drying out completely by 11AM. Now at 11AM, they are still pretty good.
I tried using them and they really dry out way too quickly. Even with mulch, the water seems to just wick right out of them and so you are constantly wasting a lot of water, fertilizer and nutrients. I found the 17 gallon tree planters (Millennial has them listed in his Amazon site like 10 for $149? best I have found) are good for about two year trees, and then either transplant them into the ground or put them in a $3.99 Walmart laundry basket. I have about 80 fig trees and the ones I really like are up-planted to these planters. You can use some UV Car coat on the Walmart tubs to extend their life. They will degrade in about 4 years. Good luck!
I strongly, strongly, strongly recommend never using them for any trees. They’re suitable for annuals, only. I have a whole video on why here: th-cam.com/video/0Yhcu0gZvHo/w-d-xo.html It is a disaster waiting to happen.
The #15’s I have linked in my Amazon Storefront are perfect for fig trees. They will be their permanent home. There won’t be a need to go larger. They’ll just have to be root pruned every 2-4 years, depending on how vigorous each tree decides to be.
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you so much! And thank you for answering. Many TH-cam personalities don’t respond. So I very much appreciate it. One more question. Can I grow zucchini in a 10 gallon grow bag or is 15 gallon better? Thank you!
My mulch from last year was almost completely decomposed. At that point, it's practically fertilizer for the tree. It was in an advanced state of decay, so removing it is basically like removing compost. I want it there to continue its slow breakdown. You can remove it if you wish, but I don't really see the point of doing so.
Can you please let me know how you keep Dale from peeing on your plants?! Neighbors dog is super sweet and cute but he pees all over my garden.. I dont want to use anything that could hurt him.
Dale likes peeing on tall objects. He doesn't pee in the garden, but I think that's because he's a fairly big dog and the stuff in the garden is too small for him to pee on. That and he doesn't go in my garden a whole lot. He loves peeing on the posts that I use to espalier my fig trees and blackberries, probably because they're tall and skinny and he can get right up to it. I think he tries to avoid the bushy stuff because he can't "get in there" very well given his larger size.
The black fruit tree containers are linked in my Amazon Storefront in the video description. They're the best fruit tree containers for fig trees that I've found BY FAR. They're extremely high quality. The self-watering containers I use for my citrus are from Walmart. I recommend self-watering containers for citrus, because citrus are prone to root rot during cool weather.
Me growing trees in containers and the 90 deg summer almost annihilated my Japanese red maple. While I am not growing fruit trees this was Beautifully explained. The best on mulch I have searched for so far. 🙏🏽 wish I knew about mulch before the summer😢
Dale is hilarious.
He really is. He has more personality than anyone I know. He is so predictable 😂
Dale is far smarter than the average dog, and a lot of humans I know! Once again, concise, easy to understand instructions on a vital function for great gardening. Thanks!
It is scary how smart he is. My mother says it's basically his job to just sit there and observe our habits all day and figure us out to get what he wants, and I think it's true. He has an exact routine, just like a person. He behaves on a strict schedule of meals, walks, etc. It's really interesting to see. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I had heard that about mulch but never an explanation so thank you for that.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching.
Wow 🤩 I’m early 💚🙌
Peas sound so crunchy 🙂 🐶
Thanks for watching!
Poor Dale !!! Thank you for the laugh !! Awesome video again 👍🌿
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for another helpful and informative post. I'm just starting to add fruit trees and bushes to our edible landscape. Your posts have been very helpful.🙂
Dale is too cute!😃
Thank you. I’m glad they’re helpful. Dale is the best! He is too funny.
Congratulations on your 100K subscribers!🍾💐
Thank you! I really appreciate that! It’s been a great year, and I’m very thankful.
Good information. When I bought my citrus trees, they had rice hulls as mulch, which I had never seen or heard of. I was told it’s good for citrus plants because it takes a while to break down and if/when it mixes in the soil, it aerates.
A lot of growers use rice hulls as a top dressing when they're rooting fig cuttings, because they help maintain an even moisture and prevent fungus gnats from reaching the soil and laying eggs. I looked into buying them, but I was really surprise how expensive they were. I'm sure they're great, but they're 10+ times the cost of a bag of mulch at Lowe's. I can get a 2 cubic foot bag of cypress mulch at Lowe's for $2.50, where a 25 pound bag of rice hulls on Amazon is $40. I could literally mulch around half my house with cypress mulch for $40, so I can't justify the cost. If you only have a couple trees, it may not be too bad, but I'd go broke 😂
@@TheMillennialGardener They are expensive. You would think that coming from a food as cheap as rIce, the byproduct would be inexpensive as well. I guess not. But I only have 4 trees compared to the 20+ that you have.
From one of your original subscribers (I think you were under 25k when I signed on), congrats on hitting 100k+!! Very well deserved; I've learned stuff from you that no one else even discusses. Your knowledge level and communication skills are outstanding.
And Dale...well, he's the star of the show (no offense...)!! Jim in FL
Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it. Hopefully, it keeps growing from here! As for Dale, well, he has a much better personality and is much better looking, so it only makes sense to make him the leading man.
Great video! Explained well and something I will be looking to do with our new columnar apple trees! 😊 thank you!
And thanks Dale! 🐾
Thanks for watching! Dale says hi!
Very informative as usual. Love to see your videos. I have been doing a lot of things to my fig that you have suggested. I am in Central Florida. It is humid and hot as you may know. Thanks again for all the information.
I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. In your climate, I bet they'd do well growing under cover to protect against the rains. I wish I could do that. Thank you for watching!
Excellent video on how to mulch.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I put mulch around 2 weeks ago because we had a heat wave lasting for a week with over 100F
Sounds like perfect timing. That's exactly how and when you should use mulch for container plants!
i found a 2-4mm gravel that works well as a mulch. doesnt allow bugs to set up shop and keeps moisture in. it can be dug into mix without problems. lasts for years.
I prefer to use a mulch that decomposes. Gravel mulch won't add organic matter as it decays. A natural wood mulch makes it easier to apply granulated fertilizer, in my opinion.
Great info!
Thanks for watching!
Wonderful video. Thank you soo much & your trees look amazing. Can i ask why you plant soo many in pots as opposed to putting them in the ground?
Mulching is a must for every plant - in-ground or container. I use straw and horse bedding as mulch, and it's water & money saver. I only water on a weekly or so basis; I use moisture & pH probe so I can dig in & check the water moisture deeply. Another thing to be mindful is if you use those fabric growing bags/pots; they dry-up fast. For my fruit trees, I use cardboard I get from order I receive, then i put the leaves and other pruning underneath the cardboard. Again, another money saving materials, as well as, picking up the free natural woodchips/mulch from our village park; free pick-up & use for the town residents. So, another thing to check in your village or town. It beats spending money & buying things that otherwise available to you for free.
Straw makes very good mulch. I used 6 bales of straw last winter to protect my bananas, and this year, I spread them to mulch all my in-ground bananas and figs and the results are fantastic. I strongly, strongly recommend not using fabric grow bags for anything but annuals for the reasons here: th-cam.com/video/0Yhcu0gZvHo/w-d-xo.html They tend to dry out quickly, and the roots tend to interweave, which can cause catastrophic damage later.
I've been trying to get a Chipdrop for a year. I wish I had a good source of natural mulch. My county gives away mulch for free, but I don't have a truck, so that option is out the window, unfortunately.
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching!
Hi. Great looking dog. Could you tell me if you know if we should mulch flowers in containers too. I have a lot of flowers in pots in Atlanta, and I have never mulched before, but I am wondering if I should. Thanks.
Thanks for the info !!
Thanks for watching!
It's getting over 100 degrees here and our vegetable plants and fruit trees need some mulch to help keep them cool. I have a few bags of cedar mulch, a little bit of bark and wood chips from the firewood pile, some fallen leaves/needles from some kind of huge juniper type tree, and a few dry leaves from a deciduous tree. The only thing I can buy in my area is hay or straw from a local feed store. Which one of these for mulch would you recommend for my raised bed and fabric container vegetables (eggplant, cucumbers, okra, peppers, pole beans, and tomatoes) and in-ground fruit trees (apple, apricot, jujube, peach, plum, and pomegranate). By the way, I gave away my figs but looking at your trees makes me want to find a different and give it another try. Cheers!
Double likes for the Dale video.
He is the best! My best buddy never disappoints. Thanks for watching!
I love your channel! Thank you so much. One thing I've been wondering is if you have plans to transplant your figs into the ground at some point? BTW, I am in western NC and am moving onto a property with .7 acres in the next month and am going to start growing stuff. I'm excited, but I wanna do it right, so I am using your channel as one of my main research sources.
Thanks. I have 13 fig trees in ground. You can see my earliest selections here: th-cam.com/video/NrqYxQkpa48/w-d-xo.html
I have a ton of videos on figs for your reference: th-cam.com/users/TheMillennialGardenersearch?query=fig
Can you go over the benefit of lime for figs?
I actually don’t use lime. I use bone meal. People use limestone for the calcium content. I strongly prefer bone meal because:
1. It contains phosphorous, which is amazing for fig fruiting, in addition to calcium.
2. It is sourced from animals bones, which is more bioavilable for soil microbiology than simple rock dust. Any nutrient that comes from a decomposing animal is generally of the highest quality.
@@TheMillennialGardener appreciate the response. I'll have to pick up some bone meal. My italian grandfather use to use dolomite lime as I remember. Now that I'm in my 30s I've started some figs and trying to remember what he used.
Lime is like $1.50 a bag and bone meal is like $7. Old school gardeners love lime because it is so dirt cheap (since it is literally just rock dust). Lime is a good source of calcium, but bone meal is a multivitamin and a steroid injection for fruiting.
Nailed it!
Thanks for watching!
@@TheMillennialGardener ...I never miss it! ...that business with dale not wanting to go through the sprinkler & how he thought he was smart running down the outside fence! ...had me in hysterics!
What fig tree is shown while you're speaking at 4:00? Beautiful healthy tree and nicely pruned for a container!
Thanks! That is a Pastiliere fig. I used this tree as my root-pruning example in this video if you're curious how I achieved the form: th-cam.com/video/-oOwNiZzGmM/w-d-xo.html
Can I use musroom compost from lowes for my lemon tree
Dale is such a character! Do the black plastic pots stay cool enough all summer or will you be painting them a light color?
Dale has more personality than most humans! I use black pots because I don’t want them to stay cool. The figs love the heat, and believe me, our sun is very hot, strong and oppressive. I put that black weed barrier down for even more heat. All my plants love the very hot microclimate.
I think solarizing the soil might require more mass than what is found in pots, so maybe in the heat the potting soil isn't actually heating(as high as) for sterilization like solarizing can do.
@@TheMillennialGardener Oh, I see. Your more humid climate must help them thrive in the hot sun. Here in my hot dry climate, I have to paint black plastic pots a lighter color and keep them shaded or the roots get cooked. Another trick I’m trying is sinking plastic pots in larger clay pots with soil filled in between the plastic and clay. Figs must be tough because I have one that survived in a pot for two years even though I thought I’d lost it at one point. I finally got it planted in the ground, and it’s doing great.
@@SlackerU Thank you for mentioning this. My issue with black plastic pots is that the roots get cooked in my dry climate. I’m not sure what happens to the soil quality though. I’m going to look into solarization for some weed prone areas of my yard where I’d like to expand my garden.
@@muziklvr1729 I learned about solarizing from A&M's ag extension. The black tarp can kill weed seeds between crop plantings in some climates.
He’s a cutie thank you very helpful
Nice looking plants. If you ever do experimenting I'd like to know if drip-irrigation can fully soak a pot of soil just as well as flood-&-drain. I have found dry patches in my larger pots of soil & am not sure if drip is as efficient as simply dipping in a tub.
I think it depends on what kind of drip irrigation you use. Individual drippers, misters, sprinklers, drip line, soaker hose and drip tape can all be used. If you want to soak the soil down, you may want to use a ring of soaker hose or 6”-spaced drip line.
@@TheMillennialGardener There is a fungus from an inedible mushroom here that makes my soil hydrophobic multiple times per year. In peak summer I use a tiny bit of soap when flood-&-draining my pots. I was thinking of upgrading to more of a wicking-bed instead where the upper portion of soil in the pot gets less compacted from the soakings by watering bottom-up.
Aww Dale! Do you know how long it generally will take for leaf mulch to break down in a garden bed. Idk why I’m having so much trouble finding that answer :-)
Almost none of the trees where I live are deciduous, so I have, literally, no leaves in my yard come winter. I don’t have access to many leaves where I live, believe it or not. I’m not a good person to ask that question, and I think it would strongly depend on how many “greens”’are mixed in with the leaves. Just leaves will take awhile to break down because they are “browns,” but if you mix in grass clippings or coffee grounds, it’ll accelerate the process.
I think in some forest research I had read they say a log can take 7 years to break down in Canada where in Florida that same log would break down in two years. Basically the more hours you have them between 55f-164f the faster they'll disappear.
@@SlackerU the relationship between warmth and decay is true. Most soil bacteria doesn’t come alive until >55F. In most of Canada, rot-causing bacteria is “dormant” most of the year. In Florida, where the soil temp is warm almost all year, there is always active decay. Where you live will influence breakdown rates. Where I live, the soil is in the 50’s during most of the winter, so I can bury kitchen scraps all winter long in my garden and it breaks down pretty well.
Thanks! I guess I’ll have to watch and see! ☺️
Would a plant container wrap help protect 3 baby fig trees from frost damage during the coming winter? I already have a few rolls of insulated pipe wrap, but I wonder if it might be detrimental to the root system of the fig. Another great video.
Plants are not like humans, in the sense that they don't generate heat. Humans are warm in a jacket, because our bodies generate heat, and the jacket holds the heat in. When you cover a plant, there is no heat to hold in, so all covering a plant will do is protect it from the lightest frost. It will not protect against freeze damage, unless you lock in some kind of heat source. This is how I protect my subtropical plants: th-cam.com/video/62ZM615RBdc/w-d-xo.html
I should mention that figs are frost tolerant, and can tolerate hard freezes when dormant. They don't really take damage until they get into the teens when they're dormant.
pine needles ?
What size containers (black) did you use?
By the way your a great speaker!
They are #15's. The containers are so great, I have them linked in my Amazon Storefront and made a whole video on them here: th-cam.com/video/LuBHbBmh3hU/w-d-xo.html
It's tough to get excited for a nursery container, but these were awesome. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hi Millennial Gardener,
My Peach tree broke at the trunk. Someone just mentioned that I may have had borers. The tree had so much fruit on it! I guess that I can take clippings and start new trees?
If you had borers, you would see holes in the tree with weird spaghetti-like strands of sawdust coming out. This is what it would look like if you had borers: www.gardeningknowhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Granulate-Ambrosia-Beetle-damage.png
How big was the tree? It simply may have snapped due to wind if you had a bad storm. It happens from time to time. I had three young figs snap on me in a bad storm last year.
The bad news is, you probably can't just take cuttings and start again. The reason why is because the majority of fruit trees are grafted. They use very specific rootstocks for very specific reasons (disease resistance, vigor, dwarfing habit, etc.). Most scion wood will not do well on its own roots, so if you were to root the cuttings, there is a good chance they won't do well.
Where did the tree snap? As long as it is above the graft, I would just cut the tree and let it branch back out. As long as you're certain it broke above the graft, you can prune your tree just like I did in this video: th-cam.com/video/EHLfAN5R1Dc/w-d-xo.html
It will leaf back out beautifully and in another season or two, it'll be in good shape. However, if you *do* have vine borer damage, the tree may be lost. You may have to dig it up and replace it. Also, if the tree broke below the graft, you will have to re-graft the scion wood onto the rootstock and start again.
@@TheMillennialGardener I uploaded a video of the tree on my channel. I'm so hurt! The tree has new growth as well coming from the top part. It was very windy here and that may have caused it to snap. Thank you so much for all of this awesome information! I figured that I would reach out to you...
Love your channel 🤗🌱💜
What do you do with all your various types of produce....do you sell produce as well as cuttings.....
I don't produce nearly enough for myself yet. I do not sell anything.
Great video! Question: I get sooooooo many pillbugs after I started using mulch. Is that bad? What should I do about the pillbugs? Kill them or ignore them? Thank you!
Where do you get your mulch? I would consider a different source. Pill bugs are not harmful in the sense that they don't bite or sting or harm us in any way, but they can feed on plant roots. A few here or there are totally harmless, but if you're importing plagues of them, that's definitely a potential problem. If you buy your mulch from the store, I would suggest you find a local place that turns their own mulch and get a small truckload, or see if you can get locally-made stuff by the bag. Alternatively, you could try a different type of mulch. Just by going to Lowe's, I can choose between Cypress, Cedar, Shredded Hardwood, Pine Bark Nugget and Mini-Pine Bark Nugget mulches. At the very least, you may want to change your mulch type. You can even go indoors in Walmart and get the big bricks of cedar that's made for lining animal cages in the pet section for hamsters, birds, etc. That can be used if there are no other ingredients than pure cedar. If you still strike out, other alternatives are hay, straw and weed-free grass clippings. They will be relatively pest-free.
Final tip: call your local county landfill. A lot of them give away mulch for free. They do a lot of tree timing to protect the power lines, so they wind up with all this excess mulch. They like to give it away instead of paying to dispose of it. If you call, you can probably show up with a 40 gallon trash can and just fill it up for free.
How do you fertilize with the mulch? Right over the mulch or move away the mulch.
Container figs should primarily be fertilized with water soluble fertilizers, which are mixed in a watering can and poured over. If you add supplemental granulated fertilizers, I just drop a couple tablespoons on top and scratch it in with my fingers.
March 29th. You waited a while to post this video lol.
I meant May 😬
Hi, what's the reason behind not letting the mulch touch the tree?
Mulch rots. It's generally not a good idea for rotting material to be piled up against a tree's trunk, because the same bacteria and fungi that break down the mulch layer can theoretically cause trunk rot on your tree. A little bit of contact is fine, but you don't want it piled up in a "mulch volcano." If you google "mulch volcano" you'll see what I'm talking about. That can kill a tree.
How do you handle fertilizing once you've added all the mulch? Do you have to push it out of the way to get it directly on the soil?
The bulk of the food I give them is soluble, so that drains right through the mulch. As for granulated fertilizer and bone meal, all you need to do is lightly scratch it in.
Question, please answer: in one of the videos you mention slow release fertilizing every two weeks. My question is how do you give slow release fertilizer when you have mulch on top of container?
You simply take your fingers and work it into the top 2 inches of the container. Sprinkle it on top, take your hand and shake it around, scratch it into the soil, then water it in. Organic granulated fertilizer needs to be consumed by the natural bacteria and fungi in the soil to be usable. Plants can’t use it in its granular form. It has to be consumed by the bacteria and fungi, then excreted back out. Then, the plant can use the excrement. It’s like manure. It needs to be pre-digested.
@@TheMillennialGardener Sorry if my question was not clear. I meant to ask how can you work the fertilizer into the soil when you have inches of mulch on top of soil? Do we remove mulch and then put fertilizer or just mix fertilizer into layer of mulch?
Do you put holes in the bottom of your buckets for drainage? I assume you do.
Yes. I show you how I make them here: th-cam.com/video/qkO0BszVqMQ/w-d-xo.html
Why figs in pots? You can raise banana plants, and they're a lot more sensitive than figs. Mulch, definitely. But, when it gets too hot, will you put something reflective around the pots?
Figs evolved in Mediterranean climates, which are rainless in the summer. Figs evolved to ripen with no rain, and as such, if any rain contacts the skin of the figs, it causes them to split, burst and rupture. Figs ripen during my rainy season, where it storms about 55% of the afternoons. As such, I have to carefully select rain-resistant varieties, and I cannot do that until I trial them. Most figs are not suitable for in-ground planting here. The figs I keep in containers are either first-year trials, or varieties that aren't suitable for in-ground planting, but I like and keep around in case we're fortunate to get an August dry spell and I can get some fruits.
@@TheMillennialGardener Keep up the good job! Good one, testing is always the right thing to do. Our domesticated figs came from the Middle East, but Asia and the Americas have many. Some will even grow on a beach in salt water. Interesting family!
I have cold resistant papaya, both from 9,000 feet in dry forests of the Andes. These two varieties are from seedlings grown near Chico, CA, Zone 8--we're 9 A. And, I'm going to experiment with the rocoto chili, which is supposed to be winter hardy in this area. Hope it likes our gentle summer sun, as well. Average temp is 97+ with high, dry winds.
"containers tend to dry out quickly" oh, boy do they. esprcially out in direct sunlight
Absolutely. I can already tell a big difference in my containers since adding mulch. The 5 gallon buckets were drying out completely by 11AM. Now at 11AM, they are still pretty good.
Where do you get your containers?
See this video: th-cam.com/video/LuBHbBmh3hU/w-d-xo.html
What about using grow bags for fig trees?
I tried using them and they really dry out way too quickly. Even with mulch, the water seems to just wick right out of them and so you are constantly wasting a lot of water, fertilizer and nutrients. I found the 17 gallon tree planters (Millennial has them listed in his Amazon site like 10 for $149? best I have found) are good for about two year trees, and then either transplant them into the ground or put them in a $3.99 Walmart laundry basket. I have about 80 fig trees and the ones I really like are up-planted to these planters. You can use some UV Car coat on the Walmart tubs to extend their life. They will degrade in about 4 years. Good luck!
I strongly, strongly, strongly recommend never using them for any trees. They’re suitable for annuals, only. I have a whole video on why here: th-cam.com/video/0Yhcu0gZvHo/w-d-xo.html
It is a disaster waiting to happen.
The #15’s I have linked in my Amazon Storefront are perfect for fig trees. They will be their permanent home. There won’t be a need to go larger. They’ll just have to be root pruned every 2-4 years, depending on how vigorous each tree decides to be.
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you so much! And thank you for answering. Many TH-cam personalities don’t respond. So I very much appreciate it. One more question. Can I grow zucchini in a 10 gallon grow bag or is 15 gallon better? Thank you!
You don’t even suggest taking last years mulch off before apply this years?
My mulch from last year was almost completely decomposed. At that point, it's practically fertilizer for the tree. It was in an advanced state of decay, so removing it is basically like removing compost. I want it there to continue its slow breakdown. You can remove it if you wish, but I don't really see the point of doing so.
Can you please let me know how you keep Dale from peeing on your plants?! Neighbors dog is super sweet and cute but he pees all over my garden.. I dont want to use anything that could hurt him.
Dale likes peeing on tall objects. He doesn't pee in the garden, but I think that's because he's a fairly big dog and the stuff in the garden is too small for him to pee on. That and he doesn't go in my garden a whole lot. He loves peeing on the posts that I use to espalier my fig trees and blackberries, probably because they're tall and skinny and he can get right up to it. I think he tries to avoid the bushy stuff because he can't "get in there" very well given his larger size.
Where do you get your containers from?
The black fruit tree containers are linked in my Amazon Storefront in the video description. They're the best fruit tree containers for fig trees that I've found BY FAR. They're extremely high quality. The self-watering containers I use for my citrus are from Walmart. I recommend self-watering containers for citrus, because citrus are prone to root rot during cool weather.