Kitchen Garden Forum

Help

About 2 weeks ago in a fit of tidiness for an upcoming BBQ i covered all of the bare soil on both my 3 year old fig tree containers with bark chippings. I have now noticed that all of the leaves are yellowing and there is a brown tinge to some of them. Did the same to some other fruit trees with no adverse effects so far. Have now scraped the chippings off but would like to know if this problem was possibly caused by the chippings or should i be looking elsewhere? Also any tips to save the trees would be good!

How spooky? That's what's happened to one of mine, but the others are alright and the new leaves on the affected fig are OK too.

I have no idea what it is but I bet JB does.

I think it is a weather problem this year. My figs are looking healthy, nice and green but the leaves on the plums, apples and even some of the new raspberry canes are looking a bit yellow.

I have wood chip mulch round the trees to.

Beryl.

I know I am now a bit paranoid about stuff like this now but where did the woodchips come from - could they have been treated with anything?

Ours come from the council so I have no idea.

Beryl.

HI

My bark chippings came from Lidl and i cannot see anything which indicates any treatment BUT they do have a strange aroma - sort of sweet and pungent?

Nitrogen robbery, I would have thought.

Sweet and pungent indicates pine to me - maybe the PH of the soil is being adversely affected although I think figs like an acidic soil.

glallotments wrote:Sweet and pungent indicates pine to me - maybe the PH of the soil is being adversely affected although I think figs like an acidic soil.

It also indicates that the bark is not composted. Like manure, bark mulch is not good when it's raw.

Yes, I agree with Felkix there, we do bag it up for 6 months or more before using it as a mulch around fruit trees.

Beryl.

I am afraid that I discount nitrogen depletion because this takes a lot longer than the two weeks mentioned in the initial posting from Blighted.
So the chippings appear not to have made any difference to plants in the soil and not potted-up only the potted Fig Tree.
If the pot was in need of water when the mulch was added then really the damage has been caused by lack of moisture.
Mulching, although revered by many, is something that you should fully understand before you attempt to apply it.
Apply mulch to a dry pot and what are you conserving? Even if it then rains for a long time most of the moisture is absorbed by the mulch and fails to get to the target!
So the question I ask is; was the Fig Tree in a state where it needed water before the mulch was laid?
JB.

Any idea how can I get my fig to fruit? I have leaves and new growth but never any fruit. What am I doing wrong please?

Not any fruit at all, Zena? Fig trees in the UK normally attempt to have two crops a year. About this time of year there should be lots of immature green figs, which will never ripen. The orthodox advice is to remove all of these in the autumn, leaving behind embryonic figs - no bigger than a pea - which should come through the winter successfully and grow and ripen next year. We've just experienced our best ever crop on Brown Turkey, which is the most common variety - not the best flavoured, but the hardiest. Some other varieties require winter protection.

Where is the tree planted Zena? Restricting the roots encourages the tree to fruit. If it is not in a large pot then the planting hole should have been lined with rubble or some such material to contain them. An old gladstone leather bag is said to be ideal if planting outdoors. Like Ken I have had a bumper crop this year and mine is on an exposed allotment site although I have put up a wind break.

Beryl.

Sorry for the delay in replying - I'm still without a computer at home! The fig is in a pot in the garden, up against a fence. I used to bring it indoors over winter but stopped doing that a couple of years ago and just leave it outside. Since then, the plant hasn't done much, but at least it hasn't died! Should I try feeding it with something special? Repotting? (I don't think it's outgrown the pot but will check when I go home - I'm at work at the moment). Any suggestions gratefully received. Thankyou