Growing figs

[Aquagility]

This time last year I had more ripe figs than I could eat or give away. This year the tree is a mass of small, hard green figs with not one showing signs of ripening.
Is this just the weather? Or could there be another reason?

[Kevin1959]

I don't know if this helps, but my nectorine tree is the same this year. Smaller fruit which don't look as though they are going get much larger and ripen. I have been feeding it weekly and water it daily. It's only a small tree and I thinded the crop out early, so it is only bearing about 12 fruits. A big disappointment. Last time big juicy nectarines.

[frogprince2]

This is our first try at growing figs. Our situation seems identical to yours. Will be very interested in any comments received also.

[Aquagility]

Thanks, Kelvin. The fig gets watered (arrosage), but not fed. It was not fed last year either. But it was cut back really hard. So maybe that's the answer.

[johnk]

I've had a poor crop on my apples, cherries and plums. Perhaps it was the bad december we had.

[woofgang]

If you cut it back, there is the answer. This year's figs will have been on the plant last autumn but only pea sized. they overwinter on the plant then grow on this year. If you have to prune then you cut off the figs. the figs that start growing in this year won't usually have a long enough season in the UK to develop in one season and the advice is to remove anything larger than a pea in the autumn as they will rot on the plant and can make the plant sick....sorry can't answer about the nectarine as they don't overwinter their fruit.

[Aquagility]

Woofgang, last year's bumper yield came <b>after</b> the tree was severely cut back.
But thank you all for your suggestions.