Ficus 'Desert King' Fig is a tall, multibranched deciduous shrub or small tree. Although fig trees do not visibly flower, as the tiny flowers develop inside the fruits, they are still attractive plants, suitable for an edible garden or landscape. 'Desert King' produces 2 crops of delicious figs a year: a large breba (spring) crop and a late crop that is light in hot climates and heavier in coastal climates. The figs have edible, light green 'white' skin and strawberry-colored flesh with a rich flavor that's excellent for eating fresh. They can also be dried, canned, or preserved. Figs contain significant amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.
'Desert King' Fig makes an excellent accent or specimen but can also be trained as an espalier or grown as a container plant. In the ground, it reaches 12 to 15 feet tall at maturity, but it can be pruned lightly (heavy winter pruning removes breba crop) to shape and size or grown in a container. In a container, this naturally semi dwarf tree will stay much smaller, especially with judicious pruning, but will still set full-sized figs.
One of the earliest fruit trees to be cultivated, indigenous to regions from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, and grown widely in Mediterranean countries, Ficus carica, also called common fig, is a temperate species that grows very well in cool coastal climates with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. In colder climates, plant ficus in a warm, dry location and generously mulch before winter.
One of the easiest fruits to grow, figs require full sun during the growing season, dry weather during fruiting, and some winter chilling. They grow well in a wide range of soil types and pH ranges but prefer well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter and a 6.0 to 6.5 pH. Fig trees are drought tolerant, usually satisfied with natural rainfall most of the year once established, and are a good choice for xeriscapes and water-wise gardens. However, they prefer consistently moist soil when fruiting. This tree is self-fertile and bears fruit without any pollen from other varieties. However, it does require 100 chill hours.
Figs can be allowed to dry on the tree and gathered after falling, or they can be picked ripe and dried. Frequent turning during the drying process improves the quality of the fruit.
This fig tree will ship at the appropriate planting time based on your growing zone. This fig tree does not ship in December or January. Plant height is 18-36" when shipped.
