Although it is possible to grow fig trees from seeds, the plants grown from them may not be similar to their parents, the fruits may be not be as good as the fruit from which you had taken the seeds. Additionally, you are not sure if the new plant will be a female which will develop fruit or a male producing inedible small fruits. But still growing figs from fresh figs or dried figs is an interesting garden activity, as I have done in Sydney, Australia.
If you are looking to grow a fig tree that is exact clone of the parent tree, then propagate it from a cutting (how to grow a fig tree from a cutting).
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| Fig Tree in Pot |
Fig seeds are not hard to grow, they are as easy as growing cucumbers and tomatoes. Here are the important steps to successfully growing fig from seeds.
Fig Tree Propagation From Seeds
Getting Fig Seeds
You can buy fig seeds from a garden shop. But, Can you grow a fig tree from a fresh or dried fig?
Yes, you can grow a fig plant both from fresh and dried figs, but for that you need to carefully remove their tiny seeds. A fig can contain between 30 and 1,600 tiny seeds of different sizes.
Cut a fig and remove its fleshy pulp and put it in water and separate the seeds. Dry the seeds in shade for a few days.
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| Fig Seeds |
Fig Seed Germination
First soak the seeds in water to check for viability. Discard the seeds that float, these are not viable.
The fig seeds are slower to germinate than many vegetable seeds, they take 2 to 4 weeks for germination. Soaking the seeds in 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes can speed up the germination by a week.
Potting Soil
You can use commercial seed raising mixes to start fig seeds, or make your own by mixing some coco peat and perlite or river sand in garden soil.
Take a seed raising tray or a small pot having drainage holes. Fill the pot with the soil mix as mentioned above and water to moisten the soil.
Spread the seeds on the soil and cover them with about quarter inch (6mm) layer of same soil. Planting seeds too deep may not germinate them as they need light for germination.
Water the soil evenly with a spray bottle. Cover the top of the pot with a polythene sheet to maintain high humidity inside.
Place the pot in a warm sunny location, or use grow lights 5 cm (2 inches) above the seeds or a heat mat underneath the pot, if you are starting seeds indoors.
The ideal temperature for fig seed germination is from 18 to 21°C (65 to 70°F).
Check the seeds daily, mist lightly with water if the soil looks dry. Misting keeps the soil moist, while not disturbing the seeds.
The seeds will germinate in a few weeks, depending on the temperature.
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| Germinated Fig Seeds |
Once the seeds start to germinate, remove the polythene covering. Continue misting the soil while the seedlings are small.
The above picture shows the germinated fig seeds after 8 weeks of planting.
After the seedlings grow 2-3 sets of leaves, allow the soil to dry out between watering. It is also time to transplant the seedlings in a bigger pot (how to grow figs in pots) or in ground.
When the Tree Will produce Fruit?
The fig tree grown from seed will start to produce fruit in 2 to 6 years.