Care for Fig Trees Indoors
“I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size). I like gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands”
Tolkien is one of my favorite authors in part for his love for plants and all green things that grow. For those of us living in regions with prolonged winters a little of green is daily sustenance keeping sanity at hand. Growing plants and appreciating their connection to our mental well-being cannot be overstated. In most cases, we often discuss taking care of fig trees and plants during the summer. Today the topic is slightly different, let’s talk about taking care of fig trees indoors all year round or in the winter.
All Year Round Indoor Care
It is possible to keep your fig tree all year round indoors. However, some key aspects need to be discussed. The common fig tree is deciduous, that is its nature. Going against this, insisting on prolonging its vibrant leaves from yellowing and falling is a losing battle, one that is detrimental to the plant. Personal experience has proven that fig trees that are kept indoor all year round or just during winter months really struggle. Their growth is sluggish, foliage is typically diminished in form, and produce little to no figs in the summer months. It is well documented in literature that deciduous trees enter their state of dormancy or hibernation during the winter months to conserve energy and protect themselves from harsh environmental conditions. This energy conservation mechanism is crucial as it allows trees to redirect their nutritional resources, ensuring they remain healthy and vigorous when the growing season resumes. By slowing metabolic processes, deciduous trees can utilize stored nutrients more effectively, leading to more robust growth in the spring.
Some family members have attempted to keep fig trees indoors all year round, but their efforts have not yielded the intended goal. The issue is not keeping the tree alive. This can simply be achieved by placing it in a sunny and warm spot, monitoring the moisture content on the soil and adding water once a month or so. The real challenge is to ensure the tree retains vigor. The use of artificial light sources and fertilizers have not significantly enhanced the vitality of the fig trees in our experience. Light sources do improve the aspect of the leaves but do little to promote sturdy branches. Wind is the missing factor, one that is hard to replicate indoors. Indeed, wind exposure is an essential environmental factor that promotes strong branches and structural strength in plants and trees. The continuous movement induced by wind, naturally stimulates the production of supportive tissue, enhancing the overall structure and stability of branches.
If you plan on growing fig tree indoors try to select dwarfs varieties such as Little Miss Figgy, Petite Negri, and even some Coll de Dame types. The picture below is from a Valoze fig tree that has been kept in a New York City Apartment for 4 years. The tree has great foliage but lacks vigor. The caliper of the tree is small and has mostly thin branches. Nonetheless, it produces some figs in the summer and serves mostly for ornamental purposes. According to the owner, the trick to keeping this tree healthy has been rotating it between indoors storage for the winter and outdoors placement on the building’s balcony during the summer. The tree stays in the balcony from May to November. In the cold months, the dormant tree is stored in a corner of the apartment, some water is added on monthly basis until the start of Spring. The tree is pruned each year to keep its compact size. The owner explained she gets about a dozen figs each year. While not ideal with managed expectations you can keep fig trees in your apartment. Space perhaps is not a deal breaker.
Indoor Valoze fig tree rotated between indoors and outdoors in a New York City Apartment.
Care for Dormant Trees in the Winter
Based on our observation of the growth and production of indoor trees, we no longer encourage keeping fig trees inside all year round. Instead, we advocate for having potted figs outdoors in warm months and moving them indoors once they have entered hibernation naturally. Taking care of a dormant tree is a fairly simple process. First, make sure that you keep the soil moist by adding a few cups of water once a month, enough to moisten the root bulb. Avoid adding excess water as to hydrate the entire container. Keep the tree in a dark or somewhat shaded area in the garage or any available room. Most indoor storage areas do not experience sub-freezing temperatures for prolonged days, fig trees in general have some good degree of winter hardiness. You can try to wrap your tree for indoor storage, but it is not needed. In late March or early April the tree can be moved to a warmer area of the house or garage. This will allow the tree to start waking up and initiate its budding phase. Typically placing dormant trees by a window or area that gets some sunlight is sufficient to kick off this process. It is advised to move the fig trees outdoors once the last frost has passed. This date can be found with a simple online search (2025 Frost Dates: First and Last Frost Dates by ZIP Code | The Old Farmer's Almanac | Almanac.com). Outdoor trees fair the frost better than “awakened” indoor trees as they are still somewhat dormant. In 2023, we brought many of our trees outside and an unexpected frost caused significant damage to many of them. Smith suffered the most damage consisting of burn leaves and buds. The tree struggled most of the summer and eventually regained its strength in autumn, production was low that year. Care for outdoor planted trees is the simplest. We recommend wrapping them in thick burlap, and adding a thick layer of mulch to keep the roots protected. Remove the winter protection once the last frost has passed and days have started to get warmer.
If you are missing a little green in the winter, try rooting some fig cuttings. During winter cuttings can grow and thrive inside the house. Typically, we root cuttings in a staggered fashion, we start a cluster on early January, then February, and last on early March. This way we can control space better and make adjustments as the cuttings start to bud and develop leaves. We look forward to rooting cuttings each year and the excitement to see little leaves form is heartening and definitely nourishing for the soul.
Fig Cuttings Rooted During Winter, 2023.
