Q: My fig tree has not produced any fruit for the past two years. What should I do?
A: A few things can explain that. Most likely in our region is winter damage to the branches or winter kill of the fruiting buds.
Figs are borderline hardy in central Pa. We can get away with some of the cold-hardy types ('Chicago Hardy' and 'Brown Turkey,' for example), but others suffer dieback most winters and aren't reliable producers.
My fig didn't produce anything either this season, which surprised me a bit since we had an unusually mild winter. What I think happened is the same thing that caused even some hardier fruits to have a poor year... the early warm-up induced fruit buds to swell sooner than they should have, and then a later cold spell injured them. Buds that get too far along too soon are more susceptible to cold damage than buds that stay dormant until the coast is clear.
If that's the case, a "normal" winter might end up giving you fruit next year even if you do nothing. It's best to wrap figs around here in burlap or tarp "jackets" stuffed with leaves as insulation. Some people wrap them in blankets. That protects the wood from cold snaps since uncovered figs (even the hardy ones) probably will die back if temperatures get down around zero.
Beyond winter kill, a few other things can affect fig fruiting:
1.) Excess nitrogen. This can happen when figs are surrounded by lawn that's being fertilized with high-nitrogen products four or five times a year. You get fast growth and big, healthy leaves, but little to no fruit.
2.) Lack of pollination. Figs produce best when you've got two or more around to cross-pollinate. Some types are self-fruitful, but even they produce better with a partner nearby.
3.) Age. It can take a new fig 3 or 4 years to fruit for the first time. If yours is at least that old or has fruited already, this wouldn't be a likely reason.
4.) Lack of sun. How's the sun exposure? Figs are sun-lovers that need at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun a day to fruit well.
5.) Watering issues. Consistent moisture and well drained soil are ideal (like with most plants). It's possible to overdo it or underdo it with water. Fruit can drop in hot, dry, droughty conditions, but plants can also abort or fail to flower if the plants are in soggy soil.
If none of that checks out and you still get no fruit this year, try pinching back all of your branches to just above the fifth set of leaves. (Start at the base of a branch, count up five sets of leaves and then prune off the rest above that point.) Some growers say that not only encourages compact growth but induces better fruit production.
One other possibility is root-pruning. This involves going out about 2 feet from the trunk and severing the roots with a shovel every other shovel width apart. In other words, sever, skip a shovel width, then sever again, then skip, then sever, until you're the whole way around the plant. Do this at the end of winter.Hope that helps because it's hard to beat the flavor of a fresh fig.