Figs are among the easiest fruit you can grow in Central Florida and among the easiest to lose, and the difference is almost entirely down to three local problems that no national growing guide will warn you about.
Root knot nematodes are the real enemy
Deep sandy soil across Lake County carries root knot nematodes, microscopic roundworms that gall a fig's roots and slowly starve the tree. A fig planted straight into open sand often looks fine for two years and then declines for no visible reason. This is the single most common way a fig dies here.
Three things work against it. Grow it in a large container, which is why so many Florida figs live in half barrels and why we sell them potted. Plant near a building foundation, where construction fill and lime leaching make the soil less hospitable to nematodes. And mulch heavily and permanently, six inches of wood chips out to the drip line, replenished every year. Organic matter feeds the fungi and predators that keep nematode numbers down, and a fig with a thick mulch layer will grow new feeder roots faster than the nematodes can take them.
Fig rust arrives with the August rain
Cerotelium fici shows up as yellow-brown flecks on the upper leaf surface and rusty pustules underneath, usually in late summer, and it can strip a tree bare by September. A defoliated fig usually survives and leafs out again, but it will not ripen the fruit it was carrying.
Airflow is most of the answer. Do not crowd a fig against a fence or another shrub, keep the interior open when you prune, and rake up and bin fallen leaves rather than composting them in place, because that is where next year's spores overwinter.
Summer rain splits and sours the wrong varieties
Most figs have an open eye, the small opening at the base of the fruit. In a Florida August, rain gets in through the eye, the fruit sours, and vinegar flies finish the job. This is why the famous European varieties disappoint here.
Choose a closed eye variety and the problem largely goes away. Celeste is the classic Gulf coast choice for exactly this reason. It is not a claim about flavour, it is a claim about anatomy.
Pruning, feeding and water
Prune in late winter, once the worst of the cold has passed and before the buds move. Common figs carry their main crop on the current season's growth, so shortening the previous year's wood by about a third gives you new fruiting shoots without giving up the crop. Never prune hard in autumn: it pushes tender growth straight into the first cold snap.
Feed lightly. A fig given plenty of nitrogen makes magnificent leaves and very few figs. Something balanced in early spring and again after the first crop is enough, and in a container, half strength more often.
Water consistently. Figs drop immature fruit when they dry out and split ripe fruit when a drought breaks. Even moisture through May and June is what carries a crop to harvest.
Knowing when to pick
A fig does not ripen after picking, so timing is everything. It is ready when the neck bends and the fruit hangs down, the skin softens to the touch, and often a bead of nectar sits at the eye. A fig picked while it is still sticking straight out is a fig you will not enjoy. Birds know this timetable better than you do, so if you are losing fruit, net the tree a fortnight before you expect to pick.