These are not the figs you eat, but rather ornamental foliage plants common indoors. They often go by their scientific name of “ficus” (said as FI-cuss), such as ficus tree or weeping ficus. Give them enough light and the right care (no overwatering) and they’re easy to grow.

Although the plant is not poisonous per se, F. carica is listed in the FDA Database of Poisonous Plants. Organic chemical compounds called furanocoumarins are known to cause phytophotodermatitis in humans. Thus there is no conclusive evidence that fig fruits cause phytophotodermatitis.

Best Cold Hardy Fig Varieties

• Brown Turkey.
• Brunswick.
• Celeste.
• Hardy Chicago.
• Petite Negra.
• Violette de Bordeaux.
• White Marseilles.

Mistletoe fig is a small, bushy plant that has rounded leaves and readily bears small fruits, unfortunately inedible. Creeping fig is a charmer, a tropical vine with tiny, heart-shaped leaves.

One of the more common reasons for tough, dry fig fruit may have to do with the weather. Another possible culprit, resulting in tough dry figs, may be a lack of nutrients. In order for the tree to produce sweet, juicy fruit, it must have water, sunlight, and soil nutrients to facilitate the production of glucose.

You can tell that it is time for harvesting figs when the fruit necks wilt and the fruits hang down. If you pick a fig fruit too early, it will taste horrible; ripe fruit is sweet and delicious. As long as the fruit is still perpendicular to the stem, it is not ready to be picked.

Yes. Figs are rich in dietary fiber, which is good for the digestive system.

Most of the activity in the orchards begins in May as the fruit appears on the tree and culminates in October when the final “picking” of the dried fruit is completed.

Since figs have a high fiber content, eating too many figs — especially dried figs — can cause diarrhea.

All edible figs have male and female flowers, but only Caprifig is considered to be a male tree, according to the University of Georgia. Caprifig has inedible fruit and is used exclusively to pollinate other edible figs, while female trees produce edible fruit.

Begin your fig tree pruning by removing any branches that are not growing out from your selected fruiting wood, as well as any dead or diseased wood. If there are suckers growing from the base of the tree, these should be removed as well.

The most common reason for a fig tree not producing fruit is simply its age. If the fig tree is not old enough to produce seeds, it will also not produce fruit. Typically, a fig tree will not fruit until it reaches two years old, but it can take some trees as long as six years to reach the right maturity.