Help!!! My newly planted Excel Fig Tree may be in serious trouble.

[Claymango]

I purchased this plant about a month ago, and put it in the ground about 3 weeks ago... This tree came from Armstrong Gardens as a 5g tree and they get their figs from Dave Wilson's Nursery.

It had a few top set leaves when Planted, however the leaves began to curl, die then drop after a week or so.... I'm not sure if I have overwatered or underwatered, could be either, but I doubt it. My Violette De Bordeux has received the same treatment and has several nice flushes pushing.

Recently a few buds have cracked open, but just form a yellow/brown dryed layer of something which looks nothing like a leaf and then hardens off. Here is a new bud breaking, one I fear is about to repeat the same process, although I'm hoping it cracks this death cycle it's trending into it. I have several other buds also about to break open that may make it.

[Harborseal]

We could help you more if you told us where you were, what the weather's been like, whether your soil has root nematodes, what your soil is like, maybe a photo of your soil, how you've been watering it and on & on. Is it in full shade or sun? Has it gotten any fertilizer? Did you use lime? If so tell us what kind and how much. Any details you can give us might help us help you.

In any case I'd dig it up and put it in a high quality, rapidly draining potting soil and get it somewhere safe - no temps below 35 and sunny if possible. If you haven't fertilized it I'd give it a good fertilizer with micro-nutrients, but at houseplant strength or 1/10th the strength you'd use for an outside plant. If you have fertilized it, especially if you added lime, I'd rinse the roots and use new, damp potting soil.

[Claymango]

Zone 9b Socal : when it was planted, we did go through a brief heat wave at around 90 plus degrees for several days... I water about every 2 to 3 days, again my Violette De Bordeux, planted at the same time, same size 5g....looks beautful. When I planted it, I gave it some Fox Farms Slow release fertilzer, NPK ratio is probably 9-5-3. I have no idea about these Nemotodes. No lime. I'm thinking it could be fertilizer burn, I kind of went an extra scoop, but it is a slow release. It's in Full sun.

[Darkman]

Zone 9b Socal

Secrets out now so PLEASE make a signature with your location

[Altadena Mara]

Harborseal's idea of digging it up and re-potting it without the fertilizer sounds like a good one. Then take it back to Armstrong's and see what they suggest, especially if there is a replacement guarantee of some sort. I bought three Wilson trees back in February from the local Nursery and put two in the ground. My VdB in the ground with full sun is okay like yours, but Desert King is barely alive near it, and Panache in a pot looks awful, both trees with leaf drop. I'm thinking I should have babied them a lot more. I should have put DK in a pot as well and given them more shade until they were established. Breaking dormancy in a 90 degree heat wave was perhaps a bit much here as well. However, the bare root fig trees from other nurseries I put in pots in my 90+ degree sun room are leafing out and growing well. It's just the Wilson trees that are a problem.

Mara SoCal 9b

[Claymango]

O wow, Mara your having trouble too? I figured the 5g tree size that I had was perfectly fine and didn't need to be babied... I've stuck Bare root trees straight into the ground before no trouble, Peaches, Pluots, Apples.....I'm surprised my excel may kick the bucket, because it's such a lovely size with a thick trunk..... O well Armstrong will replace all trees if it dies.

[Altadena Mara]

O wow, Mara your having trouble too? I figured the 5g tree size that I had was perfectly fine and didn't need to be babied... I've stuck Bare root trees straight into the ground before no trouble, Peaches, Pluots, Apples.....I'm surprised my excel may kick the bucket, because it's such a lovely size with a thick trunk..... O well Armstrong will replace all trees if it dies.

The fig trees I bought were in around 4"x4"x 9" size pots- which is how I think they're sent out from Dave Wilson's. It seemed too small for these four foot trees with thick trunks. Armstrong re-pots them -I think- into the 5 gallon pots, so an additional planting a month or two after that up potting would be stressful. Also, the mix Armstrong uses for potting doesn't seem very good, based on the potted roses i've bought from them in the past. I've dumped it and re-potted the roses bare root with a quality potting soil, as long as it's not too late in the season.
I wonder if Dave Wilson roots them in that size pot and keeps them in it until their sold, not wanting to risk up-potting? People here have reported losing cuttings when they up pot them.

[greenfig]

Armstrong will replace a dead/sick tree. They did that with my avocado. My local store has very good staff, they would do everything possible to keep you happy. I wouldn't waste any time or money on this tree, just exchange it for a better one.

[Claymango]

I want to give it shot, it's got about 1 years growth on the regular bare root trees they got in this year that they pot up and mark up to a whopping 40 dollars...I really don't want to lost this size of tree....I'm hoping for the best...really wish I didn't throw that slow release fertilizer on it, it looked like a healthy tree sprouting... My Violette De Bordeux has shot off with the same treatment.