Ficus sycomorus- nematode resistant fig rootstock

One of the primary problems of figs in sandy Florida soils is extreme susceptibility to root knot nematodes. Many Floridians have the experience of watching figs languish for years with minimal growth, not knowing that nematodes are the culprit. Ficus sycamorus is a vigorous rootstock for figs that does not have problems with nematodes. This Ficus is from Central Africa but is closely related enough to figs to be graft compatible. There are several large, decades old fig trees in South Florida grafted to this rootstock that prove long term graft compatibility. Grafting figs to this rootstock gives them the ability to thrive in soils that are badly infested with nematodes, eliminating the need for costly and often ineffective treatments of this pest. Our own experiments with these grafts are showing figs with high vigor compared to those on their own roots. This rootstock is a breakthrough for figs, opening up cultivation in soils where they otherwise cannot grow. For some reason, this plant is extremely rare and grafted figs are not available in any Florida nursery to our knowledge.

This tree is not especially cold hardy which may present a problem for more northern growers. It may be necessary to bank up some soil or mulch onto the graft union on extreme freezes so the rootstock is not killed from underneath a fig tree. With some age, thicker wood does gain some degree of cold tolerance.

These trees are grown from cuttings, then later used to graft figs too. Our recommendation is for people to grow out this original tree into a nice specimen to pull their own cuttings from to make lots of rootstock. Grafting these can be a little fickle with mixed results but we have had success with cleft and side veneer grafts. We are continuing to experiment to perfect our fig grafting strategies. We are also collecting fig varieties to try to identify the very best varieties for Florida conditions to combine with this rootstock.

This clone of Ficus sycamorus produces fruit when it becomes a large tree but the fruit never ripens and falls off green due to lack of pollination from the proper wasp species.