I NEVER HAD PLANTS BEFORE.
BUT WHEN I HAD SOME SPACE TO FILL AT THE STUDIO, I WENT OUT AND PURCHASED TWO LITTLE MISS FIGGY DWARF FIG TREES.
I THINK THEY’RE THE ONLY VARIATION OF A FRUIT-BEARING FIG TREE THAT CAN BE POTTED, WHICH IS A REQUIREMENT FOR THEM IN CONNECTICUT, MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE TRANSPORTED INSIDE IN THE WINTER.
THEY WERE DELIVERED TO MY EMPTY STUDIO ABSOLUTELY MANGLED. CUT AT THE MAIN STEM. SMALL. IN A TEMPORARY POT. “ADAM” WAS EVEN IN THE BOX UPSIDE DOWN.
I NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF A PLANT PERSON. BUT, WHILE I WAS LEARNING MY ROLE AT LULULEMON AS THEIR STORE DESIGNER GUY, THEY STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING REAL, LIVE PLANTS IN THEIR STORE. AND DURING MY STINT IN LAS VEGAS, THE HOUSE I WAS LIVING IN HAD A FIG TREE IN THE BACKYARD. AND I DO LOVE THE BOOK OF GENESIS. ALL OF THOSE FACTORS CONTRIBUTED, I SUPPOSE.
THE FIRST THING I DID:
I WENT TO HOME DEPOT, GOT THE BIGGEST POTS I COULD FIND, AND BRAINSTORMED WITH CHATGPT THE BEST KIND OF SOIL. I DISCOVERED THAT FIGS GENERALLY LIKE THE DRY, EASY-TO DRAIN KIND. THEY ARE SUCCESPTABLE TO “ROOT ROT” IF THE SOIL RETAINS TOO MUCH WATER. THE BEST OPTION THEY HAD WAS SOIL FOR SUCCULENTS AND CACTI.
LATER THAT DAY, I TRANSFERRED THEM TO THEIR NEW HOMES AND PLACED THEM RIGHT NEXT TO MY CIELING-HIGH, SOUTH-FACING WINDOWS.
THRIVE IN SUMMER:
I WAS ACTUALLY A BIT SURPRISED WITH HOW NICELY THEY BEGAN TO GROW. I MEAN, JUST LOOK AT THEM. EVE (LEFT) WAS ALREADY REACHING FOR THE STARS. ADAM (RIGHT) WAS SMALL BUT FULL. THEY SEEMED TO LIKE THEIR NEW HOME.
HOWEVER, SOME TIME INTO THEIR GROWTH, I LEARNED ABOUT SCALE BUGS.
I SAW THESE LITTLE, ALMOST TICK-LIKE PESTS THAT WERE LATCHED ON TO THE LEAVES. AND, LIKE, ANY GOOD BLOOD-SUCKING LEECH, DIDN’T SEEM TO AFFECT THE PLANTS TOO MUCH. THEY WERE JUST LURKING IN THE UNDERBRUSH, SUCKING AWAY SWEET SAP, AND SLOWLY HARMING THEM WITH 1000 PAPERCUTS.
I DISCOVERED THE SCALE BUGS BECAUSE THE LEAVES WERE STICKY. I HAD TO GIVE THEM BI-WEEKLY “BATHS,” REMOVE ANY DEAD LEAVES, AND SPRAY THEM WITH NEEM OIL. BUT EVEN WITH SOME EXTRA ATTENTION, ADAM AND EVE WERE STRUGGLING HEADING INTO THE FALL AND WINTER.
SURVIVE THE WINTER:
THE WINTER WAS TOUGH FOR ADAM AND EVE. ESPECAILLY ADAM.
THERE IS A SEASONAL CYCLE FOR FIGS, SO SOME OF IT WAS EXPECTED. THERE WOULD BE LITTLE TO NO NEW GROWTH, SHEDDING OF LEAVES, AND GENERAL WEAKNESS AND FATIGUE.
BUT MAYBE THERE IS A “FATHERLY” GUILT OF PUTTING BOTH OF THEM IN THIS SITUATION. I PLACED THEM IN A POSITION WHERE THEY COULD TECHNICALLY GROW, BUT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HANGING ON WITH TECHNICALITIES AND ACTUAL UNFETTERED THRIVING.
I DEBATED “GETTING RID OF THEM.” ESPECIALLY ADAM, WHO APPEARED TO BE ON HIS DEATHBED. BUT HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT? THROW THEM IN THE GARBAGE? CUT THEM INTO PIECES? LIGHT THEM ON FIRE?
I SHOT THEM INSTEAD.
SPRING FORWARD:
AFTER TAKING THESE PLANT PORTRAITS, SPRING PROMISED SOME NEW GROWTH.
I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING MUCH DIFFERENTLY, REALLY. I WAS STILL GIVING THEM THEIR BATHS, SCRAPING OFF THE SCALE BUGS, SPRAYING THEM DOWN, WATERING THEM, AND GETTING THEM AS MUCH SUN AS POSSIBLE.
WHEN I WAS WITH THEM, I GAVE THEM MUCH MORE FOCUSED ATTENTION. AND THEN, FUNNY ENOUGH, WHEN WE WERE APART, I DIDN’T GIVE THEM MUCH THOUGHT. AND I THINK IT’S BECAUSE OF THIS, WHENEVER I SAW THEM AGAIN, I COULD REALLY SEE HOW MUCH THEY WERE GROWING.
and now, with my studio lease coming to an end, i found them the sunniest spot on my parent’s patio. and…my goodness.
they are now so happy!!!
loooooookkkkkk at them!
they’ve been out in the open-air sun for a grand total of 3 days. and you can just tell. they love it. they’re thriving.
adam is growing a bit sideways. and i have to encourage eve to stand up tall. but all things considered, they are healthy, happy, and have a fruitful summer ahead of them.
eve even has a little fig-ling.
about figs, business, life:
you know, there are a lot of things i’ve learned from being a plant-dad for the past year. and its made me think, maybe the importance of children, pets, plants, etc…is to externalize problems in a way that teaches you the skills to fix your internal problems.
- when you are given potential, it is your job to actualize it.
- scale bugs mean things are good. aka, they don’t go after the crappy plants. only the healthy, growing, sweet ones.
- things are never as bad as they seem
- don’t fight the season (or the weather)
- pots are good for now when transporting is a thing. but the right climate/environment is the ultimate goal
- bearing fruit is hard. takes time. but will happen.