Olympian Fig Cuttings — Minimum 6-Inch, 5-Pack

Description

The fig is one of the oldest fruits in cultivation, and ‘Olympian’ (Ficus carica ‘Olympian’) is a cold-hardy common fig found in Olympia, Washington, and one of the more reliable choices for a home grower in a cool climate. You will get 5 fresh ‘Olympian’ fig cuttings, each a minimum of 6 inches long, fresh cut upon your order — five chances to start your own fig trees for just $20, or four dollars per cutting.

Where ‘Olympian’ earns its place is in cooler, shorter-season climates. It is a common fig that sets and ripens sweet purple fruit without the long blast of Mediterranean heat that varieties like Black Mission and Brown Turkey demand. Rated to USDA zones 6 to 10, and — as noted on our Fig Tree Information page — all the figs we sell are proven potentially hardy to Zone 6 with proper care: wrap the trunk and mulch deeply through winter and it will live. Grow it against a south- or southwest-facing wall to capture radiant heat, or keep it in a large container moved under cover for winter.

Figs ask little: full sun and a well-drained soil are the essentials — they tolerate poor, gravelly, and even alkaline ground far better than most fruit. Water regularly while the plant establishes, then ease off; figs fruit best when they are not overfed. ‘Olympian’ is self-fertile (parthenocarpic — the fruit forms with no pollination and no pollinator tree). It is a moderate grower, commonly kept as a shrub or small tree, and is easily held smaller by pruning or grown permanently in a container.

Expect the main crop to ripen from late summer into fall on the season’s new growth, with an earlier spring (breba) crop in many gardens. Left to hang until they soften and droop, the purple-skinned figs have red to violet flesh and a very sweet flavor, excellent fresh, dried, or in preserves. Whether you want a productive edible shrub, a container specimen for the patio, or your first try at growing figs from cuttings, five minimum-6-inch ‘Olympian’ cuttings for $20 is the lowest-risk, best-value way in.

• Common Name: Fig ‘Olympian’ (common fig)
• Scientific Name: Ficus carica ‘Olympian’
• Growing Zone: USDA zones 6 to 10 — proven potentially hardy to Zone 6 with proper care
• Mature Size: Shrub or small tree; easily kept smaller by pruning or in a container
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Light Requirement: Full sun
• Soil Requirement: Well-drained; tolerates poor and alkaline soils
• Pollination: Self-fertile (parthenocarpic) — no pollinator needed
• Fruiting Time: Main crop late summer into fall; breba crop in many gardens
• Cold-Climate Suitability: Cold-hardy common fig found in Olympia, Washington — a better bet than heat-loving figs in short, cool seasons
• You Receive: 5 cuttings, minimum 6 inches each

Rooting instructions: Fill small pots with a moist, well-draining potting mix and insert each cutting about halfway down, so a couple of buds sit above the soil line. Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy, and keep the pots in bright, indirect light while they root. Optionally dip the cut ends in rooting hormone first, and tent a loose clear plastic bag over the pots to hold in humidity. Roots typically form in about 4 to 6 weeks; once new growth is steady, gradually acclimate the young plants to full sun before planting out.

For more on growing and caring for figs — planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning, harvesting, and winter protection — see our Fig Tree Information page, and for propagation tips see Rooting Tree Cuttings.