Why you should plant fig trees in your garden

Besides enjoying fresh fig fruits, fig leaves can also serve as a food wrap or be consumed as tea. Photos: Dr Arina Shairah Abdul Sukor

Did you know that the common fig (Ficus carica) can be planted in Malaysia? Figs, which originated in the Middle East over 11,400 years ago, are widely cultivated in different parts of the world, including Asia.

Turkiye and Egypt lead the world in terms of fresh fig production, churning out between 200,000 and 262,000 metric tonnes per year. But Malaysia’s tropical climate is advantageous because it is suitable for producing figs all year round instead of just during the summer.

Fig trees can be partitioned into leaves and fruits. Fig fruits are typically consumed either fresh or dried. In Malaysia, however, it is the dried fruits, instead of fresh fruits, that are commonly used as healthy snacks. However, even though fig leaves have multiple potential uses, they remain under-explored.

Fig leaves can be shredded to become ready-to-use natural food wraps, which help reduce the use of plastic. In fact, fig leaves as food wraps are 100% edible and biodegradable!

Fig leaves can be further boiled for tea. Fig leaves have a fragrant aroma due to their active volatile compound content.

You brew tea out of fig leaves, just as you would normal tea.

Pluck the fresh fig leaves from your backyard garden. Wash, then boil the fresh fig leaves for 15 minutes, and strain. Finally, enjoy your tea with a slice of lemon or a spoonful of natural honey. It is soothing, rejuvenating, and calming!

Scientific studies have found that fig leaves can regulate blood glucose levels and lower triglycerides, thus lowering blood pressure. Fig leaves contain phenolic and antioxidant compounds for health benefits.

Avoid over-fertilising figs, as they are slow-growing trees.

The effectiveness of fig leaves is mainly due to the interaction between macronutrients (nitrogen and potassium), micronutrients (magnesium, selenium, zinc, copper and iron), vitamins (A, B, C and E), and antioxidant compounds.

Studies on mice have further shown that fig leaf extract improves sperm count. Fig trees can be propagated via stem cuttings. Apply a rooting hormone and fungicide at the end of about a foot-long (0.3m) healthy stem cutting.

Then, propagate these cuttings in a well-watered and free-draining planting medium until they reach the seven- to eight-leaf stage.

The fig seedlings are now ready to be transplanted into a bigger polybag, pot or directly into the ground. Fig leaves can actually be picked within 75-90 days after transplanting.

Avoid over-fertilising figs. Figs are slow-growing trees, and giving them too much fertiliser, particularly nitrogen, can cause the tree’s branches and trunk to crack, as well as failure to bear fruits.

Once the fig tree reaches about a year old, you can begin fertilising. Use a slow-release organic fertiliser or a chemical fertiliser 10-10-10 (avoid a high nitrogen content).

Apply about 30g of fertiliser per tree every month. And when the tree is about three years old, apply about 150g of fertiliser per tree three times a year.

Never over-water the fig trees, and monitor them for any pest and disease infestation.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), with the collaboration of some of the fig growers within the Klang Valley, has established various programmes to encourage more people to grow figs in urban areas as well as develop diversified fig products.

Growing fig trees in our home gardens has benefits. The trees are beautiful, easy to maintain, offer various health benefits, and are environmentally friendly.

Dr Arina Shairah is a senior lecturer at the Land Management Department, Agriculture Faculty, Universiti Putra Malaysia and her field of expertise is in Soil Fertility and Management. Her current research is on the conversion of agricultural wastes into a cost-effective reusable material.