Hardy Short Season FigFicus carica OlympianHeight: 12' average mature height Zones: 6-9 Find my zone Aspect: mostly sun to full sun Watering: needs occasional summer irrigation, about one deep watering cycle per month once established Maximum Water: tolerates occasional winter flooding but needs drier soil in the summer Habit: clump forming with multiple stems Foliage: deciduous Growth Rate: medium
Size Availability
3 gallon - $45.00 each
Bulk Pricing: $25.00 each for 100 or more - 44% off
Ships free with orders of $75!*Packed with a bagged root ball.
Production notes: reliable production Olympian Fig trees are hardier than most other fig varieties and will also produce crops in colder climates with short seasons. Even at our nursery in zone 8 a lot of fig varieties will produce one crop early in the season and then fail to produce a strong second crop in the fall because the weather is getting cold. But 'Olympian' produces two crops consistently even in much shorter seasons than what we have here. The fruit is usually produced starting in the second or third year.
Pruning and Caring for Olympian Figs
Olympian is a medium to large size fig, so we prefer to prune the tops when young to ensure lots of branching down low to encourage fruit production where it is easily accessible. Prune in the winter down to three or four buds on each branch to encourage strong branching while leaving enough for fruiting the following season. As the trees mature, switch to pruning out branches that crowd other branches but no longer cutting back the main stems. You can top the tree to six feet of growth each year to keep the plant smaller.
Olympian Fig trees are far more tolerant of extreme pruning than most other varieties and can be kept dwarf while still producing fruit. We have several trees that we prune back very hard several times per year for cuttings and these trees still manage to produce fruit even though they are constantly kept shorter than two feet tall. This quality makes Olympian one of the best choices for extremely cold climates where you can grow the tree in a container and bring it indoors for the winter.
Figs prefer moist soils with lots of organic matter, consider adding shredded bark or compost when planting if your soil is poor. However, we have compact clay at our nursery and we still get at least 80% of the normal fruit production on un-amended trees so if you can't improve your soil it's not the end of the world. Fertilize with a slow release pelleted fertilizer in early spring, such as Osmocote Plus 18-18-18.
Propagating Olympian Figs
Figs are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings, especially in winter using hardwood cuttings. Cut stems five to eight inches long with the bottom cut just below a node, dip in rooting hormone and stick an inch deep in loose potting soil in mid winter.
Ficus carica Olympian - Hardy Short Season Fig
Dark colored fruit are similar to Black Mission Fig, just produced earlier.
Image Credit:
Wikipedia:Common-fig
One gallon Olympian Figs ready to get potted into five gallon containers. 
This Olympian Fig tree still produces fruit even though we cut it back 3-4 times per year for cuttings.
Ficus carica Olympian - Hardy Short Season Fig with new fruit forming at each leaf junction
Packing Plants For ShippingWe pack our plants depending on the needs of each species and size, most plants ship best with the roots packed in moist sawdust or bark fines but some species don't like root disturbance and are shipped in a soil-less growing media. Excess soil is washed from the roots in preparation for shipping (18-24" White Pines)  Plants are bundled together to fit in boxes  Bundles of plants are secured in long boxes. Plant Sizes 3 gallon Dawn Redwood  Standard quart shrub  Standard 14-18" multi-stem tree size  Standard deep plug pine tree Bamboo Plants Are Shipped In Their ContainersBamboo roots are not flexible and so plants have to be shipped in their containers. These plants are heavier and are shipped separately from bare root plants. Because they are potted they can handle longer transit times so can ship via UPS Ground instead of USPS Air Mail. Potted plants can also be shipped year-round.We regularly top our 1 gallon bamboo plants at 24-30 inches tall throughout the growing season. This results in dense, bushy foliage while allowing for economical shipping. From this size most running species will grow to 5-6 feet tall in the first spring and clumping species will usually grow to 4-5 feet tall.  1 gallon bamboo plants strapped in and ready to be sealed. Unpacking Bare Root PlantsYou will be sent tracking details as soon as your plants are shipped. Unpack your plants as quickly as possible after they are delivered. We use two types of boxes, side-sealing and top-sealing. For boxes that are taped along the whole length you can cut the tape on either side and remove the plant bundles by cutting the tape holding the bundle to the bottom. For boxes that are sealed on the top and bottom, it is easiet to open the bottom of the box (the shipping label is at the top) and pull the bundle of plants out straight out. Check that the box is empty as there can be a second bundle of plants stuck towards the top. A bundle of trees. What if I am not able to plant right away?You can usually leave the plants in their shipping container unopened for 1-2 days if there were no shipping delays and you have received your plants from late November through February. Plants shipped when it is warmer can't stay in their packages for as long.For longer term storage of plants you can pot them up or plant them in rows close together temporarily and then pull them out later in the spring to be planted again. This keeps the roots moist while allowing for air flow to the tops. The roots should have good contact with the soil to ensure they have access to adequate moisture. |
Size Availability
3 gallon - $45.00 each
Bulk Pricing: $25.00 each for 100 or more - 44% off
Ships free with orders of $75!*Packed with a bagged root ball.
Production notes: reliable production
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Red Panda Nursery