Fig vs Loquat, which deserves the sunny spot in my yard?

[ExpertPruning.com]

I have a spot in my yard, on a slope, with 8+ hours of full sun.

I have narrowed my choice of fruit tree between the fig and the loquat.

The question is: which tree deserves the spot?

I am totally split, so I will let the compelling arguments of forum members determine which tree takes the spot.

[Tropheus76]

My vote is the loquat because I have very poor luck with in ground figs. Loquats do great and I am slowly building up a collection as I replace less viable trees. I am also in FL where our soil is crap grey sand but even when I augment it or replace it my figs dont make it. In pots my figs do great.

[barath]

Why not both?

You could put the loquat on quince rootstock to dwarf it, and put the fig in a in-ground pot of some sort (a 15 gallon pot or pond liner).

[johnb51]

If you're asking which is the better fruit, I think you'd have to be totally nuts to think that loquat is better than fig!

[Ulfr]

I don’t grow figs in the ground. Mine fruit well in pots though so the loquat would end up in the ground.

[savemejebus]

I can't stand figs, so an easy choice for me.

[carcarlo]

My vote goes to Loquat, not because I care for them a lot, but because here in Fl. I'm growing Black Madeira and Galicia Negra Figs in pots and they do great, on the other  hand Loquat is very common, and even found by the side of the road.
By the way I would never trade a fresh Fig for a Loquat!
Good luck on your decision.

Carlos

[johnb51]

Since they both thrive in California, I maintain that you should go with the superior-tasting fruit, which is fig.  Loquats are pleasant, but that's about all I can say for them.  Figs can be knock-your-socks-off great, a top-tier fruit (if you like them, of course).  I can't grow figs in the ground, due to RKN, but yeah, I should try in pots.

[forumfool]

Things to consider:

Loquat is evergreen and very ornamental if that is something you value
Loquat is the first tree fruit in spring for me in NorCal before cherries, apricots, anything else

Figs taste better (IMO) but there are many things fruiting the same time as a fig.

If you don't have a fig plant one it is worth it (panache, preto, verte, VdB). If you already have a fig I prefer to spread out my season and would plant loquat. They are good fruit.

[9B in Brazil]

Loquats don’t need full sun, and the fruit is very seedy.  I vote for the figs.  I have LSU purple and Texas Everbearing that do well in full sun.

[greenman62]

my fig that is in part shade isnt doing well, the fruit i get are small and not sweet.
the 3 i have in full sun are doing great.

the 1 loquat i have in shade (2hrs sun) just flowered
with as many flowers as the ones i have in full sun.

if you want fruit from both, i suggest putting the fig in full sun.

i think fig will grow a bit faster than loquat in full sun
if that matters
you can graft to both of them earlier and later varieties too

[sidney]

I love figs, growing up in New Orleans fig trees were common and thrived in the clay soil there. Same for loquats although we called them Japanese plums. Now I am in se central Florida and have not had good results with figs here. The house cane with a 5by5 foot Celeste fig tree but unfortunately the previous owners planted it in partial sun so it bears fruit but not profusely. I have added two LSU gold and two LSU purple this year ang trying a method of planting I saw on YouTube planting them in a 5 gal. Bucket with the bottom cut out buried in the soil leaving a 1 inch lip. So far a few fruitsbut not tasty. In addition added a brown turkey fig now in a 15 gallon ceramic pot. It is going well and after a year is bearing a few fruit whereas when it as in the soul it was struggling. I read that the ground soil in bad for figs and vegetables due to nematodes. I planted a seedling loquat that is 3 years old, growing slowly and no fruit yet. Again in New Orleans they grew well and were prolific bearers , regardless they were not sought after because of large seeds and low fruit ratio. Kids loved them but most everyone ignored them. Personally I would the figs over loquats any day.

[Cookie Monster]

In CA: go with fig. In FL: go with loquat. Figs in FL aren't as good as those from CA.

[zands]

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Do you plan on saying thanks to those who have given you advice?
I would say something about fig vs loquat but have no idea where the f you are in California which has a million different climates. I see that all people replying to you have their locations listed.

[noochka1]

Loquat in South Florida, for sure.  Figs really don't do well here.

[ExpertPruning.com]

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Do you plan on saying thanks to those who have given you advice?
I would say something about fig vs loquat but have no idea where the f you are in California which has a million different climates. I see that all people replying to you have their locations listed.

I'm in San Diego, 5 miles inland. I'm in zone 10a

[noochka1]

In that case, I'd choose a fig :-)

[zands]

I'm in San Diego, 5 miles inland. I'm in zone 10a

I would grow fig. You have the dry weather they like and that concentrates their sweetness and flavor.
Loquat is also good but only if its a variety with high flesh to seed ratio and is a prime variety in other respects. For loquat I  would visit a Chinese or Asian owned nursery. They might have some excellent varieties from Taiwan China etc.

[ExpertPruning.com]

I'm in San Diego, 5 miles inland. I'm in zone 10a

I would grow fig. You have the dry weather they like and that concentrates their sweetness and flavor.
Loquat is also good but only if its a variety with high flesh to seed ratio and is a prime variety in other respects. For loquat I  would visit a Chinese or Asian owned nursery. They might have some excellent varieties from Taiwan China etc.

I've heard that fig trees do not fruit as heavily when planted in the ground. Something about their roots being restricted in a pot triggers their fruiting. Is this true? And given that, should that sway me towards loquat?

[barath]

I'm in San Diego, 5 miles inland. I'm in zone 10a

I would grow fig. You have the dry weather they like and that concentrates their sweetness and flavor.
Loquat is also good but only if its a variety with high flesh to seed ratio and is a prime variety in other respects. For loquat I  would visit a Chinese or Asian owned nursery. They might have some excellent varieties from Taiwan China etc.

I've heard that fig trees do not fruit as heavily when planted in the ground. Something about their roots being restricted in a pot triggers their fruiting. Is this true? And given that, should that sway me towards loquat?

That's sort of why I suggested you could plant both -- if you put the fig in the ground but restrict the roots (say by putting a liner around the roots) you can get a dwarfted fig tree that still produces well, and that'd leave you room to put a dwarf loquat (on quince rootstock) right next to it.

[zands]

I have added two LSU gold and two LSU purple this year and trying a method of planting I saw on YouTube planting them in a 5 gal. Bucket with the bottom cut out buried in the soil leaving a 1 inch lip. So far a few fruits but not tasty. Personally I would the figs over loquats any day.

I have grown desert rose in pot and in ground and in pot it does better. Plus people have told me this is the case. I hope to try that 5 gallon bucket method for figs. Will look for the youtube video. But I will not bury the pot more that a few inches so I can move it if I like. But will cut out the bottom. Figs seem to like growing confined. A few years ago I saw a few photos of a fig grower in Vancouver Canada with lots of fig varieties in 5 gal buckets. In ground too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ7w3DivukI

[zands]

I've heard that fig trees do not fruit as heavily when planted in the ground. Something about their roots being restricted in a pot triggers their fruiting. Is this true? And given that, should that sway me towards loquat?

These San Diego people can give you an answer about figs in containers. http://www.sdedible.org/fig-trees.html

If you plant loquat get one with highest flesh to seed ratio.

[darkcoolboo]

In az, during triple digit temps, loquat leaves burn, so I would choose fig just in case you forget to water.

[Tropheus76]

Going to have to try that fig in a bucket trick when I get back to the world next year. I never thought about it but my ingrounds die off pretty rapidly while my potted does great until its roots go through the bottom of the pot and into the top soil, then I notice a decline. Really weird since my neighbor back in GA lives on a very rich soil island and has a garden most of us would be jealous of and he has a row of in ground figs that are huge and spread out.

[zands]

Going to have to try that fig in a bucket trick when I get back to the world next year. I never thought about it but my ingrounds die off pretty rapidly while my potted does great until its roots go through the bottom of the pot and into the top soil, then I notice a decline. Really weird since my neighbor back in GA lives on a very rich soil island and has a garden most of us would be jealous of and he has a row of in ground figs that are huge and spread out.

Lots of YouTube videos on container figs and a few on 5 gallon bucket figs