Eric, I planted at least a dozen fig trees at my place about ten years ago Only one grew to a be a producing tree. The rest struggled for years and finally wasted away. You know that soil has to be especially poor for fig to decline. Last year, I went to pick figs from the surviving tree and found in the tree three young coons having supper. They just looked at me as I circled the tree. I talked to them for a short while and they went back to munching figs. I decided that they had a more difficult time finding food than I did so I left all the figs for them. This year, I saw no coons, but all of the figs disappeared.
I've tried to follow paths leading away from the nephew. As with the coons, he can have whatever tree he's in.
