Question
I just bought a fig tree in a 3gl pot.  My back yard is horrible with clay & red rock dirt.  I dug a hole 2-3 times the size of the tree and I hosed out the dirt in the roots around the bottom to get it started into the hole I dug.  I put a mixture of potting like dirt and the clay stuff around it.  Problem is the leaves are turning crispy brown on the edges?  Am I doing the impossible with that clay ground?  We do have an apricot, almond, & pear tree the grew out there.   Clues: the weather has been long and exceedingly hot on and off.  I didn't break roots apart during planting.  I just water'd out the dirt in between  to losen them.  Any thoughts on what I can try or should I not even try with that hard dirt??   Thank you!!

Answer
Hi Susan...figs actually like clay soil so believe it or not that is a good thing.  The bad part is figuring out when to water it as clay is different then say sand.  If you can figure out when the soil is dry then water, possibly once a week would be sufficient.  You didn't need to break the roots apart unless there was a circle of roots around the bottom of the pot.  The brown leaves at the edges could be fertilizer burn, a cheaper fertilizer can do that, so always use a slow release.  Pay attention to the new leaves coming out and soon will be loosing their leaves for the winter and next years leaves will look much prettier.