Black berries on a fig tree

Question

I have a large fig tree 10 plus years old 2m plus high 1.5 m round.
Early n Spring , Before the fig “set” the tree produces large bunches of black berries which then die and disappear as the figs grow.
What is this ?

Answer 1

This is going to be an interesting answer. So, figs have a fruit that CONTAINS the flower within! Usually, they are pollinated by certain wasps that will crawl into the fruit and lay its eggs. This action is what pollinates the fruit. The baby wasps crawl out as the mature wasp dies. The fruit, then, swells from a small black fruit to its mature size and color. Some of them don't get pollinated and fall off before they swell.

Some varieties don't require this, and are self fertile, so it will depend on the variety that you have. Still, it won't have room or nutrients for all of its fruits, so many can still drop before swelling, even if they are self fertile.

This article will give you more information on fig drop if it starts to become an issue to where it won't produce: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/fig-drop.htm