Botrytis (Gray Mold) on Fig Trees: Treatment & Prevention

Quick Answer

Botrytis, or gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), is a fuzzy gray-white mold that attacks fig fruit, stems, and stored dormant wood in cool, humid, poorly ventilated conditions. It is most common during winter storage in a garage or basement and on late-season fruit in damp weather. Control it with immediate airflow, prompt removal of all infected material, lower humidity, and base-only watering. For stored trees, keep them cold, dry, and spaced apart, and inspect monthly.

Botrytis is the mold that ambushes cold-climate growers where they least expect it: in winter storage, months after the growing season ends. It is a disease of dampness and stagnant air, so once you understand its needs, denying them is straightforward.

What to Look For

The signs are: gray or white fuzzy mold growing on fruit, stems, or stored wood, soft, water-soaked patches on fruit turning gray-brown with a powdery coating of spores, mold appearing during winter storage in a garage or basement, and affected tissue that collapses and shrivels after the mold dries. On stored dormant trees, it often starts on a soft or dead stem and spreads from there.

What Causes It

Botrytis cinerea thrives in cool, humid, poorly ventilated conditions and spreads rapidly through airborne spores. It is an opportunist that colonises moist, soft, damaged, or dead tissue first, then advances into healthy tissue. The classic setup is a dormant fig packed into a closed, humid garage with wet soil and no air movement, or late-season fruit sitting in damp, still autumn weather. Anywhere moisture lingers and air does not move, botrytis can take hold.

Is It Serious?

It can be, particularly in storage, where it can spread from one stem to a whole tree and even between stored trees if they are crowded. On growing plants it tends to be more localised but still spoils fruit and soft growth. Because it moves fast on airborne spores, prompt removal of infected material matters, but it is very responsive to simple cultural control: give it airflow and dryness and it stalls.

My Treatment Plan

Improve air circulation immediately. Space stored trees apart, open vents, and get air moving.
Remove and bin all infected material. Botrytis spreads by airborne spores, so do not leave moldy tissue in place.
For stored dormant trees, inspect monthly, remove moldy stems promptly, and reduce the ambient humidity.
On actively growing trees, apply a sulphur-based or copper fungicide at the first sign.
Water at the base only. Keep foliage and fruit dry; overhead watering feeds the mold.
Store trees at 25 to 45°F with minimal soil moisture. Do not keep the soil wet during dormancy.

⚠️ Storage is where it strikes

The most common botrytis disaster is a dormant fig sealed in a humid garage with wet soil. Keep stored trees cold, on the dry side, and spaced for airflow, and check them monthly. A quick inspection and a cracked door beat discovering a mold-covered tree in March.

Preventing It Next Season

Botrytis prevention is climate control. Going into storage, let the soil dry down so it is barely moist, not wet, space trees so air moves between them, and keep the storage area cold and as dry as you can manage, cracking a door or running gentle airflow if humidity climbs. During the growing season, keep the canopy open, water at the base, and clear away dead and fallen material. My Wake-Up & Put-Down Planner helps you time storage so trees are not sitting damp and warm longer than they need to be.

Not sure it’s botrytis? Mold and rot on figs can come from several sources. Check your tree’s symptoms against all 18 conditions with the free interactive tool.

Run the Symptom Checker

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my stored fig tree growing gray mold?

Gray fuzzy mold on a dormant tree in winter storage is botrytis (Botrytis cinerea), and it thrives in exactly the cool, humid, still air of a closed garage or basement. It feeds on moist, soft, or dead tissue. Improve air circulation, remove any moldy stems, reduce the humidity around the tree, and keep stored trees on the dry side rather than with wet soil.

How do I get rid of gray mold on figs?

Improve air circulation immediately, remove and bin all infected material since botrytis spreads fast on airborne spores, and reduce humidity around the plant. On actively growing trees, a sulphur-based or copper fungicide at the first sign helps. Always water at the base, never overhead, so leaves and fruit stay dry.

What conditions cause botrytis on fig trees?

Cool temperatures, high humidity, and poor ventilation are the classic recipe, which is why botrytis is most common during winter storage and on late-season fruit in damp weather. Crowded, stagnant conditions and wet tissue let the spores take hold and multiply. Airflow and dryness are its main enemies.

How should I store fig trees to prevent mold?

Store dormant trees at around 25 to 45°F with minimal soil moisture, never wet, and give them space so air can move between them. Inspect monthly, remove any moldy stems as soon as they appear, and open vents or crack a door periodically to reduce humidity. Dry, airy, and cold is what keeps botrytis away in storage.

Is botrytis the same as sooty mold?

No. Botrytis is a fuzzy gray mold that actively infects and rots soft or dead tissue and fruit. Sooty mold is a black surface film that grows on honeydew from aphids and scale and does not infect the plant itself. Botrytis needs active control; sooty mold clears up once you deal with the insects producing the honeydew.