{"id":2733,"date":"2020-03-13T00:04:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T07:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-529\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T11:32:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T18:32:07","slug":"fig-tree-pruning-and-care","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/fig-tree-pruning-and-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Fig tree pruning and care"},"content":{"rendered":"

We recently moved into an old house with a huge fig tree in<\/strong>
\nthe back. We just missed this whole season’s crop because I was waiting<\/strong>
\nfor them to turn brown but the birds got them all first. Then I saw some<\/strong>
\ngreen figs for sale in the grocery store and it appears that some<\/strong>
\nvarieties don’t turn brown. Is this true or did mine not ripen? Also, the tree is probably close to 30′ and we’d like to add a screened-in porch under part of it. I’d really like to keep the tree and a good<\/strong>
\nbit of fruit but I want it to grow more in the other direction. I’ve read<\/strong>
\nthat “hard pruning” is encouraged, but does that really mean cutting down<\/strong>
\na thirty foot tree? Do I need to do it in stages? What’s the best size<\/strong>
\nand shape and how do I get it there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are different types of figs, and some are green, some are brown,
\nsome are purple, as the images on the commercial site of Adriano’s Fig Trees<\/a> illustrate.<\/p>\n

Figs should be picked when ripe, as they will not ripen off the tree. The California Rare Fruit Growers site<\/a> has good general
\ninformation on growing figs.<\/p>\n

As for pruning, the best time to prune is late winter\/early spring. To
\ncontrol height, open the center of the tree and remove any dead wood or
\ndrooping branches. I don’t think radical pruning is the standard practice
\nin maintaining a fig tree. University of Arizona<\/a> article on growing figs describes pruning practices for several different varieties of fig.<\/p>\n

Most pruning is best done when the tree is dormant, during the winter
\nwhen it is leafless. Even during the spring and summer, however, you can
\nstart by removing all branches and stems that are obviously dead.<\/p>\n

The rest depends on how your tree is growing (single trunk or
\nmulti-stemmed), what kind of results you would like (how large, small or
\nwhat shape) and how long the tree has been unpruned. Our rule of thumb is
\nto go by thirds. Remove about a third of the wood that you would
\neventually like to have gone. On multi-stemmed figs that are becoming
\nlarge, we recommend selecting a few oversized stems and thinning those
\nout to the ground, rather than “heading” all the branches to stubs. Let
\nthe tree rest for the summer and see what new growth appears. We
\nrecommend keeping fig trees small enough that all the fruit can be easily
\nreached from the ground but in some areas of the south and southwest,
\nfolks treasure the deep shade of the larger figs. The final shape and
\nsize are up to you.<\/p>\n

A 2006 article by Bunny Guinness in the British newspaper the Telegraph also describes how to prune an older fig tree. Excerpt:<\/p>\n

“Figs really are a lazy man’s fruit and, once they have had their
\nformative training, mature trees or wall-trained shrubs do not need much
\nattention apart from some replacement pruning. This involves removing one
\nof the seven or so main limbs every three to four years in March or
\nApril, to stop the whole bush becoming too old and unproductive. Apart
\nfrom this, providing you have the wall space, you can leave well alone. I
\nhave seen many such ‘neglected’ plants, and they still fruit well,
\nalthough perhaps not as well as they might.<\/p>\n

“On the other hand, if you want to maximize your crop (assuming it is
\nagainst a wall), buy a copy of Clive Simms’s Nutshell Guide to Growing
\nFigs<\/em> (Orchard House) to see how to fan train it
\nagainst a wall–it is not hard. Once you have established an approximate
\nfan of branches, you can start the ongoing pruning regime.<\/p>\n

“Firstly, remove any weak branches in winter. Then, in April, remove the
\nvery tips of the main branches, above the developing figs. This will
\nencourage side shoots, which are summer-pruned by cutting back in June to
\nabout four leaves. This technique can almost double the crop and bring it
\nforward by a couple of weeks. Do not be tempted to cut back hard in
\nwinter, unless you don’t mind forgoing a lot of your crop–this will
\ncause lots of new growth but little fruit.”<\/p>\n

Ficus carica<\/a>, <\/span>Pruning trees<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We recently moved into an old house with a huge fig tree in the back. We just missed this whole season’s crop because I was waiting for them to turn brown but the birds got them all first. Then I saw some green figs for sale in the grocery store and it appears that some varieties don’t turn brown. Is this true or did mine not ripen? Also, the tree is probably close to 30′ and we’d like to add…<\/p>\n

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