British Columbia: Fig Tree Pruning

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by MisterRaven, May 6, 2011.

  1. MisterRaven

    MisterRaven Member

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    Hello,

    I have a Fig tree that is about 7' tall with no branches. I planted it in the Spring of 2010, and it grew up and not out.

    My understanding is that I need to prune the tree to about 1/2 to 2/3 of it's height in order to encourage the fig tree to grow new branches.

    Can anyone verify this?


    It is still dormant due to the cold spring, so I am thinking of doing this soon.

    Thank you,

    Darren
     
  2. MisterRaven

    MisterRaven Member

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    I ended up calling a garden centre and they suggested cutting the tree back to 3.5-4' high to encourage horizontal growth.
     
  3. jimmer

    jimmer Member

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    Hey Raven.....
    Well may or may not get much 'horizontal growth'... but will get more lateral branching and new growth, by removing the apical meristem, .....as in most plants......... and as the figs fruit on new wood, so you won't loose much/any fruit, as long as you prune during winter dormancy..... what you will get is a shorter tree with more branches, that is easier to pick......
    My experience with Negrone and Oregon Prolific, that fruit here in PNW... is they tend to reach for the light whichever direction that comes..... in my jungle generally up, ...but I have some growing totally horizontal, chasing the light.....under conifer branches
    Also the tender tips often freeze out here in my Z6, so no real loss, except height, in tip pruning...

    Actually the Negrone tries to set two crops, ....I have new crop coming on right now.... along with the fall crop that has survived the freezes.....
    many of the fall crop freeze out, but maybe 20% winter thru, and ripen in the spring/early summer, soon....
    So hard to choose when to prune it, but if you don't, fruit will soon be outta reach...... I have tried pulling and tying down, the 12-15' top from behind a cedar this year... see how that works, guess you could do the same to encourage horizontal growth, ....like the leaning pines in Japanese gardens.......
    The Oregon Prolific... starts later and generally produces and ripens one crop during the summer.... I have a couple other unnamed varieties which each have produced just a couple fruit that never ripened, that might succeed in sunnier spots??

    Seems there are now at least ten varieties reported to fruit in the Willamette Valley, OR, per Portland Nursery........... Brown Turkey, Conadria, Desert King, Lattarula, Negrone, Oregon Prolific, Peter's Honey, Stella, Texas Everbearing, Vern's Brown Turkey....... I only knew of five in the past....
    I prefer the smaller darker fig of the Negrone.....though the big soft green figs of the Oregon Prolific are very sweet.... maybe this year I will get a taste of my new Brown Turkey, which seems to have wintered with no tip damage......

    My advice is prune hard, to keep them down to size, a big shrub maybe ideal... I have seen a Brown Turkey in Rogue River OR, that was about 30' tall with a 6-8" trunk...... need a tall ladder to get to much fruit, which likes to drop on Brown Turkey when it gets ripe, I hear.....

    and figs are very easily rooted on one year old wood, .......no hormone, just stick in some dirt, and give it some water.... works best in summer when it's warmer.... get several trees going and try various heights..... they will often sprout from vestigial buds even in older wood... probably could cut to nearly a stump and get new growth, but not sure where's the limit.......
    later
     
  4. M. D. Vaden

    M. D. Vaden Active Member 10 Years

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    If you only cut 6" off the top, you may get lateral growth quicker, and higher.

    If you cut lower, like almost half the height, I'm guessing a few more weeks to get lateral growth.

    Sometimes there is just no way to know. You could snip 3" off the top and all of a sudden see lateral growth lower and higher.
     
  5. jimmer

    jimmer Member

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    Yeah what Mario says is true.... cutting higher will give it fresher wood and more trunk to branch on....... but in my experience they grow so fast you'll be wishing you cut it shorter..... mine are adding 4-5' a year in some of the tops..... and I have to make some heavy cuts now to get it back down to something I can reach....... I wish I had been cutting harder sooner..... still I got a lot of cuttings for new stock....
    Here in early May, Z6, my Brown turkey, OR Prolific,& Negrone are starting to push new tip leaves....and Negrone is forming new fruit just below the tips..... They don't waste much time here........
     

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