How To Prune Figs Into A Tree Or Bush
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- In this video, I discuss pruning techniques for figs. If left undisturbed, figs will naturally grow into a large, densely packed bush and eventually with age, most ripe figs will simply be out of reach without the use of ladders or tools to assist harvesting. Pruning your figs early in their lifetime to develop a neat, compact and orderly shape is critical for long-term yield and ease of harvest. In this video, I discuss techniques to prune your fig into either a bush or a tree, and why either shape may be best for you.
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The Millennial Gardener you don’t where your experiment takes place,how this applies tome.
anthony triolo I list my location in my channel description and my Twitter handle. I’m on the southeast coast of North Carolina about 9 miles from the ocean. Very coastal with hot, humid, wet summers, Zone 8a.
Hai sir fig tree wants direct sunlight or not.my fig tree leaves turn brown why sir i bring this traa 2 weeks back i dont know any information about this fig tree plzz tell me sir some tips plzz sir plzz help me
I don't Twitter :(
Can you take the cut off branches to make other fig trees?
This is by far the best video on pruning fig trees.
I'm glad you found it helpful. I have a newer one here that hopefully will be helpful on more mature figs: czcams.com/video/ZlFPa6nOGRw/video.html
This is one of my favorite videos of yours. You are a great teacher and I enjoy watching your techniques as you explain. Not many here on YT do that. They just like to talk and talk and talk. Often leaving out useful information as they go. I feel more confident now. Thank you!
Well done! What a great video! You’re pleasant to listen to, very clearly explain the how-to of it and no crazy loud music! Now I have to get the nerve to prune my 3 year old fig which has gone nuts with big shoots coming out of the ground around the base. I should have seen this video 3 years ago...lol. New sub👍🏻
Thanks for watching! I appreciate it. Figs are very forgiving. They easily grow 6-8 feet or more in a season, so don't worry if you overprune. Wait until the trees are dormant in the winter time, prune as necessary and once they wake up again in the spring, they'll put on growth quickly as long as you feed them well.
You are a brilliant teacher. Thank you so much for this video, I really needed it. Much appreciated.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching.
Thank you! I have so much to learn about figs but it is helpful to know how vigorous and tough to kill they are, especially when it comes to pruning, which I have not yet done. The trunk on my Violette de Bordeaux is just barely an inch but it's never been pruned (it's 3 years old now). I have started a couple suckers as they came out and they are doing fabulous. I'm planning on having a fig orchard in my tiny living room, LOL. It has a monster indeterminate cherry tomato growing next to it but everything is hydroponic and disease-free. If I had any land, I'd be growing several varieties of figs now that I decided they actually taste good (it only took me about 60 years to come to that conclusion).
I started braiding mine at that size. They are very flexible just try not braiding them where they will choke themselves out in the future... maybe more of a twist pattern. 👍 they look really cool matured
Thanks for this video, it was so satisfying to watch the prunning process and the transformation😁
Thank you for watching! Glad it was helpful.
All my figs are in ground and I have been pruning them into a tree structure too. I have one in my front yard that is looking very good to me. Thanks
Outstanding! I hope to do the same next early spring.
Thank you ever so kindly for sharing your knowledge.😊🤗😊
Eddiejoe Plebani you’re welcome! Thanks for watching.
Man I'm glad I found this video. I don't know why it was so hard to find though. I've been looking for this exact information since I bought my little fig tree and have been agonizing on how I'm supposed to prune it. And now I know.
Thank you for the step-by-step pruning. Really helpful both with content and demonstration!
kristina johnson strosnider thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it.
Glad you made this video. I want to prune my newly bought trees this winter too.👍🏽👍🏽
Kristyle H thanks for watching!
Nearly 4 years after you created this, there's STILL a huge lack of info on training a fig bush into a tree. Thank you!!! Now all I need to know is how long after initial pruning/training can it be planted in the ground? (Or can this same work be done on a planted fig?)
Thank you for your quick reply. I will fertilize next spring. Thanks for the help.
God bless horticulturists and animal lovers.
Thank you. I have been searching for a video exactly like this. I am in zone 6b and I have 14 different varieties I started this past winter from cuttings. Since it gets pretty cold here, they probably would be best as bushes if planted inground. I saw where you can cut them back to the ground and mulch them well and they will,regrow in the summer. Thanks again for all your videos
2 months ago I saw a beautiful fig tree. The stem was 2 and a half meters high before the branches started. And the branches were at least 2 meters in length. Thus creating an umbrella-like tree. Really beautiful. I have two little figs and will prune them like that. Thank you for the video.
@BrdMan Fether yes, i do that with my own figs but the one I saw in someone else's garden was just beautiful. It had no figs but it can serve as a shade tree in summer. So now i want to try that.
Great video. If the single trunk reaches the targeted height by June or July, can we go ahead and tip prune it to promote branching during the growing season? Or do we just need to let it go as high as it wants to and head it back while it is dormant?
I like your channel and I'm growing figs as well. Yes subscribed already.
Thanks for the sub! I appreciate it. Thanks so much for watching.
Love your videos!!! You are so informative, logical, and have a pleasant listening voice. I have a new fig tree and will use your great research as a guide! Thanks so much for sharing your time and wonderful information with all of us!
Thanks for watching! I appreciate the kind words.
Thanks this is super useful! Just bought my first fig and since I live in the tropics I'm planning to prune into a tree.
Excellent. Glad you found it helpful. Be aware that figs are deciduous, so naturally, they are poorly compatible with tropical climates since they need a period of cool weather and low light to make them drop their leaves. If the trees do not naturally want to drop their leaves for you, you’ll have to manually defoliate it. You’ll want to pull off every single leaf and cut it back some in your “winter” or it may not fruit for you the next year.
@@TheMillennialGardener I live in west Florida and I had a fig tree the fruit too small compare to the one I have back home Mediterranean what should do? to have big fruit thanks
@@lahcenouldlalla1684 how old is the tree? And what is the variety? In the Mediterranean, there is the fig wasp, and caprification from the fig wasp usually increases the size of figs, sometimes by a lot. There is no fig wasp in Florida, so it could simply be having no wasp has made smaller fruit. Or, the tree could be too young still, or you could be underfertilizing.
Thank you for your really informative video! I have a large 2 year old bush shaped violette de Bordeaux fig tree in my front yard. I will prune it tomorrow. I also have a tall, 2 year old tree shaped Adriatic fig tree, that I am not very confident in pruning just yet.
Awesome! Now is a great time to prune since they are likely dormant. Don’t forget to save the cuttings. Consider selling them on Figbid if you’re confident your figs are true to type!
Which fig do you think tastes better?
Your videos are so helpful and informative. I have a Viollette Dr Bordeaux about 1 year old that is in a bush shape now growing in a very large container. I'm in Zone 9b(AZ). Realizing now that I need to prune it into a tree since I have space limitations, when Would be the best time for pruning here. Last winter, it kept all it's leaves.
Thanks for all your awesome videos and please keep them coming😁
Thank you! It is always the best time to prune a tree when its metabolism is as slow as possible. In frost-prone areas, we call it "dormancy." If your climate is usually frost-free, you're still best waiting until temperatures are coldest. That'll probably be in January. For you, I'd let the cold build all December into January, then prune probably around January 15th-ish. I'm guessing things in your climate start to wake up in February, so I'd want to prune before the wake-up period. Any time in early January is probably fine.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you so much for the information . Yesterday, I used the vinyl tape to support the shoot I feel will be the new "trunk". It was leaning a bit. I'll look forward to future videos. Loved your fertilizer mix for tomatoes. Take care.😎
I have had great luck propagating figs using small cuttings, but I never take off all of the leaves. I do all of my propagation in a well drained compost and mulch bed under some other fruit trees. I do it in the wet humid Springtime of central TX. I just scratch the thin outer bark exposing the cambium and stick them deep into the compost/mulch bed and let mother nature do its thing. I have found that in my zone, figs just want to grow. You should be able to get quite a few clones from those cuttings.
Have you posted a video with updates to this one? Would love to see how those trees turned out since pruning...
worlds2wander oh yes, I’ve posted many fig updates. I have something like 30 trees now and these were my first two, so they don’t necessarily get dedicated videos. In this video, I quickly go through every fig:
czcams.com/video/qtQbRZOtQco/video.html
Here is a taste test of the Lattarula Italian Honey:
czcams.com/video/EjaxuOp_33k/video.html
Here is a taste test of the Violette de Bordeaux:
czcams.com/video/oevLSAHoRpU/video.html
I am from Italy and have always had fig trees. I have several of them on my property. I also rooted several of them and planted them in large pots which, during the winter months, i bring them indoors.
Wish I could post photos on here
Can you please put a video on growing little miss figgy if possible. I have a small space. I purchased this due to that reason. Your videos are very detailed for a new gardener like me. I have lots of yielding from my blueberries this year due to your videos. Thank you so much for your time😀
VERY NICE VIDEO. 👍👍👍
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
very helpful video thanks for sharing
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
exactly the information i was looking for. Thanks!!
Hi and thanks for the great videos. I need some help with my fig tree. I get a lot of figs but inside the figs are dry and not Edible. Can you please let me know what shouldI do? I live in central California. Thanks a lot.
This is a great video and it is just what I wanted to know. Thanks for sharing
Good video but a bit extreme with the “sanitizing”. Rinsing things in water makes them not sterile btw.
Well done video, you offer great information on taking care of fig trees.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Really beautiful 👌💕
Thank you for watching!
Great video. Thank you for sharing
Thank you!
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
Great info on the training and how to cut to form a tree.
Thanks for watching.
EXCELLENT video, when is the best month of the year to prune a black mission fig? i live in Phoenix, also is white paint necessary on the trunk of a fig that is already forming as a tree?
I Find your channel is the most sufficient and 👍🏼
Bich Ngo thank you! I appreciate you watching.
I had no idea about the white sap. That's wild.
This is a really informative video, really enjoyed it although I'm not a massive gardener.
I've hit that sub button. :)
I make travel videos myself, if that's your kinda thing.
lostboylooking thanks for watching and subscribing. I’ll check out some of your vids!
It's my pleasure! :) I love connecting with fellow creators. Hope you like what you see on my channel.
Great vid, the leaves are good in tea
Thanks for watching!
Those have done really well!
You can watch them grow daily. They’re putting out so much new growth. Amazing little plants. Thanks for watching!
Obviously, new suckers will try to start up where you cut back. I guess the idea is to cut them back as they start so the energy is going into the main tree.
trees have reactions to stress, growing for example thicker trunks if they are stressed by wind. They have other technices to deal with strains on their structures so that if you stake them, then they dont adapt to where they live, so staking them might weaken them. Their adaptions make them less good as timber however. This is called thigmomorphogenesis.
Rose Macaskie that is true. However, if you want to grow them in a tree form, initial staking to “train” them to grow straight up is beneficial. I use a tight staking at first, then move the stake back with a very wide tie length to provide only a gentle pull in a straight direction so the wind still affects them.
Once the tree caliper is around an inch and it is pretty straight, you may not need staking anymore. My VdB is now trained and scaffolded so it isn’t staked anymore.
This is an awesome video!! Thank you.
I've been watching seveal of your videos, great information and I'm learning a lot. I think figs could become an addiction. You have several different varieties and I just have to ask....what do you do with that many figs? I mean, your trees are healthy and prolific, but even a large family would have a hard time eating them all. I am just learning and have six different varieties already myself (in containers) but I am wondering what to do with all the figs. I don't know but a couple people in my area to give them away to and hate the idea of wasting them.
Hello! I want to grow my panache tiger,rasberry latte, black jack,, and damtie fig to grow into big tall 10 feet plus bushes.... Is there any fertilizer to add to make them grow vigrious and is there any precautions I need to take? Tqqq so much for ur time 😊
I have a playlist that describes how and when to fertilize in-depth. You can find it here: czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFNbJEUdApbh_E57uNBLG2j.html
Great video! I wish I saw this 3 years ago when I planted mine. Its March here in south Jersey... is this something I should start ASAP? Its still wrapped up and wasnt going to unwrap until April when it gets a little warmer....
Just planted a small fig tree with 5 suckers was wondering should it be cut it into a single stem or leave as bush ..thanks for video
Great video! Thanks!
Great video. Just subscribed. I have a 3 yr old dwarf fig tree given to me for mother's day. Haven't pruned it ,just fertilized. Hasn't done much. But,after watching ur video I can see with Mike is dormant. If u do answer. PLEASE tell me how much u should water. I live in San Antonio,Tx. Very hot &dry right now. I definitely will b following u. I not only love figs,but grew up with a huge one in our back yard. SO i would like to see if my tree will go anywhere. Thanks for sharing ur knowledge. God bless u.
Lilia Baker thank you for subscribing! I would recommend pruning your tree back since figs will grow on new year’s wood. If you are in a container, I recommend a single trunk.
Watering is very dependent on the size of your tree and the level of your heat. Is it in a container? If so, watering depends on the size of your containers versus the size of the tree. My container figs need water daily, sometimes twice a day. It is 90 degrees here every day and quite humid. If your climate is arid, you may need to water even more. Don’t let your figs wilt. If your fig tree is in a container, look at the soil. If the soil is contracting and pulling away from the sides of the container, it is too dry. That’s a sign to water.
I give my trees probably 1-2 gallons of water a day. My climate is very hot and they suck it down. But it has been raining every day here for the past 4 days straight almost nonstop. It is ruining my fruit! This is way too much.
You are WONDERFUL! Thank You👌🌿✨
Glad you enjoyed it!
After it develops into the nice umbrella shape of 3 to 4 branches, how do you prune that every year? Can you do a video of that please. thanks
Hi there. I've had a fig tree for 3 years in a pot and it hasn't done well but I didn't know how to take care of it properly. Your videos are a great help. My fig tree is about 5' tall in.the pot and has two limbs, one going right and one left. When pruning does it matter if the one remaining limb is not straight? Also is there a size limit for rooting cuttings? Thanks so much!
Thank you for sharing great video
Peter Shu d
Thank you for the video. I live in Canada and just retrieved my Brown Turkey fig tree from its dormancy raised bed outside. It seems well and alive. When I bought it last year it didn't know it had to be pruned and I now have several branches coming out of the container. I cut all the branches that hadn't turned into brown wood yet but still, about 9 branches remain. I wish I could post the picture of it here to show you. About 4 come right out of the center vertically and the remaining 5 are at varying angles. How many and how would you select them in order to have a proper bush form? Thanks in advance for your response.
Good to know! Thank You!
Thanks for the advice!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching.
Hey bro, how are you so I bought a fig tree when it was younger and now three months later it has grown to wear. It’s got the main stock that is wood at the bottom with different shoots. Coming up out of it maybe five or six different shoots that are around 2 feet long And then next to that I have another stock that’s more green about an inch thick and that is around 3 feet tall and has one that’s been growing off of that and there are a bit of branches coming off of that one as well so I’m not sure what to do. For that main Stock that is wood I told you about. It’s only about 8 inches tall and was cut at some point so that’s not long at all.
The branches you cut off can you try to root those? Or do you throw them out?
@5:00 How did you fig becomes so low with multiple branches coming out of it? When I propagated mine I obviously cut off one branch and rooted it, so now it grows upwards singly. I never have one that low and having multiple branches like yours.
I live in Eugene, Oregon and I have a Brown Turkey fig. I’ve had it about 3 years. It is tree like, in that, it has a large main trunk. It hasn’t given me much fruit yet. Last year I got a few small figs at the very end of the growing season. So, I pruned it way back. This year it put out a lot of new growth, but still, very few rip figs. Any suggestions?
I do. I would suggest fertilizing more. Is it an in-ground tree or in containers? If it is an in-ground tree, you'll want to fertilize with an organic 5-5-5 type fertilizer, and in the spring before it begins fruiting, supplement with bone meal. I suggest you watch this video where I break it down. I've had tremendous success with this method:
czcams.com/video/msbnT2zhZIc/video.html
thanks for the tips!!
Hi I have questions I plant the fig plaint 3 years ago stile no fruits
You can propagate those stems you cut and start new ones. I did that with my bush and you can give them to friends.
Patricia Thibeault if you’re interested, most of this playlist I made over the past year is about hardwood cutting propagation.
czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIG6sp2KCVSbA8mFSIPh4q_X.html
How do you counter balance a lateral Z shaped crooked stem to make the trunk grow straighter? The nursery cutting I bought had a crook in it that i had hoped would redirect once potted. It didn't. Do i just let it get taller, cut off the straighter stem and reroot a new cutting?
seriously? really? if it is permanently bent you may want to consider cutting it down and letting new stems sprout from the base next year. Or cut it below the bend and let it come out like a goblet out of the single stem. Once the wood is lignified, it becomes more difficult to train.
Do you take what you have pruned and root them to make new plants?
Pinch was young.safe the energy grow bigger main trunk.
Thank you for the informative video. I have recently become a fan of the fruit and have been gifted with a very young brown turkey fig tree. It is a single stem 'tree' with another growing out of the dirt. I've had it for a few months and repotted it recently in garden soil with a sprinkling of fertilizer. While it isn't dead, it's doesn't appear to be as happy as yours. Advice?
ChefCrys01 my video was taken in the late summer when sap flow is high and the trees were growing like weeds. Fig trees are deciduous trees and naturally drop their leaves and undergo a period of dormancy. Since we are in late fall, the trees do not want to grow anymore and want to go to sleep for the winter. Make sure you let them. Now is not the time to fertilize or provide them supplemental light. Figs need that dormancy to be optimally healthy and productive. Next year will be the test for your tree when spring comes and they become vigorous again.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks for your reply. The one I have is in my green house. Should I put in a darker space like the garage? I repotted it in late summer and tossed in a couple of teaspoons of osmocote.
ChefCrys01 how cold is your climate? Greenhouses are problematic in the winter because they get really hot during the day but still get very cold at night, so they prevent dormancy. I don’t like the idea of overwintering trees that go dormant in a greenhouse for that reason. I would think it would do better in a place that stayed cooler if your climate is too cold for figs to survive unprotected. I am in Zone 8, so I just keep all my trees outside.
@@TheMillennialGardener Zone 8A. I am new to green houses! You are right...in the last few weeks we've had freezing temps, humid pre-tornado days, and snow in some areas! I will keep you posted, if you don't mind, on how my little one stem fig does as the warmer, more consistent weather gets going. Thanks again.
ChefCrys01 freezing temps are no risk to figs. None at all. You don’t have to worry until temps dip into the teens. 20F and warmer is safe for potted figs, and 10F and warmer is safe for in-ground figs. I am in Zone 8A and my trees stay outside, even in containers. If I saw it was going to be 15F or colder I would carry them in for one night. So far, this has been a warm year.
Don't throw away the leaves. Make them a fig tea.
I actually put a fig on my tongue a few days ago. I was curious about how the milky substance tasted. It was bitter.
Did these begin fruiting the following year?
Great video thank you figaholic
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
Nice video.
On the second fig tree, why does the leaves at the top look so dramatically different the bottom. Could this cause a challenge if you were trying to identify the fig tree name with a leaf option identifier in an app? I
Oh those are figs😯
Philip Hernandez my favorite fruit 😀
Can you use those cuttings to grow more figs?
Absolutely. In fact, I did and I made a video on it here:
czcams.com/video/8FOry5uHpVk/video.html
Question, I thought you had to wait till the tree was dormant before you can prune? I’m new at this.
Thanks, love your videos!
The reason why you wait until a tree is dormant to prune is because significant pruning while the tree is growing will remove fruiting wood, or it can cause enough stress that the tree will drop its crop. When the tree is this young, it isn't going to fruit yet, so it doesn't matter at this stage. At this stage, it is critical you prune the suckers away from the roots to maintain the proper form and ensure all the energy goes into a single central leader. Once your trees are actively fruiting, that is when you wait until dormancy to prune.
@@TheMillennialGardener thanks that makes sense!
I noticed this video is four years old now...has there been an update so we can see the results?
I'm a microbiologist. Isopropyl alcohol will sanitize tools against bacteria, most fungi, and viruses.
Will where you cut grow again (send new shoots)? Or that stops it there when you cut?
Why would you want a tree instead? Isn’t a low fig plant with low multiple branches be more ideal? If it goes taller it’s harder to manage IMO.
Those smaller branches that you cut off, can you start those as seperate trees as well in pots?
Frankie Marchese absolutely. In fact, I did exactly that with those cuttings here: czcams.com/video/8FOry5uHpVk/video.html
Would it be wise to prune them before they go dormant or prune them in spring before they awake? Thank you for your assistance.
I recommend waiting until they're dormant to prune. I would advise against pruning a tree that isn't dormant. It's like performing surgery on a person that's awake without anesthesia, if you can imagine. I have a video on the subject here: czcams.com/video/yFCixKrG194/video.html
The white oooz is latex
After a year from making this video, is there anything you would have done differently?
No, I don’t think so. The pruning has worked out well so far. Last week, I posted a major pruning update. I increased my collection dramatically. If you want to see my updated pruning video, it is here:
czcams.com/video/yFCixKrG194/video.html
I noticed the pot on the right has two different types of leaves, as does mine. Does this mean there are two different types of figs in one pot?
No. Fig leaves cannot be used to identify trees. It is common for a single tree to have multiple leaf patterns.
Thanks for the excellent video! My fig bush is a little bigger (4 years since it was a cutting), and some of the branches are already quite large with brown wood. Are the pruning tips still the same?
It depends what you want to grow: a tree or a bush. I am planting my trees in ground, and I live in Zone 8 where there is little to no dieback. I can grow a true fig tree. If you want to grow in-ground and you live in a cooler climate where your tree will die back, you’ll want a bush form so you get more fruiting branches annually. In containers, I would recommend a tree form for space concerns.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you for your reply! My bush is in ground, and I am in Zone 9b. I think I'd like to shape it more like a tree...
TheresTwoOsInGoose In your zone I would say a tree is a no-brainer. I intend to create a video this winter of how to prune a young fig tree to shape it into tree form. You want to prune in the dormant season. In your climate zone, that’ll probably be January when sap flow is slowest.
Question - is it wise to prune so much when it’s growing? Other videos have advised to wait till dormancy. Thoughts?
When you're initially trying to shape the tree, it is fine. After the tree develops its structure and you have the trunk you want, you should only prune during dormancy to maintain the tree. When figs are very, very young and suckering heavily at the base, you must remove the suckers as they grow because they "steal" energy from the rest of the tree. Even on mature trees, you should be removing any suckering at the base as it appears all throughout the growing season.
Thank you for the great video! I have a question to ask. A friend of mine gave me a tiny tree (I guess it is a volunteer tree came out near the "mother" tree). Will it fruit eventually? or is this going to be like Avocado tree, that a tree from seed is hard to fruit?
Many fruit trees take years and years to fruit. Figs are an exception. All of my figs are first year cuttings and they are almost all loading up with fruits. You should see fruit first year. Maybe it's because figs aren't a normal "fruit" as we know it. They're actually an edible flower of sorts, but they've been officially classified as a "fruit." There have been cases where some figs are shy bearers and don't produce fruit the first couple years, but it's a pretty rare thing. You should see fruit the first year, worst case second year, if your season is long enough for your tree to catch up.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you so much for your answer! I am looking forward to mine to fruit! What is sun requirement? Unfortunately I do not have a sunny location for it.
little fan big fan “full sun” is considered 6 hours a day. That’s what you really should have - 6 hours or more. If you can’t provide that, you’ll have to give it as much sun as possible. Whatever your best spot is, use that.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you so much for the info!!!
little fan big fan you’re welcome.
Wasn’t you supposed to cut it in winter? I would like to know pls
That is a different type of pruning. Winter pruning is for cutting the trees back as well as taking fig cuttings. This pruning is done because they are tiny tissue cultures that were suckering heavily at the base. Young trees need to be maintained immediately to prevent suckering at the base. A baby fig tree will try to grow multiple trunks. I do not want that. I want a single trunk, so if that is the form you desire, you need to remove all that suckering as it appears.
I have a small fig in a pot that I found on the reduced rack this past summer. It’s dramatically bent over from the base and the wood is brown. Can I try to slowly train it, or is it ok to cut it and train the new growth?
I would recommend pruning it to the shape shown in the picture below and training the new green wood as you wish. The brown hardwood is hard to train, but the green wood is easy and very flexible.
www.ourfigs.com/filedata/fetch?photoid=281425&type=thumb
One other thing: this image is for in-ground figs. If your tree is in a pot, you may want to make the first "heading" cut shown in Step 1 at more like 10-12 inches instead of 16 inches to encourage lower branching.
I have a question. I recently received 4 new fig trees. Two are doing fine but 2 of them are wilted, I planted all with the same gen fertilizer plus bone meal and blood meal. Will they bounce back or are they dying? Suggestions please!
Did you acclimate them slowly to the sun or move them straight into direct sunlight? Trees purchased from nurseries are usually kept in greenhouses, which block UV rays. They need to be slowly acclimated to the sun over 1-2 weeks where you start out only giving them 30 mins of sunlight Day 1, 1 hour Day 2, then 1 hr morning sun and 1 hr evening sun Day 3, etc. You use morning and evening sun to acclimate because afternoon sun is too harsh. Also, cloudy days are great to acclimate plants. If the trees are wilting, it may be because the leaves are burning. Or, they may be dried out.
I noticed your pruned these when they're not dormant. Due to the winter freeze in Texas, mine died back to the base and has about 11 new branches. Safe to say the nice tree shape is lost and now I got a bush.
Do I wait until it goes dormant to prune down to 1-3 branches or do I prune now?
No. It is critical that you remove the suckers you don't want as soon as possible. If you want to grow the fig as a tree, you need to select the single trunk ASAP and not let it sucker anywhere else. Otherwise, the fig will split its energy in countless directions and you won't get a nicely defined trunk. If you remove all suckers and only allow the energy to channel into a single trunk, you'll wind up with an 8 foot tall, 1" caliper single trunk by the end of the season. It's critical to prune during the growing season when establishing the initial form.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thanks for the awesome answer! I just pruned 8 of them after a day or two asking this and am glad I did. I'm torn on pruning down to just leaving biggest one since it's about 1/4 inch above the ground and I'm afraid of wind breaking it off. I think I should just bite to bullet and commit to pruning 2 more so it's just the one big one.
Thanks again for the thorough response.
@@TheMillennialGardener wanted to give an update. The biggest trunk is now over 2 feet tall! I noticed some more suckers forming where I cut the old suckers so thats just maintenance.
@@TheMillennialGardener I think I made a mistake in selecting the trunk. I've seen a couple of times that it's recommend to NOT select the branches that grow from the existing trunk because they won't hold well. The biggest trunk on mine is attached to the base of the trunk. Have you heard of this?
I'm now letting a few suckers grow from the soil to accompany the 'new' trunk just in case that one breaks off.
Which height do you prefer for main trunk? Or in which height I should prune the main trunk for a ideal structure for potted trees!
For potted trees, I think the ideal height to "head" the main trunk is somewhere between 12-16 inches. I demonstrate how I do it in this video: czcams.com/video/EHLfAN5R1Dc/video.html
I have a fig that I've grown from many generations of cuttings. It was originally my grandmother's fig tree. I have no idea what kind of fig tree it is. How can I find out?
Unfortunately, you cannot. Fig trees cannot be identified. There are tens of thousands of varieties of figs being grown and traded across the world, so the only way to know is to be able to trace it back from whoever provided the cuttings.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you. I was just wondering which it might be. I am so glad I found your videos! I've never seen any others that have shows on fig trees.
It doesn't matter much which type mine is. It will always be special to me. My grandmother always loved her fig tree and the figs we enjoyed every September. (NY/NJ area) She asked me to take care of her fig tree when she was gone. She passed in 1986. I have kept it alive through cuttings and new trees. I kept it alive in an apartment for 9 years.
I finally moved to a property with a yard in 2020. We planted it in the ground last fall and I am thrilled that it survived and it has grown so much. It actually has figs already.
Thank you for teaching so much about fig trees.
Olympian turns into a tree by it's self, so does Chicago hardy and many others. These are black mission fig which do turn into a bush
Any fig tree has a tendency to grow as a bush. The tree will not single-trunk on its own as they naturally sucker and air-layer themselves over the years. If you’ve ever seen figs growing in the wild, they often emulate a tangled mass or a thicket. Eventually, a dominant trunk may emerge, but it can take decades. It’s always a good idea to start pruning from the very start. My Olympian is one of my worst-suckering trees that has required the most pruning at the base, but that’s likely because it is one of my tissue cultures. Maintenance early will save you lots of time later.
I forgot to say that I would rather have a tree instead of a massive bush, a tree with plenty of figs on it