Trimming a Fig

[Alan]

I'd like to cut this tall stalk off, but I don't wan to kill the tree. Go for it or no?

[TimmyG]

I have a lot of successful pruning experience on my own trees, but admittedly no experience with figs. What I understand of figs is that they do take well to pruning, and pruning is needed to provide an open center for good fruiting like is done with peaches/nectarines (which I do have). With an open, spreading form in mind, I can totally see why you're wanting to cut off the primary trunk of the fig in the hopes that the suckers will take over and give you a better chance of achieving the ideal form.

It's highly unlikely that you'd kill the fig. It's a vigorous grower, and those suckers are already plenty big to take over. Personally, I would risk it, as that primary trunk is well beyond useless at this point for producing the desirable form.

I hesitate only because I have had and learned of certain trees that don't take kindly to pruning the main growth. One example is a redbud. If the main growth of a redbud is damaged, say, in an ice storm, new growth will quickly sprout at the base. You might be tempted to regrow the redbud from that new growth, but as I learned from experience and research and input from my horticulturalist brother, that new growth will never be strong or well behaved.

A fig is already a very weak tree, so I would want to read up on rejuvenation pruning of figs (a common fig in this case, I presume) to see how they fare with that...before taking the leap. My bet is that figs do very well with aggressive pruning.

I wish we could grow figs up here!

[Tony alony]

+1 TimmyG The only experience I've had with fig trees is what grew in my grandparents' yard. They had fig bushes growing in each corner of their back yard and a couple others growing in between the corners. Maybe my grandfather wasn't pruning them since they were always bush form. In retrospect, none of the fig bushes ever presented a nuisancce to their neighbors due to the height of the fig tree/ bushes dropping fruit into the neighbors yard. One other plus was that they were easy to harvest, which meant there was plenty of fig preserves for breakfast bicuits, yum,yum.... LOL

[Alan]

Thanks for the input guys, but I'll wait for more assurances before I chop.

[Kmartel]

No experience with figs except for an indoor fiddle leaf fig. Regardless I am confident you won't kill it by removing the main stem. As mentioned the sucker growth is more then enough to keep her going. Is your intention to change the form of the tree?? Good luck and keep us posted.


Sent from my iOS device using the Yard Help App

[TimmyG]

Alan, Alan, Alan. You're asking about pruning a fig tree on a lawn site where you may or may not find someone with first-hand experience with pruning a fig tree to the ground. I'm thrilled that you asked your question here so that I could share something of my extensive experience with pruning. But without first-hand experience with a fig, the absolute best knowledge and experience that I can share in this case is the term "rejuvenation pruning". That alone should help you Google exactly the answer you seek regarding how your fig will fare if its main growth is whacked. By now, you should be telling us what you found!

And, of course, I didn't send my first post before doing my own search on "fig rejuvenation pruning". Great hits. Google will automatically give you hits on "renewal pruning", which is the same thing. I think you'll be surprised with what you find.

[virginiagal]

The winter of 2014-15 killed all the limbs of my figs. We cut off deadwood, taking what were once 8-12 ft trees (probably 30-40 years old) almost to ground level. New growth came out during the summer and they are now big bushes. No doubt the roots were healthy and extensive and let the trees come back to life.

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[Alan]

Okay, thanks y'all! I'm chopping it today.

[LTCM]

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/d ... umber=C945

South GA has a similar climate as Houston I'd think. This U(sic)GA piece should help.

Like Virginiagal said, in some areas figs die back to the ground every few years. That's why we grow them as bushes and not trees.

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[TimmyG]

Good call, Alan. You'll be happy you did.

Again, I'm seriously jealous. Wish we could grow here in MA.

[virginiagal]

I was at our river house today where the figs are and trimmed deadwood and crossing branches. I took some pictures. You can see the diameter of the old limbs that had to cut last year because of winter kill. All the growth is what came out since last summer. There are even some little figs already. And a freeze forecast for this weekend. There are blueberry bushes behind some of the figs.




And here are some other blueberries.



And since we're at the river, a picture of the beach (our neighbor's but we can use it)



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