The Summer was very bad for  fig culture with heavy rains ,in Sept,and Oct,and extreme heat in August.
Many early,cultivars spoiled and soured,because they were getting ripe too slow(it took too long for each fruit to ripe).
Middle ripening cultivars did worse,while most late cultivars matured only a couple of fruits each,and the rest of fruits never got ripe.
What I learned:
My Father advise,to leaVE 5 TRUNKS IN THE sPRING,IS TRUE ONLY IN IDEAL WARM DRY CLIMATES.
iN MY CLIMATE,IF i DID IT DIFFERENTLY ,THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER.
wHAT i INTEND FOR FUTURE.
To reduce the number of trunks I leave in Spring to:
3 trunks for early cultivars
2 Trunks for middle season cultivars
1 trunk and one short replacement trunk for late cultivars,like Col de Dame,Madeira Black etc.
What this new way will do:
Provide more complete sun to the plant,and more feeding juices from roots to the fruits,in order to grow fruits faster and mature them ,in any situation,included the bad 2012 Summer,because ,this kind of climate can become more common in the future.
What else?
In cold zones like 7,6,5, fig trees will ripe fruits only in total sun exposure,so that fact is more important now,with the weird weather we have lately.

Thanks for posting your findings. That should prove beneficial for us short season growers.

How many figs (branches and leaf nodes) are you planning to grow on each trunk?
3 trunk early cultivar
2 trunk middle season
1 trunk late season
Thanks for posting this info.

I can't wait to see results!

Jennifer

Well, every fig node will grow a new Branch,that can produce 4 fruits,so that depends on how many fruits I want.
I would say,leave 40 nodes,on early cultivars,and less nodes on late cultivars.
In order to ripe fruits ,only 3 fruits should be left on each branch,and the rest removed.
I am talking here about main crop figs that grow on new growth.
Breba cultivars are not good here because the embryos usually die during Winter here,so if a couple makes it that is fine,but one can't count for Breba production here.

Edit Note:Grower should make sure that the pruning is done when the growing buds start developing in the Spring,so they can be counted as live growing buds.
In my climate this is possible by May 1.
In our difficult climatic condition ,the growing buds can be dead in the Spring,and tho the plant look like it got live WOOD,if the buds are dead ,the existing wood will slowly die,and the growth will start much later from the underground roots.
One good way to find out if buds are alive is to  dissect a couple here and there ,and if the interior of the bud is succulent green,it is alive if it is brown inside then it is dead.

I really appreciate this info Vasile. I also like the title of this topic. We all learn something each season. It would be greatly beneficial to everyone if each of us took the time every season to post our experiences from that season. Things like progresses, failures, epiphanies, etc.

I will see what I can do personally to add that in my annual routine. 

Thanks for the detailed answer.
I plan on pruning in the step over espalier method and this would work quite well for the quantity of branches, and nodes. I had read your advise on Breba, and that is one reason that I planned on using the Japanese Espalier pruning method.

Great info Vasile, I'm sure I will be referencing this in the future. Makes me wish F4F had clippings like GW.

Vasile, would this apply to pot grown and in ground trees?

Even though my families tree on Long Island has been there for 80+ years, I suggested the use of epsom salts around the tree.  I told Mom to just throw it out there on the ground with her hand like she was feeding chickens lol.  She said she NEVER saw so many figs on that tree in the 55+ years she has been there!  I know the soil on LI is a bit on the acidic side - azaleas love it.

Jo-Ann-Pot Grown and in ground trees,they all have a problem getting ripe here if they are late ripening cultivars.
So in order to  expedite ripening,thinning of excessive wood will work every time.
And yes:Applying Epsom salt,or limestone,at the base,will help produce more fruits of better quality.
Applying Nitrogen fertilizer on in ground trees,on the other hand,Does not help with ripening, and frost hardening,by the opposite ,it makes the tree to ripe late if ever,and ,it will be dead to ground in the Spring.

Dear Herman

I am in Queens in NYC, I have three trees in ground, Green Ischia, Italian Everbearing (both 3 years old and grown from cuttings), and an italian variety (unknown) that used to be in a pot.  The first two are not really producing, tho the everbearing does have tiny brebas that don't seem to be growing at all.  The italian variety from the pot gave me about 20 fruits the year that hurricane irene caused most of them to split open, but since I put it in the ground, production is very small.  I pinch pruned the first two last year.  The trees are in the only places that I have available on my property, they do not get full sunlight, but they do get over 5 hours a day when there is sun.  and the sun's position is occasionally blocked by the top of my house, say from 10-12 noon but then the sun hits them for most of the afternoon.  I realize this situation is not ideal.  I do wrap the trees well in winter, and keep the soil very alkaline with lime and pulverized marble, and I fertilize in early spring and water daily for the first 2/3 of season.  I realize the plants probably need a year or two more, but I wanted your advice on whether you thought I might be wasting my time, because of the sun issue.

Thanks

Rafael

PS Herman the Unknown Italian is a purple variety, no breba crop.  The Italian Everbearing, as you may know, is also a dark fig.

last yr, we have ton of rain late in the summer. all my figs that ripen in the late june to mid july were just wonderful. the ones that ripen during the late summer with ton of rain all soured and was eaten by birds, wasps, hornets and all sorts of flying things. some of the figs had open eye big enough to stick my fingers into. but boy.. do they taste good when weather cooperates.

Herman,

I'm also in NJ.  What early varieties are you growing/do you suggest growing in our neck of the woods?

Andrew

Green Ischia does need full sun,so you can take it out and pot it,and set the pot ,3 inches in ground in the sunnyest spot you got,temporary,and take it in for wWinter.
The other 2 are most likely inferior cultivars not adapted here,in NY.
You need to get early ripening cultivars,that need less sun:
Starting with:
Improved Celeste
Ronde de Bordeaux
Malta Black
They will ripe in 5 hours of sun,but most other cultivars will not.
And thin the canopy to no more than 3 trunks coming from ground,to be succesfull,in getting ripe fruits.
Of course your ,yard is not ideal to grow fig tree,so  plants need room between them,if  space not enough grow only 2 early cultivars,but:
Ischia Green is not early,that is a fact tho,is one of the best tasting white figs.
This answer is also good for NJ  climate.

Andrew,
Here is a thread from last summer, plenty of info.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Question-for-Herman-your-top-10-5932236

Dear Herman

One question: do you think Negronne may be able to succeed with 6 hours of direct sunlight daily?  Let me know, thank you

In some Summer,when the sun shine better ,yes,it will ripe,in others no it will not.