My wife started a cutting from our 'Desert King' fig last year.  Over the winter it grew to about a 2-foot whip.  We gave it to a friend in the spring and he potted it up, and it grew to around 8 feet tall -- but with no branching!

We told him to cut it to the desired height and that this should induce branching (this works on my apple trees anyway) -- but so far, no branching.

Any suggestions that will get this tree branching?  Or will it wait until spring to send out side branches?

Thanks!

Might wait until next year now. It has no where to go but out now since the terminal tip has been removed. But it still should have sent out side branches.

To achieve branching, after you cut the Apical bud you have to pinch off the leaves also. You can pinch the leaves off (not all) depending on where/how you would like the tree to branch out.


Navid.

Navid, can you explain a little more about pinching the leaves ?

Most plants will branch, but I have seen some that insisted on regrowing with only a single vertical "branch" for as many as 4 seasons before finally beginning to grow side branches, even though then were pruned severely each season. Might just take persistence and patience.

For my fig trees, not bushes, after I sever the Apical bud depending how or where I like the tree to shot out branches then I'll remove the leaves. You can achieve branching in two ways, one by just cutting the apical bud (no pinching off the leaves) or cutting the apical bud off and removing the leaves. You don't want to remove all the leaves since tree needs them to make its food (Photosynthesis).
I like to remove leaves judiciously to make the tree branch out how I prefer. Also, after you remove the leaves tree will branch out much faster than when leaving the leaves on it. More branches will always equal to increased number of crop production.


Navid.