I thought that my in-ground unknown Sweet Diana was under control and finally pruned to where I would be able to reach the fruit from the ground.  Man was I wrong.  The tree put on a lot of growth and I have to use a stepladder to harvest anything.  And the birds are killing me, too!  You can see the tree is about 12' high and the canopy is nice and open.  I'm losing a lot of fruit.

   

In this pic you can see where I use to prune to and where I've been pruning for the last 2 years.

 

Another view

 

Does anyone think that pruning back to the main trunks, where I use to prune, would have a negative effect on the tree next year?

Beautiful tree Danny! I pruned an unknown Italian back to the trunks a few years back and the next year the only difference it made was that by the end of the year the branches were 1.5 inches in caliper instead of 2.5 inches. It exploded in growth and I was able to easily pick how I wanted it to branch. Also got suckers I air layered by putting cinder blocks on and holding them to the ground. If its a healthy and productive tree then the growth pattern should certainly persist so worry not. My pruning guide is as follows: If I can't reach the fruit, cannot see the figs, the figs cannot see the sun, or it pokes my in the eye its getting cut. 

Hi Vince,
You said you have Italy Bkack right ? Do you mind posting some photos of yours because a friend of mind has two cuttings but not sure if this is what he wants to plant as in his mind, he likes Violette De Bordeaux.

Thanks

Pacifica

Sorry for the confusion Pacifica. I said I pruned an "Unknown Italian" back to it's trunk not an pruned an "Unknown Italian Black" an much as I wish I had one. I have VdB also and it loaded with fruit so I am patiently waiting for them to ripen. :-)

Thanks for the response, Vince.  I'm glad that you have done this successfully.  Do you still prune this tree the same way each year?

Pruning in Italy

Very nice pics.  Thank you, Mario.

No Danny, I don't live there any more. I would require a major haircut every 3 years. Otherwise that trees would grow to the second floor windows and I could not reach the fruit. The Good Lord didn't make us Italian models with long legs so we have to prune or fig trees often.