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Fig Pruning Update

Well, I read up as much as I could, took the advice you guys gave me in my other thread and tried my best to correctly prune my fig. 99% sure I probably did something wrong lol. Here are some before and after pictures. Also included a bonus picture of my 4' Hardy Chicago. Looking for your thoughts/feedback on the pruning. Thank you
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Hi,
Leaf pruning does not count !

How many "heads" / stems are growing on that tree ?
Do I count 8 ?
If you want to propagate that tree, then keep them and remove them later - near the end of this season.
If you just want that tree to grow, just keep 4 growing stems.  Try to space them as much as you can .
Your potting mix looks dry for this time of the year. Your tree is actively growing and would use a bit more water perhaps ...
The longer stem, I would stake it for with the first rain it may bend down and break with the additional weight supplied by the wetting .
Do not cut the leaves even if they look odd shaped . They still provide energy to the tree.

Thank you for the response jds. Yes, there are 8 stems in total, 4 old wood branches, with 2 new ones coming off the old wood, and another 2 coming off the main trunk. For the pruning, I cut the main trunk 3/4 of the way down (kept going little by little until I found signs of life), and those 2 side branches that were up top obviously. I also removed 2 old branches near the bottom that weren't too healthy, and I also removed nearly all the oddly shaped leaves (which I now gather may have been a mistake). As for the potting mix, it may just be the way it looks in the picture, because it holds a lot of moisture. I was actually concerned maybe it was too wet all the time. I'm more concerned with getting this tree to grow than I am with propagating it, so would you suggest I remove the 4 new stems? I wasn't sure if they should be removed or not, especially the 2 that are coming off the older branches

all depends if you want a "tree" or "bush" form. In a pot the tree form might be easier to manage. Here in zone 7 I prefer bush form since most of mine are in the ground, or will be someday.

I'm in zone 7 as well (NJ), but I'm keeping my figs in pots right now becuase I will be moving within the next year or two, and I want to take my trees with me. After the move, I will most likely plant in the ground. Although winterizing sure is a lot easier when you can just wheel it into the garage. I had planted this fig tree in the ground last year, then pulled it out and put it back into a pot before this spring. Is the whole tree/bush choice a matter of personal preference, or are there certain advantages to each one? 

They area at 12 o'clock in your 3rd pic and 2 o'clock in the 4th pic still looks way too busy. I would keep the 3 or 4 biggest shoots on the tree that are spread out the most and nix the rest. Any fruit bearing plant shouldn't really have any limbs that being shaded out by upper limbs, they are just a waste of growth resources, trap stagnant air, and will yeild inferior fruit. IMO.

Ok, went out and did a little more trimming. I kept 4 of the old wood shoots and 1 new shoot (1 o'clock in this picture). I feel like the new shoot is more active than the old one (6 o'clock), but I wanted to wait and see what they do, then cut one of them and ultimately be at 4 shoots total. Does that sound ok?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by njfigger
Is the whole tree/bush choice a matter of personal preference, or are there certain advantages to each one? 


The bush form is better for inground figs in cold climates b/c if one trunk freezes and dies, the others keep going. Also it seems to me they are easier to pick since they stay low to the ground. However, a well-shaped tree form would seem best for pots because they take up less horizontal space in storage.

Or at least that is my story, and I am sticking with it ;-)

That makes perfect sense. For now, since I wheel them in during the winter I'll train them to be trees.

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