If figs form on your cuttings, is it a good sign, bad sign, or doesn't mean anything? I of course take them off, in order to let the plant use that energy for growth, but just wondered.

Sorry to say, but having figs grow on cuttings doesn't mean anything. The branch was simply old enough to have breba embryos developed and waiting to grow. It's good that you remove them. They can slow down the rooting and growing of the cutting and can even zap the life outta of it.

On the othet hand some trees takes a few years to produce some even longer. So its shows it ability to produce.

In my experience.. when a breba forms on a cutting and I shortly afterwards take it off.. the bud shortly follows and leafs out. Personally I think it's a good sign.

Well, I had two theories about it. 1) It means the roots/plants are healthy enough to produce a fruit or 2) The plant is dying, so it's trying to reproduce to continue the species. Just thoughts.

Im trying to root some cuttings now. On 2 of them a fig is growing no leaf action yet. So what your all saying is pinch off that fig because it might drain the life out of the cutting? I dont want these cuttings to die.

Took a look, and the two cuttings that started figs were both D'en Roig Manyo. Not sure how hardy that variety is in zone 5a. Maybe it would do ok in my unheated garage?

I had ONE fig tree cutting form TWO breba fruits on it right away after I started the 8 inch long cutting in a cup of water.  This fig tree cutting came from an unknown large fig tree that was mailed to me by a very good friend (who lives in Texas where the tree is growing in the ground).  He took many cuttings and mailed them to me in November of 2015.  I live in Wisconsin.  BOTH fruits on this ONE twig formed near/next to each other along with the growth of the roots and buds and leaves in a cup of water (with very dilute fertilizer added to the water).  I changed the water and fertilizer mix almost daily.  And the cuttings were grown beneath strong fluorescent tube lighting that was left on all the time (day and night).
     When the roots grew long enough I potted this plant up in Miracle Grow Potting Mix.  In May of 2016 the plant was placed outside and grown outdoors in its flowerpot.  Since I had several cuttings root successfully from the one original tree I decided to leave the two fig fruits on this one cutting to develop and see what would happen.  It took many months for the figs to finally become ripe and about a dozen leaves fully grew before the two fruits were fully ripe at the end of July of 2016.  Both fruits tasted fantastic and ripened about one week apart from each other -- at the same time that new fruit was growing and developing on the new stem growth above.  Last year (2016) was a cool springtime followed by a very hot summer for Wisconsin.  This plant did not seem to be delayed in growth or harmed by ripening two figs on it from the beginning as a cutting.  The only thing "abnormal" in the whole process was how long it took the figs to ripen!  Probably about 8 months in total.  Perhaps a "normal" ripening time grown from cuttings?  Other than that, it was just like the other cuttings and varieties of figs that I grow.  The tree went dormant last fall in the normal manner and I will see what it does this year for breba fruit in 2017.  The fig trees are dormant and in the basement in their containers in a root cellar that I made in the corner of my basement for plants that are not hardy in my zone 5 winters (for zone 6 and higher plants like figs).
     I encourage anyone to leave some breba figs on their cuttings if they have plenty of figs of that same type rooting so that you can taste the breba fruit several months earlier than you would normally be able to taste them if you removed all breba fruit from your cuttings.  I believe the fertilizer and constant lighting helped the plants to not abort the fruit while trying to root and grow.  However, this may have not been necessary for the fruit to eventually grow and ripen on a cutting.  Happy fig tree growing everyone.

As far as I've been led to believe, it's not so much a sign as it's, "a fig". I don't mean this to be cheeky. Your cutting is alive and that's good. On the other hand there's no chance that figlet is going to mature on a cutting.... The wisdom that was given to me... and that worked well, was. Pinch it off. The cutting needs all the energy it can get to grow roots....It doesn't need to waste it making fruit that will never ripen.....

You're in good shape...Just lose the figlet...

I'm probably a novice here more than anybody. I had a cutting last year that grew a fig while it was still in a cup of water. When I planted it in a pot with dirt, the fig ripened and we ate it.

l don't remember the actual size. I guess the usual cutting size lol. I got three cuttings and all three grew. It's a Violet de Bordeaux. That cutting got a fig while it was still in the water and another one started getting figs when I put it in a pot. Then an animal ate a few of them before they ripened but I brought it inside and we got maybe three more.

When I looked in my three seasons room this weekend I saw a fig starting on another one of the Violet de Bordeaux. That's at least two out of the three and maybe all three. I have so many fig trees and cuttings it's getting hard to keep track.

I got the cuttings on ebay. I just looked at my ebay account from last year and found the guy who was selling them. He is currently selling more cuttings. I'm not sure if it is from the same tree. From what I remember he was really nice. Here is the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Violette-De-Bordeaux-Fig-tree-Cuttings-2-Cuttings-Fig-cuttings-Zone-5-to-10-/302254953992?hash=item465fcc9608:g:-gEAAOSwNRdX4TLj

Thanks

Whenever I get a new variety and more than one roots,  I usually pull the figs off all but one tree. At the end of the year the one with figs is much smaller than the ones without. Pretty common for newly rooted cuttings to put on figs.

Impressive. Perhaps the flavor will improve as it matures....

I'm confused, though I admit I only skimmed the thread.  Why was it assumed that the figs are brebas?  

FWIW, I often have main crop figs on the early new growth of cuttings that are vigorous.  For example, I started 4 cuttings of Improved Celeste this year and all four have significant numbers of main crop figs on the new growth.  Or "had" until I pinched them off.  I also had figs on a new Lebanese Red Bekaa.  Last year I had figs on cuttings of a number of different Mt Etnas, maybe most notably Black Greek.  But also on other non-ME varieties.  Moreover, I almost always had figs on those cuttings later on in the summer of their first year.

To me, main crop figs on early new growth of a cutting is a great sign.  I read so many growers who write something like, "I've had Variety X growing for three years but it hasn't ripened any fruit yet."  Life is too short!  A cutting that didn't set at least some fruit in the 1st year (which I'd probably pinch off) and ripen a meaningful crop in the 2nd year would be placed on a "hit list."