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Now's the time to pinch buds!

My 15" tall Peloponnisiaka Aspra half brown,half green and about 6 months old from a cutting. It had only one main branch and no lateral. Well, I pinched it 7 days ago and there are now 6 buds popping out. I am a believer pinching will work on certain figs,not all. My pics were blurry,will take better pics in future.
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Originally Posted by cis4elk


LOL, good one Dale.


In regards to pinching small or young trees...it depends on what you want and it also depends on the growth rate of the tree. So potted or in ground can weigh on this choice. A young potted tree in shorter season zone may not put on much growth with pinching. Overall it still just depends on what you want, an all out bush or something else. Also, pinching for shaping/pruning/growth or pinching for production are two different things. Pinching for fruit development on a rather small or young tree shouldn't really be done, unless you have a really long season.
I personally am rather selective about my pinching. I have a few branches I have pinched lately for production, but most I have been letting go because I want a thicker longer branch to grow this season, and around bud swell next spring I will prune them back to the buds I want to see growing. To further the method, if I pinched some of these branches now..I may be eliminating buds which will develop and face in the direction of future desired scaffolding. I have a few long season figs which are also late to put on figs and have decided to again not worry about figs and let them continue to establish strong well manicured form seeing I don't think I will have 120 days to end up ripening these figs with any reliable heat at this point. Another point not mentioned which new growers may not know, often times once a tree develops a fruit load the new veg growth will stop. At least that's how it works for me, I can either have growth or figs or a little bit(not much) of each and young/small trees don't carry a very big fruit load before stopping all vegetative growth(in my yard anyway). Lastly, a small tree that was over cropped is much more susceptible to winter mortality, I lost one this winter which still baffles me because I thought it was big enough and hardened off fine but it never woke up with the rest and all things were equal.

To sum it up. What is your goal, how long a season do you have, and how old and/or vigorous is your tree. These points need to be considered when pinching.

Great writing and accurate. My trees act similar.
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This was 15" half green half brown rooted cutting that was a few months old. It was just one stick with no lateral branches. I originally pinched for airlayers on 6-23. I had removed all of the original leaves. Today 7-5, I have 6 well placed new branches. I have become a strong believer of pinching. Before and after pics.

    Attached Images

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Originally Posted by musillid
I pinched my wife. Not the same results.


LOL love it!
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