Friends, I want to share some advice from a Italian friend who does the complete opposite to force figs early. He learned this trick from a greek friend who used to work in some fig orchards in Greece. The method forces early fig formation yet allows the branches to continue to grow. 
My friend told me to remove all the leaves from the fig branches except for the distal 3 or 4 leaves at the very end of the branch. That is, starting from the base of the branch or limb, cut the leaves off with only about 3/4 of an inch of the stem attached to them. Do not remove the remaining leaf stems from the branch. Allow them to fall off as they will do within a week or so by themselves.
He claims the energy will force early fig formation at the empty leaf nodes. As the branch continues to grow out, you continue the process of leaving only 3 or 4 leaves distally. The branches will obviously look bare but the removal of the leaves also permits more sunlight to the growing figs!
I have tried the pinching method and it works well however, having just learned about this other method, I will try it next year when my fig trees start to leaf out in the spring and compare the results.
Your opinions are valued.

Leon, I heard about this about 2 wks ago from Michael Bostock. I am glad you brought it up. I have not tried it and it escaped my thoughts after MB cited this method. This can only mean it "works". Hence its good news for the fig community to have 2 practices that  helps to speed up fig production especially for shorter growing season areas.

Leon, I didn't know this method, very interesting, thanks to share.
I have a doubt, when do you remove the leaves? I think that this an important data.
When dormancy breaks, the leaves take the energy (food reserves) from the roots. If you leave the leaves to form and, soon after that, you remove the leaves, the tree had spent reserves without time the new leaves make new reserves. The future figs will have few reserves to form.
On the other hand, if you remove the leaves late, maybe the fig forcing effect has gone.
All the above is in theory and my opinion, I can be wrong, but I think that the "when" is very important.

I heard our Canadian guru practice this form of pinching too.

Those old Greek's know a lot!!  I'm very willing to try this next year!  Pinching has worked well for me, and even now at the end of July, I have new figlets forming.  I think they will ripen because it's still hot here mid October.

I learned from an old Greek to dig a trench 1.5" deep, lay my cuttings down, and wait.  Those grew much better than the one's in the baggie and the perlite and peat. 

Sometimes you have to manipulate things a bit to get what you want.  A fig tree is a means to an end.  So if it looks a little bare, but the figs are quality, it's all good!!
Suzi

I also agree with Axier Concerns.
And also want to point out that this Greek Method can work very well,in Ideal climatic condition,as Grece,but not work at all,or work in the bad way for people in adverse condition,such as North east.
I also want to point out that fig fruits do not need,to be touch by the sun light,in fact the oposite,they ripe properly when shaded by the leaves of the tree.
The leaf canopy is the one harvesting the sun,not the fruits themself.
So it would not Help at all if fruits are exposes to sun.In my opinion removing leavs from fruit producing brances,will bea disadvantage for the tree,because it feeds the fruits,provide shades for them,and also provide shade for the soil under the tree keeping it moist and impeding fast evaporation,of water,in the roots area.
However leaves situated close to ground,that do not have access to the sun light,is a good thing if they are removed,because it discurages,on set of fungal deasese.

I wrote to my friend to clarify the instructions on removing leaves from the fig tree to promote early forcing. This was his reply yesterday (please excuse his English):

"Hi Leon,
Years ago I meet a friend that come from Greece and he told me that he was a manager in a figs field in Greece, he showed me how to prune the fig tree and he told me that to increase the production of figs you must cut all the extra leaves from the tree. I started doing so and I noticed that he was right, because he told me that a week after you cut the leaves you will start to see the figs coming in and it happens to me every time i do so. I do not know when to start this but as I recall he tolled me that you cut the leaves from the end of may till the middle of june. I still practice that method and he is right. I get a lot of figs. In Italy around the same time i remember that the farmers they cut leaves from the grape also to start to induce the grape to ripen. The sun is life in my eyes, and I never heard that the sun can damage the figs. I noticed that this year the figs are starting to ripe early just because we had a very hot july. I was expecting for the figs to ripe in middle of August, but yesterday I picked the first fig of the main crop. It all the depends on the factor of the season the weather ect., ect. I tolled you I am in pennsylvania and the weather here is not so good like in your place, this is the time that I personally cut the leaves, but in NM I do not know when is the right time I think that it is the best up to you, when you see that all the figs are well formed and that you have many leaves on a branch, than is time to cut the extra and you will see the difference and I beg you to try this method next year and you will see the difference."

Has anyone tried this method ?

John

My first thought was along the lines of Axier, that leaf removal was energy production removal. But if it would help in shorter season areas further north, it would be awesome for a lot of people.

I am wondering what would happen if you broke dormancy in a greenhouse early in the season, then stripped the leaves and moved it outside. Would this give you a jump on the season and also encourage earlier fruit formation?

my tree (in Seattle) produced several brebas and it is loaded with main crop. I have been knocking the newer figs off in hope the energy is sent to the earlier ones. I have several very swollen, I think I will be cutting some leaves also, it would be nice to have them mature for me.

There are a couple of YOUTUBE videos on this method, at least there used to be, never tried it myself.

Topic was started 3 years ago. Surely someone here would have tried it and has a verdict?