Hi All, 

I was wondering if we could get a thread going on the subject of pinching.  What it is, when it's done, how it works, etc.  Hopefully some of the veteran growers will chime in.  The subject "pinching" will also be convenient when us newcomers are doing searches.

Tim

Pictures are welcome too :)

Someone started one just yesterday.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/A-Pinching-Machine-5959293

If you do a search (upper right corner) you'll find 15 or so other previous threads on it. Just type in 'pinching' and search in 'subject only', not 'entire message'.

I'm intending to read them myself. Great information here in both current and past threads.

Ahh thanks Gina.  I've been using the keywords search and getting the less friendly result.  Should have investigated the search engine further.

There are several worthwhile threads on it over the years.  When using the search feature, there are several dropdowns.  One of them is "in subject only", or "in post" (or similar).  I recommend searching with subject only for very specific info.

Meanwhile, you should read this in addition to what Gina posted:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Pinching-101-5521404?highlight=pinching

Dom had an awesome thread there (blurry pics, but clear enough).

We had a FAQ that was being worked on for a bit, but pinching didn't end up there and the FAQ thread has since died off, it seems?:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/FAQ-2662276?highlight=pinching

it's really like pinching. you are pinching off the terminal bud after 5-6 leaves. it's called pinching because you use your thumb nail against your index finger to remove the terminal bud. some good links are above.. i think one of them even has step by step procedure documented with pictures.. we like pictures here.

The idea of pinching is to force energy from growing into developing and ripening fruit.

After 5 to 7 leaves, pinch the tip. If at any point you see further branching, pinch those tips off as well. I rarely do this step as I like to develop the branches and skeleton first. I concentrate more on the secondary step.

Secondary step: On trees 3 years or younger, I leave only 3 to 5 fruits per branch and pinch off any other figs developing, especially those that develop after July 15th. Here in MA the chances of anything developing after Oct. 1st are slim.

Pinching is a great tool in the spring when trees come out of dormancy. Say  you have a 5 ft tree with no branching, pinch the tip and the tree will produce branches. With branches come fruit and then pinch those at the ends.

Pinching helps all stages of a tree.