This bush has been in the ground for 5 years. Each year has been a little different. Some years the old growth did nothing and the new growth produced some figs. This past season was like that. Some branches have figs and some don't. After the fruit finishes for this season, are there certain branches that I can prune without hurting next year's crop? The bush is kind of sprawling and, if I can without hurting the bush, I would like to shape it a little. Is this anything like berries where some year's growth pruduce fruit the following year? I would be grateful for help as I am inexperienced with these wonderful figs.

got any pictures?

I'm not competent in downloading pictures, but I'll try this afternoon. I was hoping this would have been one of those obvious questions that a fig grower would just go, "Oh, all you have to do is...." I'll see what I can do. Do I attach the saved picture to my reply?

There have been problems recently with the forum's photo-uploading function, so if it doesn't work, the problem may not be on your end. But, yes, when you are ready to post your reply, click "manage attachements" and it will allow you to select the photo you wish to attach.

I had held off on trying to answer your initial question because there are so many more experienced forum members out there, but since some time has gone by I'll take a shot at it, and hopefully someone will correct me if I get it wrong.

Fig trees may produce fruit on wood formed during the previous season's growth, or on new wood formed during the current growing season. Figs produced on last year's wood are referred to as the "breba" crop, and they tend to be larger and not as numerous as those produced on the current year's growth (called the "main" crop). It varies--some varieties only produce brebas, others produce only main crop, and others produce both.

Figs tend to be pretty adaptable when it comes to pruning. Many dormant figs can be severely pruned (or even frozen to the ground) and will still grow vigorously enough to produce a good main crop, but if all of last year's wood is pruned away, they can't produce any breba figs. In this situation, they tend to grow as bushes, sending up multiple new branches from the base each year. In situations where frost damage is minimal, some figs can grow to become very large trees, and may be pruned to control size or improve shape. So, depending on your variety, climate and objectives, you can prune a lot or not at all, and still get plenty of figs.

Thanks, Ken. That is really helpful. I have 2, what were labeled Brown Turkey figs from Walmart and those were the ones I was asking about. I haven't pruned them at all in the 5+ years they've been in the ground. I appreciate now knowing the difference between"breba" and "main" branches. I will prune the "breba" lightly. What I've noticed as I said in the initial post was that each year has been different. Some years the branches that produced the figs seemed to have completely died and the plant produced all new growth, Other years the branches came back to life in the spring, but produced fruit near the end of the season. Then there wasn't time for the fruit to ripen before the winter hit. And then some years I have gotten up to 25 delicious fruits, but only 1 or 2 ripen at a time so none of them make it to the house. I just eat them as I'm watering. They are soooo good!

Glad to help. Another point several forum members have made is that things often change as a tree gets older, such as improvements to fig flavor or more consistent production. Here's hoping your trees "settle in" to a long life of ripening plenty of great-tasting figs! You might also want to read a few of the recommendations others have made about their favorite varieties and add some different types over the years. I started with a Brown Turkey and a Black Mission, but am in the process of adding several other kinds based on excellent reports from F4F members. It's a lot of fun!

My Brown Turkey seem to be more of the bush variety. I have added a plant that is the tree type but I don't know what variety it is. We took a cutting from a tree that grows in the neighborhood (the folks didn't mind at all) and rooted it. I planted it last year and it has produced figs this year, but the race is on to see if they ripen before the winter sets in. It has lots of branches coming up from the bottom, but once the season is over, I intend to cut the extra branches and just leave the main one so it will grow like a tree. The tree type is about 6-7feet from the 2 bush types that are about 5 feet apart.