I know there have been discussions here in the past but didn't find anything in pruning strategies for producing a good breba crop.  Most of the intensive pruning methods are directed towards producing main crop only. 

One fig in particular I'm interested in is Panache.  I've reported producing breba figs a few years ago and haven't really paid much attention.  I reported breba on Panache in the thread at http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Breba-New-World.-3336779 and Martin showed Panache breba in the thread at http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5233789&goto=nextnewest, but all of the "official" literature states that Panache does not produce a breba crop.

I haven't been very disciplined in my pruning in the past due to indecisiveness (not making a decision or making a decision to do nothing?).  From what I'm looking at for this winter is to prune branches on figs without a decent breba to just one node above the main branch.  Since I haven't found anything about pruning directed towards breba crops, I'm thinking that I may remove some branches entirely and then prune back other branches produced this past year to perhaps two feet, hoping that will produce sufficient breba figs for my needs.  I will hope to get some new branches forming from the main branches in order to avoid having my tree get two feet higher each year.  I want to avoid picking from ladders.  I had a very serious ladder accident on 9/1/2010 in which I thought for a few minutes I was going to die.  God gave me the chance to use that as a learning lesson so I hope to be paying attention! :)

If you haven't seen some of Ken Love's photos previously, these are some that I've been looking at closely but, again, they are directed strictly for a main crop.

I'd appreciate any suggestions based on what has worked for you.  Thanks.

Harvey, I have done a lot of reading on the topic also, and still am in doubt as to what is the proper way of doing.   Understanding how the tree grows seems to the the only thing that makes sense.  I am thinking that having enought branches for an everyother year (rotating) is the way to go, so, branches you cut this year, will sprout again and will fruit next year. the ones you cut next year will produce the following year, so it is like have 2 trees in one.  I am thinking that puting some ribbons on the branches to trim in 2013  and every other odd year.   However, the literature also says to cut every skinny little branches.. well you and I know those are fruiting branches..I have done enough wrong to my tree, it is like starting over now with new grafts.   if you decide to trim the panache.. I am desiring some of those!!!! (trade perhaps?)

check this

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/fig.html

interesting question. i don't care too much for breba, so i prune the tree anyway i feel like it at that time. but breba comes from last season's branch, so if you want large breba crop, i assume you leave them alone. then next season you will prune those.

If your plant is just for breba crop a san pedro cultivar you prune after you eat the figs.
You will get new branches growing that same season and those will be your fruit bearing
breba branches for next season.

My breba Panache are of very high quality but they don't ripen until after main crop figs are already forming on new growth. I don't think my main crop would ripen if pruned in early August after the breba ripened.  I think I'm going to do like Grasa suggests and leave half of the branches and prune the other half after the breba ripen, cutting them back to the first node of the prior year's growth.

Harvey ,
This was written by geofiz ,  hpi_figs.pdf  , and helps me remember how to prune my Desert King here in NH.
Short section on pruning for breba is on page 15 and 16. 

In more understandable words: from the article cited above: 

"... a judicious thinning every year, whereby some of the previous year’s wood is removed tomaintain tree height and some is left to produce fruit in the current year. The wood that has been retained is then pruned in the following year."

Thanks, Kerry, that's pretty much what I decided to do (the portion summarized by Grasa).

I tried a different approach this past summer. Sometimes in mid to late June I looked at the breba population on the DK plant and judicially pruned branches where there was no or very minimum loss of brebas. Then when all the brebas ripened on any branch and none left I did some pruning at that branch. I will see this coming summer how it works out.

Did you get main crop from the new branches that formed after pruning?  I'm afraid that if I pruned in July after the breba crop that I wouldn't get a main crop from them.

Harvey
DK main cop does not ripen here since it needs that fig wasp and they don't like our Zone 5a for survival.
We were happily surprised though in 2011 when some (3 or 4) main crop figs ripened here. Yes, they were main crop (being above the leaf bottom point). It did not happen in 2012 even though we had a number of heat waves.

Kerry

     That's a great article. It has good, practical  information for more than just the Pacific Northwest. Thanks.