I have a few trees that seem to be growing up without much outward growth. They're all in pots, so I can't let them get too tall (because they have to be stored in winter). I think I'd like them to be more like bushes. I'll wait to prune until fall but I think I need some directions on how to achieve this. Does the variety dictate it's shape? Or can I control that? Thanks

tony, I force them to grow side branches, by leaning the pot onto something, a brick? also, if it is as tall as you wish it to be, you pinch the top in addition to lean it.  in a couple of weeks, you lean it the other side. Figs have apical growth, so removing that tip, other branches will attempt to dominate, thus initiating growth.

if you don't wish to lean the pot, you can tie the long branch to a piece of bamboo and slowly lean it to a side, you will see the side growth to appear.

the more you keep it leaned the more branches.

I am working on my new DK, it is almost 5 feet tall. I tied to a bamboo and am leaning the pot, so that the entire thing turns. I want to grow it horizontally.

Good luck.

This summer I have been pinching all my growing cuttings to produce bushy plants. It works great. Just count 6 or 7 leaves then pinch the tip. Repeat as often as needed. That's it and it works great.

Hi ajv73,
It all depends on the tree. Some trees will cooperate, some will be stubborn !
I have my dalmatie tree2 that is stubborn. She wants me to put a flag on her and grows like a pole !
I removed 30/40 cm of (2013) growth on April 2014, so that now each stem has 3 branches. But now those branches are going to the pole form !
That tree has not shown any figlet for now (in its entire life - 2 years), and that worries me. I'll let her grow like that for now to see if I get some brebas next year !

I think that pinching and patience will get the tree to make it the right way !

If you want the trees small, than just do as I did - remove all the unwanted growth - 40 cm, that is really heart breaking ! But I had to do it !

Appreciate the advice.  Do I do this pruning now or wait until they are done fruiting?

I espalier my trees. I have no choice since my space is very restricted and I do have to cover them during the winter. For some, I use the the Japanese technique of folding the trunk down (during several days) to about a foot from the ground and allowing the branches to grow upward. For others, like Goutte d'Or which is naturally small, I espalier the tree by allowing side branches to grow and training them straight using bamboo sticks.



Tad - Nova Scotia, Canada (Canadian zone 6 - USA zone 5)

Tony V,
The Japanese pruning technique, http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/pruning-and-training-figs-tree-or-bush-form-6388743?trail=50 will produce well formed trees. The cuttings are trained, pruned and then pinched once the "fruiting" branches are established. Pruning is usually done at the beginning of the growing season while the plant is still dormant while Pinching is done while the plant is actively growing.
  
  

The Japanese step over espalier pruning technique, http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/show_single_post?pid=1277752017&postcount=10 also works for potted fig trees, but the Tree form is much easier to maintain and store in winter. Good Luck.

Thanks for detailed info.  The link to the old thread with the instructions and diagrams is great.  It seems like if I'm going to do this I need to be patient - which is always difficult for me.  I assume that such pruning will achieve my ultimate results, however, may limit the amount of fruit I get in the interim?  Also, Pete when is the best time to prune the "japanese method"? Thanks
   

Tony I went thru the same thing you are going thru I let my trees get way too tall which wasn't a problem at the time but now with my new winter storage/greenhouse height is a problem I bit the bullet this year and air layered mostly all of my trees instead of having a 4 ft tall trunk now they have roughly a one foot trunk it was well worth the sacrifice , it was 4 foot of wasted space now they can grow branch out and if anything I would just need to a minor trimming which I don't think I will have to do 

Here's a picture of 1 out of 100 

 

Looks good Dave. Attached is an example of my dilemma. That's my Violet de Bordeaux. It has figs and looks ok. But it's just growing straight up. I'm just confused on timing. Do I wait and prune it in the fall? Do I do an air layer now? Do I prune in the spring? I'd hate to have to sacrifice the current figs on it. Unlike a lot of guys on the forum I don't have a ton of fig trees - yet! So every fig is precious!

If you air layer it now figure about a month for the roots to grow to where you can cut it off then figure another 2 to 3 weeks for the air layer section to get established in the pot if it were me I would wait until Spring to do it just a suggestion

If my new plant does not branch out by itself and grows like a whip then when the whip reaches 15"~18" tall I pinch the top to force it to branch out. It does branch out most of the time. A few time it may branch out at the top node in which case I pinch it again at the top. This has worked for me.
A suggestion above to air-layer the top is a good one. The lower part will branch out in the spring nicely.

I agree with Dave.  I wouldn't air layer until next year.  I started a couple of air layers at the beginning of July and felt like I was pushing it.  If all goes well, I plan to separate mine around the end of August.

I have a tree that is now 7 feet tall (in the ground). I have pinched it twice. It always grows right back out of the top. I'll let the figs ripen and wait until Spring to make an air layer.
 

Hi ajv73, hi Cyberfarmer,
For those two trees - as they are too high to my likings- I would bend them to the side.
Put a stake a meter on the left and away from the trunk and another to the right side.
Put a stake between the two first stakes ( parallel to the ground) at 1 meter of height or less and bend gently the tree to the side - start from the top down to the roots - you could do it during one or two weeks until you bent it to the position you want .
The trunk will sent shoots on the upper side of the trunk.
Later if the tree is too long to the side, after harvesting the figs, cut at the desired final length.
If they had no figs on them, I would have cut directly at the desired height ...

Tony V,
Pruning in short season zones is usually done when the trees are dormant, either Fall or early Spring.


Paul,
With your long season (warmer zone), you could air layer the top 1' - 2' or prune the top 1' - 2' to remove apical dominance, which will usually induce branching along the entire main trunk. You should still have enough time left for good growth, if the main trunk is already at your desired height. 

Here's a picture of the stages of air layering or cutting the top off and using the top portion for cuttings

most of mine I air layered and made 2 plants but a few of them I simply cut off the top and  they are turning out very nice, this method is used when you neglect to pinch the tree when they are smaller 

#1 too tall #2 Radical cut #3 new growth starting #4 nicely branching out 

 

Thanks guys. Dave great visual display. I know it's what needs done...but I think it will be hard to actually do when the time comes? Taking a healthy, albeit too tall tree, and lopping off most of it. I'm sure I'll get over that concern. So let's say I prune as soon as they go dormant (or air layer in the spring). How long before they bounce back?