I have a VDB that was given to me by a forum member (Thanks thisisme).   It was multi trunked when I got it last winter.  I planted it in ground in April. Since July it has really taken off. 

When I say multi trunked, I mean like....40 or 50 seperate stems, one of them over 5 feet tall.

Will reducing this to three or four main trunks adversly affect the tree in terms of it's health and productivity? This will mean cutting off most of the tree.

Thoughts and suggestions?

Anybody want VDB cuttings this winter? 

Thanks for asking this question.  I've got the same dilemma!  VdB sure likes to multi-trunk itself.  I have two, one 3 years old, and another one 2 years old.  Both really big and fat!!

I'm subscribing to this thread to hear all the answers!

Suzi

I'd be happy to send you cuttings of mine, but be aware it does have Fig Mosiac Virus (FMV).  Just send me a PM if you want cuttings.  FMV doesn't seem to affect it here in this climate.  It will go dormant late Oct/Nov.

Suzi

Dave,

I also have a VDB from thisisme.  What a great fig tree!  It is very productive and the figs are excellent, especially when they dry out on the tree.

Mine has also sent up many stems from the ground.  The stems tend to branch a lot too.  Personally, I think the many stems and branches on this variety are one of its strengths because it means that there are lots of places for figs to grow.

If I prune mine I will do it over the winter.  I want to limit the height of the tree to around 10 feet.  But I will not be too aggressive with the pruning.  I will probably just thin out some of the weaker, less productive stems and any branches that are crossing or look like they will create problems over time.

I am new to this forum and to the Fig fever , I am located in Brooklyn, New York. I am Interested in some cutting of The VDB, I have nothing to trade at the Moment, but I am willing to pay for them,
Hope to hear some good news,
Mark

Hi Dave I would love cuttings also. The only cuttings I will have available are a few of Italian everlasting and black jack. I would be willing to pay otherwise.

The short answer is that you may prune whatever and however much you want.  See Pruning.

I want my plants to be more bush like so I prune them short, though with a single trunk. When dormant, feel free to remove as many shoots/branches as you want, and shorten the rest as much as you want. On any shoot/branch that remains, I try and leave at least 2-3 leaf nodes from this years growth as growing points for next season.

There are plenty of online tutorials about how to prune a tree for shape, how to decide which branches to remove, etc.

There is nothing wrong with either a tree shape or a bush shape. There are pros and cons to both.

We are all a little lazy (speaking for myself), but I think pruning down the large branches and their offshoots is probably fine.  And the inside crossers.  Get rid of them.  I'm going with the rose bush theory.  Get rid of the crossing branches, and prune above a node on the outside ones.  I think if you prune 1/3, all is well.  Not sure if 2/3 is acceptable.

Suzi

Actually, the pruning of this tree will be more on the order of 90%.

I will post again in December or early January for those who would like cuttings.  I don't really need anything else for myself, so shipping costs (packing and postage) will be fine.

Thankyou Joe and Suzi and Jon for the advice and the link.

OMG!  90%?  Well, a fig has a will to live!  OMG!  Are you serious?

Suzi

"I will post again in December or early January for those who would like cuttings.  I don't really need anything else for myself, so shipping costs (packing and postage) will be fine."


Looking forward to your post this winter . It is most generous of you . Thanks so much.

Yup, Suzi.  Check out the link Jon referred me to.  (It's  on this site.  I should have found it myself).

Fig trees, once established, are tough.  It's not a big deal. 

(I hope).  

Suzi, it'll be OK. Really, it'll be OK.

What a nice healthy tree!

I don't want cuttings of this variety right now, but I'd be happy to take that cute guard cat off your hands! ;)

Gina, I have never seen a cat tied up like that, and I wondered.  They do roam, so I guess it's a good thing! 

Suzi

Some cats can be trained to a leash so they can go on walks outside. We've been successful in the past with an enclosure that they could not get out of - except for new devil boy who crawled over the top his very first day with his bayonette in his teeth. Unfortunate - that revoked his outdoor licence. 

So... sadly... We no longer let the cats out - in just the past 3 weeks I've seen a bobcat, and just the other day a coyote right on the deck next to the house. And the rattle snakes on the hill.

When out in our fenced back yard, the cats go into a harness with a leash attatched, but are not tied to anything.   I only let one out at a time, and I am packing (squirt bottle and Glock 9 mm) the entire time.  They supervise my gardening efforts, eat grass, and occasionally catch a lizard.

The harness and leash slow them down and discourage jumping over the fence or the block wall.  When they do attempt an escape, again, the harness and leash dragging behind them serve to slow them down a little.

I have a roofed kennel attatched to the house with a little door in the wall so they can go "outside" when they feel like it.

They have it pretty good.

We lost a cat to a coyote about 5 years ago, at 2:30 am.   That's not an experience I care to repeat.

 I not going to say not to prune it that much, because I know it will grow back. But wonder why so much? Is the tree not produceing many figs? It's sure not taking to much space up. Is it something to do with your climate? It looks perfect in size and health. Since it has so many trunks growing, wondering if you would be better of dividing the plant to say 6 or 7 groups. What's going to stop the forty or fifty stems from growing just a fast next year if you only want 5 or 6 trunks. Divide and seperate.

luke

Sounds OK but cautionary for others in colder zones that may read this: Depends on the climate, Arizona sounds OK for that--I wouldn't really know. But in VA 7a it's wiser (not mandatory) to cut off 20% per season for a couple years to gradually get it to desired size... basically in case really rough weather (late frost, harsh winter, etc) hits especially right after the pruning..., you don't want to leave it too vulnerable.

A friend here cut a very large fig tree back 50% all at once (unsure what time of year), and it stopped fruiting for 2-3 years. It was definitely still at a size to say bear 100 or so fruit at the remaining size too. It just started bearing this year again. It is recovered in full force now to be fair though.

The rock and the yellow twine were to bend and hold a branch  to obtain a desired shape.   I have since given up on that.  Instead, I will prune heavily this winter,  continue to prune and pinch for shape this spring, and see how that works out.

I should have done that this year.  But since everything was planted this spring, I figured I should just let them grow unchecked to get established.   Bad idea, I think. 

You can prune it ,down to three to five trunks,but if you live in cold climate ,the pruning has to be done in the Spring not now,so you start pruning the dead trunks first.
I see you live in AZ,but ,havy frost in the desert is possible,so Spring is the time of pruning.
When tree has ,100 trunks it defend itself from cold ,by providing shelter to itself,and braking the cold wind.
Some trunks die some live,but ,if left alone now it will have some live trunks in Spring,and then you choose what to keep.

Thank you Herman.  

I may wait a little longer to prune then.  Maybe March...depending on how cold our coming winter is and what is forcast when I get ready to do it.  Last year we only had a couple of hours below 30 degrees,   But the year before that, people tell me temps dropped into the low 20's here in February.

We'll see how it goes.