Most of the branches have 5-6 leaves on them-time to pinch!!! Lasy year I let it grow
naturally to see how it did. This year I am looking for production, I'll see if it works.

What are you pinching?

She is pinching by the rules.  After 4 or 6 leaves.  Pinch!  This confuses the fig branch.  It thinks it's dying.  So it needs to produce figs to carry on the breed.  Simple math, really.

Suzi

I'm sorry, I'm completely oblivious to what you are talking about. Do you have a link to the rules or something I can look at. What is being pinched? Buds, figs, limbs? Also, is this to produce figs or to cause more branching?

It's talking about normal pinching. You pinch off the newest leaves and as Suzi said it throws figs because it thinks it's dying.

@javajunkie Thanks I wasn't sure what was getting pinched.

Is there any need to pinch if I'm trying to create more vegetation growth and not figs?

Nope. I'm pretty much letting mine do whatever they want this year but next year I'm gonna get rough! LOL

lol, Thank You

There are rules?

Do they send out the fig police for the folks who don't obey?

Hi IWannaFig,  in short season areas, you pinch the terminal bud after new growth has produced 5 or 6 leaves.
this forces the growth back down the branch and promotes production of more figs. and or more branching, which may be source of more figs next year.... or this year if you have a long enough growing season.

If you remove the terminal bud, the plant does not 'think' it's dying. It's a simple hormonal reaction - the removal of the apical/terminal bud interrupts apical dominance allowing side buds beneath to begin growing. No 'fear of death' involved.

Aw, come on Gina, let us give them feelings :)

That cracked me up Noss....but it's true!!! I have some pepper plants doing that to me right now. Jeez, sassy little buggers.

I am going to try this pinching of figs. Being half Italian, it should come easy to me.

i usually don't pinch unless the tree refuse to give me figs. typically, pinching is not really needed unless you are looking for increase in production or branching of the tree. some trees are so busy growing leaves and branches, they refuse to put on the figs. if you wait for 3 yrs and don't see any figs on your tree, it might be the time to pinch. after about every 6 leaves or so, you literally pinch off the terminal bud on that branch. it will soon put new bud and branch out in different direction. if you don't like the direction it's going, pinch that off too. soon it will put on the figs and new bud that will become new branch and since main crop figs are on the new growth, more figs.

some members will let the tree grow as it will for about 2-3 yrs then start pinching and punning to the way they want the tree to look.

Chad,

This is a great thread on pinching:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0611441718628.html

Starting to worry.  This Spring weather has been very slow to arrive, and refuses to warm up at night.  My containerized fig trees are still comatose, but in ground trees are starting to show some green buds.  I wish Global Warming would hit Da-Bronx. 

My down-South friends seem to be at least two months ahead of my trees.  Really, the short-season growers like me have to read your postings with envy.

Frank...still waiting for some chlorophyll to show!

it's very slow going here in NC also. i see only one main crop fig on 12 or so trees that should put on the figs this year. last year this time, but VdB, and Paradiso were putting on good number of main crops by this time.

Pete....

This is ridiculous!  I'm waiting, and waiting, and it's still freezing.  Enough with this cold weather!  I hope the tress will take off once things start to broil.  Enough already with the Big Chill....

Frank

I started pinching 2 weeks ago.  Some of my trees are already 7' tall.  It's been raining a LOT over the past 2 weeks and my trees have exploded a lot of new growth.

Great topic Jo-Ann and thanks for the link Frank. Good, interesting posts by everyone.  All the pinching I have done so far has been for more limb production and to limit height.  On the new growth, I count up the nodes because a new leaf or two may have fallen off. After the 7th node, (doesn't have to be exactly seven) I literally pinch the little pointy growing tip with my thumb and forefinger.  The tree will protest by oozing that white latex paint looking stuff or maybe bleed very little.  After a few days, new growth limbs will start beneath the pinched of tip and sometimes several nodes below.  More potential trees and maybe more figs too!!

Nice to hear some are pinching in the warmer climates and some folks are getting main crop setting.
Not close to pinching here and of course no main crop setting on any in yard .

I pinched my first-year trees in the summer last year after they got large enough and it worked great. I'm definitely planning on doing that again this year, and in fact should survey the driveway orchard to see if it's time to nip any. I've been so busy putting the veg garden into good shape, I've sort of put the figs on the back burner. Heresy I know.

Spring has been pretty slow here also - we had record low temps in May!!  It was down to 39 on the 3rd - very weird.  The tree is growing well, Maybe this weekend I'll air layer the top.

The first picture was taken in Jan. the second was last weekend,  I plan of air layering the top 2 ft or so.

Hi JoAnn,
last season i airlayerd a good 2ft top piece of plant .

It may help give you some idea's, what i did in its 30g container was drive a long stake next to plant and bungie corded the 1 gallon pot to the branch then a window was cutout on each side and clear taped from the inside to see root development.

Worked very well .