I have read everything I can find on training fig trees. Lots of good information about single trunk tree style. Has anyone seen any diagrams about training for bush style?

The biggest, healthiest figs I see around town here are always bush style. So I have been thinking about growing a couple of mine as multi-trunk bushes, but I can't find anything about optimizing that style.

here ya go Gene, first one is a Wild Capri at the Los Angeles Riverbank and second one somewhere in Glendale.

Gene,
Pruning and training to a bush form is basically the same as the tree form except that the main trunk is cut very close to the ground in the second season of growth. The first step is to establish strong roots and a large caliper single main trunk in the first season by training as a single main trunk plant, then cutting the trunk in the second season down to 4" - 6" above the soil line. The fig plant will then produce shoots in a spiral on the 4" - 6" main trunk. Select 3 - 4 branches and train as the main scaffold branches.
Attached is the Japanese Container Tree Form diagram that was posted in a pruning topic ( http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=6388743 ). It has been modified to "Bush Form" by editing the dimensions in Step #1 and Step #2...

Pruning to Bush Form:
Step 1. Establish a single, straight main trunk...for the uninterrupted flow of nutrients to the scaffold limbs and fruiting branches.remove all side branches and figs that form on a rooted cutting less than six months old. Prune the main trunk @ 6" when the trunk caliper is 1" or larger.

Step 2. The main scaffold limbs have to be spaced far enough apart vertically on the Main trunk for future increase in caliper size, which means that they need to be 1 node apart. Select 3 - 4 scaffold branches and train at 45 - 60 degree angles to main trunk. Prune at 40" at the beginning of the growing season to remove apical dominance and induce branching.

Step 3. The secondary scaffold branches that are selected and allowed to grow have to be separated by 8" (2 or more nodes) for branch caliper increase and for the growth of future fruiting branches, which are also spaced 8" apart. The main scaffold branches are lengthened by 16" and the apical tips are pruned to induce branching on the extensions, fruiting branches are then allowed to develop 8" apart.

Step 4. The fruiting branches are pruned back yearly to 2 one year old buds (nodes) for the next seasons fruiting branches. The fruiting branches are located at 8" intervals along the secondary scaffold branches. at the fruiting branches Only one bud is allowed to grow the other is removed.

Here is a picture of a 1-1/2 year old Fig tree pruned in the Bush Form. All visible growth is 1 season old.
 
Good Luck.

Many true bush fig trees I've seen here up north are the
ones that sometime in their young mature stage were winter
killed to ground. The surviving strong stump did the rest.

Simulating nature should produce the same results.

The number of shoots growing from the ground should be
controlled to keep the tree somewhat 'open', say 5-7 twigs.

So what I am hearing is manage 3-5 trunks basically the same way I would the branches of a single trunk tree. I would guess the main difference should be paying careful attention to the inner branches so they don't interfere with each other and compete for light. Does that sound like a good synopsis?

Hi GeneDaniels,
First, there are trees you'll never get to bush !
My "longue d'aout" is 4 years old, winter killed / heavy die-back 3 years - and still a single trunk with a split at 30 cm of height - so now she has two main branches with a total 60 cm of total height .

Some trees will go bush, and severe pruning in March/May or a winter die-back + heavy fertilizer + good watering will help them in going bush.
You should then choose the 4 thicker stems that are the most spread - avoid them going North - Try the ones heading Est-West-South.
I think that the bast idea is to plant two trees at 50 cm of distance - and let them go bush with 3-4 stems each. From some distance their canopy will look like as being one single tree .

I have now my Dalmatie tree1 that is growing in a bush and for now she is well balanced .
I'll have to retrieve the photos to see how it went that much bushy.
All I remember is that she had two stems and I think I bent one towards the ground and now she has two growing spots.
For instance, this year's winter protection were two 80liters trashcans one for each spot .

http://www.archive.org/stream/kadotafigtreatis00clarrich#page/7/mode/1up

Check out this book on archive.org, about the Kadota fig.
The information on pruning starts on page 7, there are some 20 pages of very useful information and old photos.

Wow! What a neat book!

I don't know what's going on with picture embedding , I am having trouble posting picture on this website.

i thought the title was "training in bushido". i was wrong.