Hi - I have a 3 year old Lattarulla that's never fruited. The tree has always been a flagpole, despite that I've pinched the top in each of the last two years. The tree doesn't seem to want to branch out or fruit -- or just vigorously grow any which way but up. Does anyone know, is this generally true of Lattarulla? Should I give her more time if she doesn't fruit this year?

The Lattarulla is far right:

 

This isn't from personal experience but at the advice of others: pinch growing tips when they reach 5 leaves to promote fruit production and branching.

Also, they look rather sparse and leggy, are they getting enough sun and fertilizer?

Sun, definitely. All day in that spot on my driveway. Fertilizer, I give them the label amount of Osmocote slow release pellets each year. All the other trees I've had have branched out on their own. Same sun, same fert. Maybe it's just this particular tree that wants to shoot to the moon?

I'd yank it out of the pot and do a thorough check of the roots. If all's ok I'd give it a serious dose of fertilizer and compost or bunny poop or . . .
Anyway I personally wouldn't give up on it until I tried to find what I was not supplying the little guy. 

Mine (2) seem to grow just like the rest of the Marseilles types I have. Yours looks a bit sparse but the tree on the far right has branches. Are your other figs doing well?
What is the soil like you have it in?

I just potted it up this year and the roots seemed fine. I use a general potting soil - pine bark - perlite mix (equal parts) along with the fertilizer. None of my other trees have really had much of a problem in this regard. I have a Brown Turkey now that looks a little weary, but as the sun and warmth are increasing, it seems to be perking up. But this Lattarulla has been like this since day 1.

If I pull it out of the pot again, what should I look for? I have some bagged compost as well as my own house compost I can add.

Is my soil mix ok?

Tree is proably root bound and the pH isn't working for it.

Was it root bound in the previous pot?  if so, did you loosen or prune the roots before up potting? It definitely does not look happy.  How was the vegetation on it last year?  I would think by now it would be covered with leaves, but seems rather sparse.  I kind of agree with Mike that it's a root issue.

Before giving up on it, I would at least air layer the top.

I would put it back in the ground, but bury it a foot deeper, and that foot be all composted manure. Then in the fall cut the top third out. If it does not bush or branch next year with fruit, replace it with a different variety.

Honestly, I put a brown turkey in the ground last fall and this year it was as just as dead as everything else. I dug it up and threw it bare rooted in the garden junk heap last week. After some heavy rains the past few days I was throwing some more debris in the heap today and low and behold the brown turkey was budding new growth at the base! I would repot yours, ruffle up the root system a bit, maybe even trim the roots slightly too, and if you can try a slightly larger pot, although the one you have looks large enough. Good luck, never say say die.

Thanks for all the advice. I pulled 'er out of the pot this weekend and I guess maybe in hindsight I should've recognized the tree was pretty root bound. I pruned the root ball a bit and we'll see; I'm going to try to leave it in the pot for this season but, to your advice Gene, I may plant this tree in the ground and see how it goes. In my zone 6a, there are people who plant in the ground and it works. I agree that I don't want to give up. But even when the tree wasn't root bound, the growth was always the same, straight up. I'm probably a bit jealous - I stopped growing up and I just keep growing out (wider) :)

Well, at least you know its growing!   It being this late in the season, I would have spent an hour or so loosing up the root and dipping the whole thing in some liquid horemone like Fertilome....let it soak for about an hour then repot in a 22 diameter pot.  This is my technique everytime I pull a tree from the ground to a pot.  So far, I've done 5 this way and each time was a huge success.  The liquid horemone reduces the transplant shock tremendously.  Getting ready to do the same to my JH Adriatic today.

yeah.. bare root that sucker and see what's going on. there might be some issue. if root looks ok, change soil and heavy fertilizer regiment. if it's root bound, cut some off.. if it's some specific issue.. well.. fix it. 

I have to add this - it is so ápropos:

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. And he [Jesus] told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none. He said to the gardener, "For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it. It may bear fruit in the future. If not, then you can cut it down.”

So, give it another year.

Haha - thanks Joe. I think you're right. I clearly mismanaged this tree and I don't want to just kill her. The tree is in a pot and it's not the lack of fruiting that bothers me at all.....I have other trees that fruit.....it's the lack of space in my garage for overwintering. If the tree isn't as productive as others and space is limited....well, this is probably a hint that I should reorganize my garage.

Hi ako1974,
I don't grow in pots, but that tree is too high for a potted tree.
The tree is spending her energy feeding her wood instead of making fruits or leaves.

So you have two options: you put her right away in the ground or you cut her in half (airlayer? but then you loose a year ).

So if you want the tree to fruit quickly, if you keep the tree in pot, cut the tree at half height, the tree will grow this year and fruit next year . The crop of this year was prepared last year - but due to conditions ... So you should correct the problem for next year.
For that you will need to fertilize and water regularly that tree after cutting the tree half way.

You could play rooting with the material you'll be removing.

Just my two cents, the decision is yours ! But without action, I wouldn't expect good results .