TahomaGuy2
Registered:1365215474 Posts: 101
Posted 1367121468
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#1
I acquired a leggy Desert King in a container. It has a few leaves right at the tip indicating life. How can I get it to branch out so I can get some figs?
__________________ -Charles Cool Pacific NW Zone 8b
OttawanZ5
Registered:1192897779 Posts: 2,551
Posted 1367122126
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#2
Air-layer the top portion at 3' height from soil surface in the pot. By mid-June you may have two 3' tall plants. You may have to cut the top of the air-layered plant (about 6") for that plant to branch out too. Root the 6" cutting to get 3rd plant. Then you will have an orchard of 3 plants.
__________________Ottawan-Z5a, Canada
noss
Registered:1244523274 Posts: 2,122
Posted 1367122157
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#3
It will be interesting to see if that's a characteristic of the DK. I'm suspecting I may have gotten a DK by error instead of a White Triana tree, a couple of years ago. It was the larger size tree and the first year, it produced nothing. The second year I had it, it got only a few brebas on it, but no main crop. This year, it has 19 breba figs on it and some are getting very large, but they are all near the tip of the few branches it's got and the leaves are all up there, as well. Looks really funny! I hope the figs will be good. I'm thinking of air layering two of the three tips because they don't exhibit much FMV, as the other one does and the two scruffy branches are even worse. I think we're supposed to pinch the growth tips to make them branch out some, but then, there would hardly be any leaves. noss
__________________ noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
pitangadiego
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Registered:1188871011 Posts: 5,447
Posted 1367122546
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#4
Since it has broken dormancy, saw if off where you want branches. After dormancy breaks, they seem to break more buds, rather than just the apical bud, when pruned. Root the cuttings.
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