Hey all,

When I bought my apple trees the nursery gave me a pair of potted figs, one H. Chicago and one Brunswick.  Long story short, they were neglected some the first two years while we renovated a house and barn, but after some loving last summer have turned into healthy fruiting plants. 

Question 1.
They are both three trunkers in 18 gallon pots with .75" diameter trunks.  The H.Chicago is congested, with poor trunk spacing.  Should I cut down to two trunks?  Or just thin well.  I guess I'm risking setback with a heavy cut now versus major congestion in the future...

Question 2.
I'm in all day sun.  The Brunswick loved it, but the H.Chicago had yellow at it's fringes all summer.  Do you all shade/relocate/etc your cold hardy figs to give them a break from the heat?

Question 3.
Best time to root prune?  These guys are thick.  Do it anytime in dormancy or right before moving outdoors?  I wondered if the new soil would stimulate growth and thus waiting closer to spring would be better...

Oh and I'm also looking for Sicilian cuttings.
My family reconnected with our Sicilian ancestors a few years ago so I'm kinda partial.

Thanks!

Heyo I'm pretty new myself but here's some thinking:
1) I'm pretty sure you can prune a fig tree pretty harshly every few years. Also some of them die back to the ground every winter and grow back. So I figure you could cut a trunk down - but I'd look up a resource on pruning figs to make sure you do it right, at the right time, etc.
2) discoloration could be a variety of things - watering issues, nutrients, etc. That might take a bit of expertise to figure out.
3) I think winter is the best time to prune, when they're dormant. New soil is great but I've heard you shouldn't repot when they're fruiting because that messes them up.
Hope it works out!

Lucky you!

My grandfather was born in Calatafimi, Province of Trapani.  Next door to Segesta (home of one of two standing Greek temples).

My grandmother was born a little west of Nicosia.

We've been over twice in the past five years, helping my father gather family information.  Most of our time has been visiting family in Calatafimi, although our travels have taken us from Trapani to Siracusa.  Sorry, hard topic to keep short!

And you?

Any suggestions on Sicilian fig varieties? 

Thanks for chiming in- 

I've been as far over as Trapani. I spend a lot of time in places between Palermo and Cefalu.

I'll send you a PM.

A presto!