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When to cut back fig trees


How to prune a fig tree – everything you need to know

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If you want to have a healthy fig tree, then learning how to prune a fig tree is a must. Fig trees are a great to grow in a pot, freestanding in a garden or espaliered against a wall, their fan-like leaves add a touch of Mediterranean elegance to any garden, patio or courtyard. 

'Figs need a warm, south-facing wall, as sun is vital for ripening. Water well through summer and feed as the fruits develop,' advises PL gardening expert, Leigh Clapp.

How to prune a fig tree – where to start

While it is not essential to prune your fig tree, especially when its more mature, doing so in the early years can encourage it to produce more fruit and cultivate a more aesthetically pleasing tree. 

'Figs are produced each growth season on old wood (branches produced the previous season). So, to produce more fruit in future seasons you need more branches,' advises Brent Wilson from Wilson Bros Gardens .

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How to prune a fig tree if you have a young tree

You can prune young trees into a fan shape by pinching out every other young shoot. 'Wait until late winter to prune, but before new growth begins to emerge in early spring,' advises Brent Wilson from Wilson Bros Gardens .

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How to prune a fig tree if you have a mature tree

(Image credit: Peter Chatterton)

Fig trees can grow up to 3m tall and 4m wide, so it's vital that you prune your mature fig tree to keep it manageable, especially if it's been planted in the ground. Plus, fig trees produce their fruit on one year old wood, so by pruning the old wood you can encourage its fruiting. 

There are three key seasons that you must consider when learning how to prune a fig tree.

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How do you prune an overgrown fig tree?

If your fig tree has gotten out of hand, or maybe you've inherited a neglected tree when you moved into a new house, then knowing how to prune a fig tree is a must.

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How to prune a fig tree into an espalier

Did you know that you can train your fig tree into an espalier? An espalier is a tree, usually a fruit tree, that has been trained to grow flat against a wall, usually supported on a lattice framework. The residual heat emitted from the wall can encourage the fruit to ripen.

If you want to grow your fig tree into an espalier, then the pruning method is fairly similar, you simply tie your tree to a lattice framework on the wall. 

Lucy Chamberlain, Amateur Gardening's Fruit & Veg expert suggests:

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When should fig trees be pruned?

'Figs are best pruned in March or April after the worst frosts have passed, all dead and diseased wood should be removed.' says Sue Sanderson of Thompson & Morgan . This way the frosts will not be able to cause damage to the wounds left by pruning but the plant will still be dormant enough to cope with the pruning.

Fig trees bleed a white sap when they are cut, if you are cutting large branches it is important to the health of the tree that it is dormant when you do.

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Can you over prune a fig tree?

Yes, you can over prune a fig tree but they are quite resilient so shouldn't suffer too greatly from a more aggressive pruning so long as you do so in the dormant period. Avoid pruning more than 25 per cent of the over all tree in a single year to keep it healthy.  

Also if you cut off too much of this year's growth, it will reduce the amount of figs the tree will produce next year, as the figs grow on the previous year's growth.

This feature was created by H&G's sister brand, Period Living magazine

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Period Living is the UK's best-selling period homes magazine. A subscription provides you with all you need to know about caring for and improving a traditional house and garden.

Having graduated with a first class degree in English Literature four years ago, Holly started her career as a features writer and sub-editor at Period Living magazine, Homes & Gardens' sister title. Working on Period Living brought with it insight into the complexities of owning and caring for period homes, from interior decorating through to choosing the right windows and the challenges of extending. This has led to a passion for traditional interiors, particularly the country-look. Writing for the Homes & Gardens website as a content editor, alongside regular features for Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors magazines, has enabled her to broaden her writing to incorporate her interests in gardening, wildlife and nature. 

Pruning Fig Trees (With Photos and Video)

Pruning fig trees is an essential part of looking after the tree. It should be done at least once a year, in the dormant season (winter) but it is recommended by experts to prune the tree twice a year, the second time in summer.

If you don’t prune them regularly, the trees will not develop a nice crown, will be prone to diseases, and will produce fewer fruits. In this article, I will show you when and how to prune fig trees in winter and summer and in the first, second, and further years, as well as which tools to use for the best results.

Two pruning cuts on the young fig tree

Table of Contents

When to Prune Figs

The fig tree should be pruned twice a year. A combination of winter and summer pruning is the most effective.

Winter Pruning

Winter pruning is done usually in late January or February (depending on the climate) when the fig tree is in the dormant phase. It is the safest time to prune the tree as it has a low amount of white milky fluid (latex) spread in branches. If you start with pruning while the milky fluid is still in branches (you will notice it as it bleeds out of cuts), it is a good idea to stop and wait a bit longer (a week or two longer). This is how to do it, in three steps:

Step 1 – Cleaning the Tree

Cleaning the tree is the first pruning step and should include:

Step 2 – Thinning

The aim of thinning is to allow light and air to reach all leaves in all parts of the crown. Thinning reduces the spread of diseases and the spread of harmful insects.

Step 3 – Trimming And Shaping

This is the last step, an easy to do one as the aim is just to gently style, trim, and shape the crown to keep it preferably symmetrical. Start from the outside and cut towards the trunk. The goal of this step is to create thicker and shorter branches. Prune about 1/3 of last year’s growth on about 1 cm above the chosen bud.

Pruning also depends of how old is your tree.

First Year Pruning

First-year pruning is made in order to form a tree crown. Remove just one or two branches that are growing towards the center of the crown. Start with forming a tree crown in a vase shape. See the below photo where I pruned just one branch, the one that was growing toward the center of the crown:

At this young fig tree I pruned just one branch that was growing towards the centre of the crown

Second Year Pruning

In its second year, trees are just a bit larger, still not mature trees. In this year, in the winter, clean all dried branches, gently thin, trim, and shape further very carefully as in the first year.

Third Year and Further Pruning

In its third year and further, the tree is already mature and is hopefully producing some fruits that ripe into a soft, sweet and brightly coloured figs that are delicious to eat or dry. This is the time when thorough winter and summer pruning should start and from now on, in the following years, prune the trees the way I described above.

Here are some photos of my fig trees that I pruned recently – the three-year-old tree and one-year-old tree. As you can see in the photos, the older and larger trees needed more pruning than the smaller and younger ones.

At this older and larger fig tree, I pruned seven branches, some of them were growing towards the center of the crown while others were just getting dry or forking (branching) the way it is not suitable

Here are my last year’s and this year’s pruning cuts – as you can see the last year’s cut is already healed and safely covered by bark. This year’s cut is slowly turning brown and will hopefully heal too.

Some of my trees will also need bending meaning pushing the branches towards the right angle in relation to the trunk. I plan to do it this year and will use water bottles as weights to gently bend the branches towards the right angle ( about 60-70 degrees).

Summer Pruning

Summer or green pruning, in the late spring and summer, removes water sprouts (water shoots) that exhaust (deplete) the tree and actually do not bear any fruit. Check if any of these are growing on your tree and cut them off as soon as you notice them. Also, remove any leaves that are touching the others in order to control diseases and pests. Summer pruning should be quick and gentle where you will remove leaves or branches that are absolutely essential to remove. Leave hard pruning for the dormant period.

Pruning Tools

You don’t need a lot or any expensive tools to prune – use garden scissors (pruning shears) for smaller branches and garden loppers for larger branches. You can also use a pruning saw if you need to remove a very thick branch but their cut can be not very clean. The best option for pruning thicker branches is the bypass loppers which are making very good and clean cuts.

Pruning tools >>

Video

In this video I am winter pruning my fig trees, removing some dry branches, inward growing shoots, and shoots that grow directly from the tree trunk – have a look:

Important things to remember when pruning

What happens if you don’t prune fig trees

Pruning fig trees is an essential part of looking after the tree. If you don’t prune it, the tree will grow irregularly. If you don’t cut them back annually you’ll end up a less productive tree, with fewer fruits and shabby foliage. Unpruned figs also have a shorter lifespan.

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Articles about pruning trees and plants

Pruning figs in autumn - how to cut figs for the winter, recommendations for care + video

Features of fruiting figs

What kind of care is needed for this plant in order to get a crop in unfavorable regions for it? Will all the techniques used in southern horticulture produce appropriate results in a more temperate climate? To answer these questions, you need to know the biological characteristics of figs.

Figs, or Ficus carica in Latin, are native to Asia Minor. From there, this plant spread to all areas with a tropical and subtropical climate. It is ubiquitous in culture in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Crimea. There it is a tree up to 3-5 m high with large carved leaves. Inflorescences, and then fruits - rounded fleshy berries with a diameter in a mature form up to 10 cm, are located in the axils of the leaves. Moreover, they appear throughout the summer season, so on 1 tree you can see fruits of varying degrees of maturity. A sufficiently warm and long autumn allows most of the fruits to ripen, and those that remain for the winter, no larger than a pea, will safely overwinter and ripen next season. This is possible only at short-term winter temperatures not lower than -5-7°С.

Figs are a plant with a rich history

If the air temperature drops to -18°C in winter, all annual shoots die, and, of course, there is no need to talk about any fruiting on last year's shoots.

But figs successfully recover from overwintered buds on skeletal branches, lay flower buds in leaf axils, and if there is a sufficiently long warm period, we will get a harvest. Of course, it will not be as significant as in the south, where some mature trees produce about 300 kg of fruit and live up to 100 years.

If you want to have a fig tree in your garden and winter temperatures drop below -22-25°C in your area, then you will need to grow it as a low shrub or cordon to cover for the winter. How to cut figs following the example of covering grapes, you can find out by watching the video. If you want to grow figs in an uncovered culture or as a houseplant, then a simple description will suffice, taking into account the climatic features of your area.

Video: What is a fig plant?

How to properly prune figs depending on the region of cultivation

In the southern regions, figs are pruned both in autumn, after the leaves have fallen, and in spring, before the buds open. Pruning is aimed at thinning, removing dry and poorly located branches and periodically lowering the crown. It is carried out carefully, because excessive pruning can cause strong growth of lateral shoots and thickening of the crown. All sections are covered with garden pitch to prevent infection. An undesirable increase in the height of the tree can be avoided by pinching the growths in summer.

Pruning and shaping nigra

In a zone risky for the cultivation of southern fruit plants, figs are grown as a bush or low tree and cut in autumn, greatly (up to 20 cm) shortening all summer growths. Then the plant is tied with insulating material (reed mats, matting) or simply covered with earth, as shown in the video on the formation of figs as a covering crop.

Video: Pruning figs

Indoor fig culture

The cultivation of the fig tree as a houseplant is now very popular. The ease of propagation by cuttings, the presence of varieties that bear fruit in room conditions without pollination, beautiful large and carved leaves and the rapid onset of fruiting make this plant attractive to many lovers of room exotics. Do I need to prune a houseplant and how to do it correctly? You need to cut it off, otherwise the shoots will stretch out a lot, the bush will lose its attractiveness and side shoots will cease to form, on which flower buds are tied. At the same time, it is not recommended to carry out too intensive pruning of figs: this will cause a strong thickening, as a result of which the fruit branches will become too short and fruiting will stop.

Pruning indoor figs

Pruning indoor figs in autumn, after shedding their leaves. If the plant has not shed its leaves, then you need to transfer it to a dark room and limit watering, letting it rest for 2-3 months. Shorten summer shoots by 10-20 cm, depending on growth, above the outer bud. Slices are covered with garden pitch or plasticine. After transferring the pot with the plant to a warm, bright room, the buds quickly start to grow and form young shoots, forming flower buds in the axils of the leaves.

Video: Growing figs indoors

Rejuvenating pruning

Like other fruit plants, an old fig tree or bush can be rejuvenated with pruning. This procedure is also carried out in the fall, about a month after dropping the leaves. About half of the old fruit branches are shortened to 2 buds. The following year, the other half of the branches are shortened.

It follows from the above that the fig is a fairly plastic crop, easily pruned and shaped, which allows it to be adapted to various climatic conditions. Ripe fruits are very tender and cannot stand long transportation. Therefore, in order to feel the real taste of the wine berry, you can try to grow this plant in your garden plot or in your room.

Video: Formation and cultivation of figs