Hi from Japan! Thank you Ross, I enjoyed watching your videos! One more reason of unfruitfulness is that trees do not feel that they need to bear fruits because they can spread up their roots. One way to promote fruitfulness is to limit the area of root system. That way, fig feels the need of produce its fruits.
I had an old tree form fig that I pulled a branch into the middle of the tree and bent it towards the opposite direction it was originally growing. I wedged it in a way that it actually stayed in place and as the tree got bigger I used the branch as a step to reach the fruit.
Just what I needed to control height and not afraid to cut the huge trunks to base, thank you for a great tutorial re summer and winter pruning, the best 👍👍
Ross 4-5 years ago you suggested for my in ground fig tree that at the end of the season after frost I should cut my trunks down to around 12 inches. Which I have been doing. I then wrap what is left in black plastic and pile on some leaves. Come spring (142 days) I uncover and watch it grow. Typically my tree reaches about about 8-9 foot. I try and open up the center of the tree. Pretty easy on my part. dont know how you feel about my method but it seems to work. Thanks for another informative video
Ross this video makes a lot of sense to me. Pruning advice on very small plants to advanced plants. I will watch this again to further my knowledge. You have given us the big picture on pruning or not pruning. Thank you.
That was a great explanation on pruning! Um, its a little complicated, but ill watch again! Id like to keep the trees lower...so maybe if i get on the ladder and pinch off the apical buds now in December, it won't grow higher, but will branch out, but i wont get fruit next summer? Seems so hard to get fruit! Im going to net every one next yr so critters cant get them. Another reason to keep them smaller. I wonder if you got a huge high tunnel to put over your in ground trees would that work? I bet they are expensive, but the in ground trees might like it!!! ? What do i know! Not much🙄
I have a fig tree on the east side of my house… Planted several years ago. I get an average of several hundred figs to 1000 each season. The tree is about 10 to 12 feet tall and about 10 to 12 feet wide in a circle. It’s a beautiful When it’s growing. I would like to know how to prune the bottoms and sides to keep it more maintainable…
Hi Ross, Im in SE La(8b,9a, depending on which website i’m on)several of my young trees that I plan in putting in the ground in mid-Oct are 3 1/2-4’tall and single trunked. Should I top them now while they have 7-8wks to grow out some lower branches? One is a Violette de Bourdeaux and it must have been topped prior to my purchase last Oct. It is a single trunk that forks out in 4 different directions at about 4’ and it is about 4 1/2-5’ tall. I think it may have been topped for shipping purposes. What are your thoughts. TIA
It’s 12 degrees outside and my brown turkey didn’t get wrapped this year. My tarp got ripped in half. Any chance to take cuttings next weekend? I pulled my air layering balls off last weekend. They’re potted inside. Trying to wake them up in the bath tub before last frost so they can get some nice growth outside
I have 2 fig trees that are 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide. They don't get much sunlight nor do they fruit much. I noticed that both trees have 2-3 main stems coming from the ground. I am tempted to cut them back to 1 main stem but I am worried because the main stems are 3 inch diameter at this point. I think I am going to prune one tree back heavily now in the summer and the other tree in the dormant season to see the difference. There is also very little growth down low. It is all growing up on top of the canopy. I would really like to promote the tree to grow lower lateral branches.
I have a small fig tree in a wine barrel. Several years old and I get great figs every year. Black Mission Figs. It stays quite short because of how it was grafted when I bought it. It's always bothered me just a short little stump for the main branch. So today I bought one that is growing straight up and I also put that one in tree planter (wooden tree container). I don't want either of them in the ground as I do not have space for a large fig tree. I have never pruned that tree. But now that I have another tree, I'm trying to figure all this out with the pruning. Honestly, I found this video very confusing and never saw fig trees look like a bunch of bushes like you have. Why do you have so many fig trees? I just never seen all those branches that look like bushes so I think that's what's confusing me. I do not want my fig tree getting very tall so I guess I should pinch off the top as soon as it gets to the height I want? Should I trim off the side growths that are lower to the ground along the main stem of the tree of leave those?
Hey Ross, I am a little confused - you mention several times to not cut off apical buds, but I vaguely recall in one of your pinching videos that you do just that. What's the difference please?
I’m in Pennsylvania & my figs are babies& I have a lot, is it ok to prune off some leaves here& there to make fig leaf tea? & to create more sun to ripen my figs, I have a ton of huge leaves shading the figs. Ty 😻
I moved to Puerto Rico and I have my Chicago fig tree and a Celeste honey sugar fig tree in very large containers I am going to plant them in ground tomorrow can I keep them at 6 foot to maybe 7 to 8 foot the most
When removing the apical bud it is important to top where there is a good amount of spacing between the terminal nodes. Pinching just the tip can mess up the hormones in a tree due to tight node spacing left by improper tipping.
Is the apical bud where the new leaves grow out? I have a potted figtree and started growing now in spring. It has a lot of new leaves basically daily. Someone mentioned that the tip buds should be pinched off to stimulate the development of figs down the branch. Please advise.
Ross, I have a Black Mission fig that hasn't produced any fruit yet. It is about 6 ft tall. Any idea why? It is about 4 years old. It gets full sun for 10 hours at least. I have never pruned it. I have a Brown Turkey just a few feet over and it has produced the last two years. I have had a late frost the last two years that has killed the previous years wood as it was greening up, but each year they have growed back from the roots bigger each year.
Hi Ross from beautiful Silicon Valley in California! We have a beautiful, old, huge, I mean huge like 20' high by 20' wide, fig tree. The trunk diameter alone is about 3' !!!! Sorry not sure what type but figs are huge, green and flesh is dark pinkish/red. It has not been pruned for a year or two now hence it's size. This baby produces soooo much fruit that the wildlife just loves! We want to cut this baby back because she is too big and too messy. Can you give me any suggestions to cut her back so she doesn't get as high, as wide and produces less fruit? Is it healthy for her if I cut her back to her main, thick branch stubs off the main trunk? Thank you for your great videos and advice!
I'm having the same issue. My fig is probably more like 15x15 but everything I can find on UA-cam are people teaching pruning on very small trees, new trees in containers etc. Cuts that can be made without a saw. Also I have many wounds in my tree from winters and previous cuts that didn't heal, and don't know how far to cut back or what wounds will heal and where to take off a limb. Nobody is talking by about this. They teach how to train a relatively young tree but not how to deal with a neglected one that's 20 years old. Mine is also very productive.
My fig died back to nothing in the Valentines day massacre of 2021, and made fruit the following summer. S.E. Texas has its advantages. I say ot again.
I heard that you have to cut back your figs quite a bit if they're in pots or they may Peter out in a few years and not produce for you. I also heard that you need to root prune every other year or every third year once they're in their biggest pot. My figs are a little bigger and I would hate to have to cut them down to a foot and a half especially since I'm in the Pacific Northwest. So I'm not sure if I should keep them bigger like 5 or 6 ft? And I'm also concerned that if the roots aren't enough to support the bigger tree, should I be root pruning? Another question is, if I want to keep my plants smaller which time of the year produces the least rebound growth? I'm also confused with your pruning method of going down to the ground or a whole Branch because if you have your tree formed to the main branches if you cut it off it would be lopsided wouldn't it, and wouldn't it be big on all sides? Thanks
I'm in 7b. In ground trees. Trees came out of dormancy and started leafing out in February!!! Then we had like 3 weeks of 22° ish....branches are black and bark is peeling off even on the main trunks. I thought they were all dead. But today I went out to inspect and there are new shoots coming from the ground near the root stock on all 4! Should I cut the tree all the way down to 8"-12" and allow the shoots to grow out? Would that severe pruning encourage those smaller shoots?
From my impression of what youre saying, it seems to me that you prefer to tip your tree in the growing season for scaffold branches, rather than make a heading cut in the dormant season. Correct?
Hi, Jesse from Hamburg here. Iam in middle of the cloning season, and starting the figs. So last years clones/ yearlings. How far up a fig thats only a foot to two foot high do cut. Being iam now learn to properly shape my tree?
Yea, Ross Jesse again. I did find one of your videos, that was answering my prior question. And I lost it. You were a long a wall. With a bunch of year old figs. And you were showing how to shape the youngsters for the future. Can you hook me up with that video. Couldn't find it.😊
@@RossRaddi thanks for the update. I’m getting one in a few days. I plan to keep it potted and under grow lights come this spring. Thanks for all the great videos
Thanks Ross. Great info. I'm fairly new to fig growing (4-5 years) and having a lot of fun with it. Are there any good fig growing books you have found? I have been looking and don't seem to find much out there.
Watched this video and then went back to pruning video from 2 years ago. In that one you took off many apical tips. In this video you told us to not do that until into the growing season. Please explain this seeming difference in information.
Every year you learn new things, Joan. I think I spoke to you on this before. Pretty much all of the old information on pruning is not wrong, but inferior. The information regarding form did not change though.
@rossraddi - Im in South Florida and we don't have "Frost" and our figs usually always have their leaves. When will it be a good time to prune down here? Thank you!
My fig (6 years old) south jersey every year dies back to the ground whether I wrap it or not. It’s in the ground and I’m bright sun. It does not produce no matter what I do. I’ve pruned it, not pruned it. Made no difference It’s a common fig Whaaa
Love you Ross! An added note, a big figger in NYC posted that she digs up and sacrifices non producers. JUST SAYING! I root every part but I’m only 3 years in.
It’s a lesson, not a “do this to every tree”. Every tree is a different project. He is teaching you to put thought into it and how to think about it for success versus a numbered steps process. It’s an art, man! Have fun growing and learning from experience! Happy growing 🤙🏼
Hi from Japan! Thank you Ross, I enjoyed watching your videos!
One more reason of unfruitfulness is that trees do not feel that they need to bear fruits because they can spread up their roots. One way to promote fruitfulness is to limit the area of root system. That way, fig feels the need of produce its fruits.
Exactly! A very nice comment!
I had an old tree form fig that I pulled a branch into the middle of the tree and bent it towards the opposite direction it was originally growing. I wedged it in a way that it actually stayed in place and as the tree got bigger I used the branch as a step to reach the fruit.
Very creative, even if it was accidental/incidental😎
Just what I needed to control height and not afraid to cut the huge trunks to base, thank you for a great tutorial re summer and winter pruning, the best 👍👍
Thank you for sharing..I learned now how to handle fig trees..also their characteristics
Just what I needed......Thank you !!! 😊😊
Second Spring. I am still picking figs and even some of my strawberries produced again.
Very helpful! Thanks for describing the theories behind the techniques.
Ross 4-5 years ago you suggested for my in ground fig tree that at the end of the season after frost I should cut my trunks down to around 12 inches. Which I have been doing. I then wrap what is left in black plastic and pile on some leaves. Come spring (142 days) I uncover and watch it grow. Typically my tree reaches about about 8-9 foot. I try and open up the center of the tree. Pretty easy on my part. dont know how you feel about my method but it seems to work. Thanks for another informative video
Are you getting fruit every year? Still just as vigorous? I've tried this and wasted a whole season because of it
Yes plenty of fruit this year but unfortunately much of it never ripened because of some heavy frost
The method mentioned in this video for size control is better, but whatever works for you! That's the important part.
Ross this video makes a lot of sense to me. Pruning advice on very small plants to advanced plants. I will watch this again to further my knowledge. You have given us the big picture on pruning or not pruning. Thank you.
What a show-off! Big, big, fig fruit!
That was a great explanation on pruning! Um, its a little complicated, but ill watch again! Id like to keep the trees lower...so maybe if i get on the ladder and pinch off the apical buds now in December, it won't grow higher, but will branch out, but i wont get fruit next summer?
Seems so hard to get fruit! Im going to net every one next yr so critters cant get them. Another reason to keep them smaller.
I wonder if you got a huge high tunnel to put over your in ground trees would that work? I bet they are expensive, but the in ground trees might like it!!! ? What do i know! Not much🙄
The branches I cut off of my one year old fig tree and planted last May have fruit on them right now. S.E. Texas has its advantages.
Great video, finishing my 1st season in 5B
Congrats, Mike. It only gets better.
I’m saving this video, thanks Ross your the best!
This guy knows his figs. My main takeaway is that pruning is about light exposure and future growth.
I have a fig tree on the east side of my house… Planted several years ago. I get an average of several hundred figs to 1000 each season. The tree is about 10 to 12 feet tall and about 10 to 12 feet wide in a circle. It’s a beautiful When it’s growing. I would like to know how to prune the bottoms and sides to keep it more maintainable…
Hi Ross, Im in SE La(8b,9a, depending on which website i’m on)several of my young trees that I plan in putting in the ground in mid-Oct are 3 1/2-4’tall and single trunked. Should I top them now while they have 7-8wks to grow out some lower branches? One is a Violette de Bourdeaux and it must have been topped prior to my purchase last Oct. It is a single trunk that forks out in 4 different directions at about 4’ and it is about 4 1/2-5’ tall. I think it may have been topped for shipping purposes. What are your thoughts. TIA
Great Video Ross! Alot of Valuable information. 👍👍👍
It’s 12 degrees outside and my brown turkey didn’t get wrapped this year. My tarp got ripped in half.
Any chance to take cuttings next weekend?
I pulled my air layering balls off last weekend. They’re potted inside. Trying to wake them up in the bath tub before last frost so they can get some nice growth outside
I have 2 fig trees that are 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide. They don't get much sunlight nor do they fruit much. I noticed that both trees have 2-3 main stems coming from the ground. I am tempted to cut them back to 1 main stem but I am worried because the main stems are 3 inch diameter at this point. I think I am going to prune one tree back heavily now in the summer and the other tree in the dormant season to see the difference. There is also very little growth down low. It is all growing up on top of the canopy. I would really like to promote the tree to grow lower lateral branches.
I have a small fig tree in a wine barrel. Several years old and I get great figs every year. Black Mission Figs. It stays quite short because of how it was grafted when I bought it. It's always bothered me just a short little stump for the main branch. So today I bought one that is growing straight up and I also put that one in tree planter (wooden tree container). I don't want either of them in the ground as I do not have space for a large fig tree. I have never pruned that tree. But now that I have another tree, I'm trying to figure all this out with the pruning. Honestly, I found this video very confusing and never saw fig trees look like a bunch of bushes like you have. Why do you have so many fig trees? I just never seen all those branches that look like bushes so I think that's what's confusing me. I do not want my fig tree getting very tall so I guess I should pinch off the top as soon as it gets to the height I want? Should I trim off the side growths that are lower to the ground along the main stem of the tree of leave those?
Thanks for the lesson.
I just trained young branches entwining them to go upward..I don't cut...until very necessary
Hey Ross, I am a little confused - you mention several times to not cut off apical buds, but I vaguely recall in one of your pinching videos that you do just that. What's the difference please?
I’m in Pennsylvania & my figs are babies& I have a lot, is it ok to prune off some leaves here& there to make fig leaf tea? & to create more sun to ripen my figs, I have a ton of huge leaves shading the figs. Ty 😻
I moved to Puerto Rico and I have my Chicago fig tree and a Celeste honey sugar fig tree in very large containers I am going to plant them in ground tomorrow can I keep them at 6 foot to maybe 7 to 8 foot the most
When removing the apical bud it is important to top where there is a good amount of spacing between the terminal nodes. Pinching just the tip can mess up the hormones in a tree due to tight node spacing left by improper tipping.
Is the apical bud where the new leaves grow out? I have a potted figtree and started growing now in spring. It has a lot of new leaves basically daily. Someone mentioned that the tip buds should be pinched off to stimulate the development of figs down the branch. Please advise.
Ross, I have a Black Mission fig that hasn't produced any fruit yet. It is about 6 ft tall. Any idea why? It is about 4 years old. It gets full sun for 10 hours at least. I have never pruned it. I have a Brown Turkey just a few feet over and it has produced the last two years. I have had a late frost the last two years that has killed the previous years wood as it was greening up, but each year they have growed back from the roots bigger each year.
Hi Ross from beautiful Silicon Valley in California! We have a beautiful, old, huge, I mean huge like 20' high by 20' wide, fig tree. The trunk diameter alone is about 3' !!!! Sorry not sure what type but figs are huge, green and flesh is dark pinkish/red. It has not been pruned for a year or two now hence it's size. This baby produces soooo much fruit that the wildlife just loves! We want to cut this baby back because she is too big and too messy. Can you give me any suggestions to cut her back so she doesn't get as high, as wide and produces less fruit? Is it healthy for her if I cut her back to her main, thick branch stubs off the main trunk? Thank you for your great videos and advice!
I'm having the same issue. My fig is probably more like 15x15 but everything I can find on UA-cam are people teaching pruning on very small trees, new trees in containers etc. Cuts that can be made without a saw. Also I have many wounds in my tree from winters and previous cuts that didn't heal, and don't know how far to cut back or what wounds will heal and where to take off a limb. Nobody is talking by about this. They teach how to train a relatively young tree but not how to deal with a neglected one that's 20 years old. Mine is also very productive.
My fig died back to nothing in the Valentines day massacre of 2021, and made fruit the following summer. S.E. Texas has its advantages. I say ot again.
I heard that you have to cut back your figs quite a bit if they're in pots or they may Peter out in a few years and not produce for you. I also heard that you need to root prune every other year or every third year once they're in their biggest pot. My figs are a little bigger and I would hate to have to cut them down to a foot and a half especially since I'm in the Pacific Northwest. So I'm not sure if I should keep them bigger like 5 or 6 ft? And I'm also concerned that if the roots aren't enough to support the bigger tree, should I be root pruning? Another question is, if I want to keep my plants smaller which time of the year produces the least rebound growth? I'm also confused with your pruning method of going down to the ground or a whole Branch because if you have your tree formed to the main branches if you cut it off it would be lopsided wouldn't it, and wouldn't it be big on all sides? Thanks
I'm in 7b. In ground trees. Trees came out of dormancy and started leafing out in February!!! Then we had like 3 weeks of 22° ish....branches are black and bark is peeling off even on the main trunks. I thought they were all dead. But today I went out to inspect and there are new shoots coming from the ground near the root stock on all 4! Should I cut the tree all the way down to 8"-12" and allow the shoots to grow out? Would that severe pruning encourage those smaller shoots?
From my impression of what youre saying, it seems to me that you prefer to tip your tree in the growing season for scaffold branches, rather than make a heading cut in the dormant season. Correct?
That's one of the points, yeah. I'll have a video showing results of exactly that soon.
Hi, Jesse from Hamburg here. Iam in middle of the cloning season, and starting the figs. So last years clones/ yearlings. How far up a fig thats only a foot to two foot high do cut. Being iam now learn to properly shape my tree?
Yea, Ross Jesse again. I did find one of your videos, that was answering my prior question. And I lost it. You were a long a wall. With a bunch of year old figs. And you were showing how to shape the youngsters for the future. Can you hook me up with that video. Couldn't find it.😊
Ross; how are your pomegranate trees doing? Thanks
No fruit to report!
@@RossRaddi thanks for the update. I’m getting one in a few days. I plan to keep it potted and under grow lights come this spring. Thanks for all the great videos
Thanks Ross. Great info. I'm fairly new to fig growing (4-5 years) and having a lot of fun with it. Are there any good fig growing books you have found? I have been looking and don't seem to find much out there.
the Fig tree of the Baleric Islands. Get the English version. There are others depending on where you're growing.
Watched this video and then went back to pruning video from 2 years ago. In that one you took off many apical tips. In this video you told us to not do that until into the growing season. Please explain this seeming difference in information.
Every year you learn new things, Joan. I think I spoke to you on this before. Pretty much all of the old information on pruning is not wrong, but inferior. The information regarding form did not change though.
@rossraddi - Im in South Florida and we don't have "Frost" and our figs usually always have their leaves. When will it be a good time to prune down here? Thank you!
Look into biodynamic gardening, during the growing new moon phase (now) is the best time to propagate cuttings.
During your coldest period.
@@RossRaddi Thank you Ross. Here in south florida that is but 2 days lol. But your video has given me new information about pruning. Thank you.
Ugh, I could have used this video a month ago. LOL. Still learning.
My figs developed but were tiny…Chicago hardy. Are they supposed to be really small? Second season
What's tiny? They average about 30-40 grams depending on the variety of Hardy Chicago you have. Fruit size is quite variable when the tree is young.
Hi! Why not just remove the leaves instead of pruning?
You can split that little ruby and have two!
My fig (6 years old) south jersey every year dies back to the ground whether I wrap it or not. It’s in the ground and I’m bright sun. It does not produce no matter what I do. I’ve pruned it, not pruned it. Made no difference It’s a common fig Whaaa
Don't give up on protecting it. The tree must survive the winter if you're going to get fruits.
Love you Ross! An added note, a big figger in NYC posted that she digs up and sacrifices non producers. JUST SAYING! I root every part but I’m only 3 years in.
Would you do anything differently for a San Pedro or breba crop fig
No. You just do the recycling process I mentioned for size control.
Give to epsam salt fig tree
Too much repetition and no information on pruning a large tree. What about removing suckers? What about growing angles?
It’s a lesson, not a “do this to every tree”. Every tree is a different project. He is teaching you to put thought into it and how to think about it for success versus a numbered steps process. It’s an art, man! Have fun growing and learning from experience! Happy growing 🤙🏼
Dude if Fig trees can do that to you , Your mind is going to blow when you discover Women and sex.
A comprehensive guide to pruning... with no pruning in the video is a bit ironic :)
Felco 11