Techniques for Trimming and Encouraging Growth in a Fig Tree
In the sunny gardens of the UK, fig trees thrive, offering a bountiful harvest of delicious fruits. To ensure a healthy and fruitful growth, it's essential to follow a pruning schedule that promotes the tree's health and maximises production.
Firstly, the best time to prune a fan-trained fig tree is during the dormant season, which is late winter. This timing prepares the tree for vigorous growth in spring without the risk of damage from cold weather.
When it comes to pruning techniques, it's crucial to use sharp, clean, and disinfected pruning tools to prevent disease spread. Dead, diseased, or damaged (DDD) wood should be removed at any time to improve overall tree health. For fan-trained figs, pruning should maintain the fan shape by cutting back last year’s growth to a few buds, encouraging new shoots that will bear fruit.
Spring pruning is generally lighter and focused on tidying up and removing frost damage without heavy structural cuts. A light trim can be performed in early spring to remove any frost-damaged wood or weak new shoots. Major pruning during the sap flow period in spring should be avoided to prevent stress. Instead, cuts should be made just above outward-facing buds to encourage expansion of the fan shape.
Following this pruning schedule promotes healthier growth, maintains the fan form, and maximises fruit production in the UK climate. To get a good crop, avoid cutting too many fruiting branches off during the first crop season.
When fan training a fig, remove the leading or main shoot, cutting it down to where there are some branches at a 45 degree angle. Cut back the arms by around two thirds to create a short tree with two arms. In summer, tie in up to four shoots from each arm.
It's not necessary to prune a fig tree in early to mid spring and early summer if it has already been pruned twice in that season. In spring, remove a third of each of the four branches on each side of a fan-trained fig, cutting back to an upward-facing bud where possible.
Figs grow to around 5m by 3m, but can be kept to a manageable size by pruning annually. Figs produce two crops in the UK, with the first crop starting in late summer and the second in late spring.
Remember, fig trees should be pruned in spring after the danger of frost has passed but before new growth starts. Figs can be grown in the UK. Don't prune a fig tree after midsummer, as it can affect the following year's crop.
A more effective way to curb growth is by restraining the roots, such as growing in a large container or lining the planting hole with paving slabs and rubble. It's not effective to leave any stubs when pruning a fig tree to prevent new growth in a specific direction. Instead, take away the entire branch or shoot.
Covering fig trees with horticultural fleece can protect them from cold weather in the UK. There's no need to prune a fig tree in autumn, but it's important to remove any large fruits that haven't ripened.
In summary, pruning a fig tree twice a year, in early to mid spring and early summer, ensures a healthy and fruitful growth. Pruning a fig bush involves creating a well-balanced bowl shape, while fan-trained figs require pruning twice a year, as well as annual maintenance to maintain their shape. Happy pruning!
Maintaining a fig tree in a home-and-garden setting calls for pruning techniques that support its lifestyle and growth. Following the recommended pruning schedule twice a year in early to mid spring and early summer ensures healthier growth, maintains the tree's shape, and maximizes fruit production in the UK climate.
