Pruning my fig tree

[@Ziad_Sakr]

Looks nice , great job 🎉

[@ricorodi]

Thank you 🙏

[@bosquebear1]

Such a nice tree! When you remove a branch, do you leave one or two nodes at the base of the branch to grow next years fruiting branches or do you remove it completely to last year's cut? I am thinking to leave a couple of buds like i would on a grape vine.

[@ricorodi]

Thank you. This time, I removed last year’s growth completely to last years cut, except for two branches on the side of the tree that I want to grow longer. Those, I cut back to a couple of nodes. What you’re thinking would work just fine, I think. 👍

[@nafisanabiel2457]

Thanks teaching pruning fig trees. I live in New York and I planted couple of fig trees this year. They had figlets late and will not ripe this fall. Please send me the schedule of fertilizer for spring, summer and fall. I am new and want to have a lot of figs next year. Thanks

[@robertwren8878]

I learnt a lot from that. Thankyou. Now I know what to do 👍

[@azzopardijohn2711]

Thank you sir

[@lukeott58]

Very nice 😊

[@cansarratt3407]

Looking good. How do you keep the birds away from your fruits? Thank you.

[@ricorodi]

@@cansarratt3407 Thank you. I have two strategies. We have three outside cats. Generally, the local birds population know that they hang about the property, so they are wary about “making themselves comfortable” among the berries and fruit trees. But the cats aren’t always around, so I have hung up four silver CDs, each on a string. These CD swing gently about in the breeze and reflect sunlight (like a mirror does) into all corners of the garden. The birds really don’t like the unpredictable movement of the reflected light. It startled them and they prefer to go somewhere else. I will be doing an update on my small orchard in a few days, and I’ll make a point of showing how I use the CDs to keep the birds away. They’re more effective than the cats.

[@cansarratt3407]

@@ricorodi - Thank you. I will try that next season for my fuyu persimmon. Would you think that will work with the squirrels too?

[@ricorodi]

@@cansarratt3407 hahahahaha. No. Nothing scares those little blighters.

[@donmenard1302]

@@ricorodi I found that hanging old CDs from strings worked great, along with netting. The CDs kept the birds from sneaking under the netting.

[@ricorodi]

@@donmenard1302 thanks for the feedback. After I placed my CDs I found that the birds avoided my garden, almost completely.

[@gardeninglifeinusa625]

Good job❤

[@ricorodi]

Thank you 🙏

[@mikeharrington5593]

Will there be any fruit in the year following pruning back to old wood ?

[@ricorodi]

@@mikeharrington5593 good question. The answer is yes. The new wood brings lots of new fruit with it.

[@tekinmoustafa8141]

this would not be very wise in England. all figs would be lost by cutting off the fruit bearing branches.

[@ricorodi]

You are probably right. The more wood you have on your fig tree, the more new wood will grow on it next season - therefore you’d get more fruit, certainly. My fig tree tends to fruit on new wood, so I prune it back every season (as per the video) and it gives me back between 8 to 10Kg of figs. And that’s enough for us, to eat and to make jam for the entire year. It also keeps it as a smaller tree with good air-flow in it - in the hot months. I have a lot of humidity here and it grows fungus if the foliage of it is too thick. If could leave more wood on it, yes. It would grow bigger and give me more fruit. It seems to me that the best way is to get to know your tree, learn how it performs, and maintain it to suit your needs. When does your tree fruit, and for how long?

[@ricorodi]

PS. I understand that some fig tree varieties do give some fruit on old wood. If an older branch has a leaf bud on it, it will probably fruit there too.

[@tekinmoustafa8141]

in england the only figs which grows are only on the tips of the last year's growth. once cut off. the new growth for the following year will not bear fruit. we do not have the fig wasp in UK because it is cold and they cant survive to pollunate the newly developed figs..@@ricorodi

[@JohnWDavis-v5z]

Won't work in Washington state

[@ricorodi]

@@JohnWDavis-v5z Why?

[@barryjanis]

tree is too tall, you're feeding the birds

[@ricorodi]

Yes, but I still get 8 to 9 kilos of figs every season. You’re right though. However, this tree was already established when I got here. It is much shorter now, but I should make it even shorter - and I will, with time.