Your fig tree needs regular pruning to ensure that it bears fruit. We show when the perfect time for a pruning is and how to properly cut figs in the tub or in the garden.
Does the Mediterranean fig also grow in your garden? If so, a skillful pruning can ensure she produces more of her sweet and desirable fruits. Fig trees (Ficus carica) are rare exotic species in Germany, but their number is constantly increasing. Especially in milder areas, the tree can grow very luxuriantly with its sweet fruits.
Basically, figs don't need to be cut. Even without human intervention, the trees develop their typical sprawling shape and produce plenty of fruit. However, to stimulate growth and improve yield, pruning can be worthwhile. Even bare fig trees can be brought back into an attractive shape. Below we will show you when and how to prune your fig tree.
When to prune fig trees?
Like apple and pear trees, figs are also fruit trees. And like other fruit trees, fig trees should be pruned primarily in early spring.
Pruning fig tree in spring
If you prune a fig tree, this should always be done in spring when it starts to get warmer. Bringing potted figs outside is the right time to prune. This is usually the case in March or early April. Choose an overcast day for the pruning that promises no precipitation. This allows the wounds to dry well and heal quickly, protected from excessive sunlight.
Pruning fig tree in summer
Pruning fig trees in summer should generally be avoided, as the tree does not tolerate cutting as well as before the growth phase in spring. A pruning would cost the fig too much energy and also endanger the harvest. PlaceIf you decide in the summer that you need a pruning, wait until next February.
Pruning a fig tree in autumn
Even autumn is not the right time for pruning the fig tree. At this time of year the tree is still producing the last fruit and dropping its leaves. He's getting ready for winter. A cut is always a strong intervention and affects the plant. However, this should now be fully devoted to the preparation for the cold season, i.e. the hibernation of the fig tree. In addition, cuts do not heal well over the winter and frost damage can occur. In early spring, when the tree is back in sap, it can seal wounds faster and more efficiently.
Pruning a fig tree: This is how you proceed with pruning
Because fig trees can take care of themselves quite well, they don't need drastic pruning. Nevertheless, pruning can improve the shape and secure the yield. It is essential that you use clean and sharp tools for the cut and always cut back to the next suitable branch fork or bud. In principle, the procedure is similar to that for other fruit tree species:
- First cut dead branches back to the next fork.
- Remove shoots from the lower part of the trunk.
- Light out the inside of the crown with a few cuts, if necessary. To do this, crossing branches or branches that are close together should be removed. Thinning out allows figs to ripen more likely on this year's wood.
- Balance the crown of the tree. Identify the leaders and make sure they are about the same strength. If a main shoot is dominant, it can be weakened by shortening it up to the next fork.
It is important to know that the main yield of the fruit does not come from the one-year-old shoots. These also bear fruit a little later in autumn, but the figs mainly thrive on two-, three- or four-year-old wood. In spring you can already discover the beginnings of the later figs with the thick buds. This will give you a feeling for which branches and twigs will produce the most figs. Older wood hardly produces any more yield and can therefore be cut back a little from time to time. In order to always get enough fruit-bearing wood, you should always cut backmake sure to leave enough one, two and three year old wood.
You can also cut a little more radically with bare trees. However, do not carry out a harder cut every year, but only if absolutely necessary.
Young and newly planted fig trees should always be spared from severe pruning so as not to impair their growth.
Tip: You can use cut shoots as cuttings to grow a new fig.
Pruning Frozen Fig Tree
In this country it is quite possible that fig trees are damaged by the severe frost in winter. The thick branches are less affected, but rather the younger shoots. If you notice such damage in the spring, you should definitely remove the frozen branches and twigs to stimulate the formation of new shoots. Prune such branches back to the nearest bud or fork in sound wood.
Pruning a fig tree in a pot
The same applies to potted fig trees as to fig trees planted out. Prune these trees as soon as you bring them outside from winter quarters.
Not only cutting, but also fertilizing the fig tree ensures a richer harvest of the fruit. You can find out how to do this in our special article.
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