How to prune figs in winter?

Fig , belonging to the genus Ficus in the Moraceae family, is famous for its sweet flesh and wide audience. As a perennial deciduous fruit tree, fig has two fruiting periods: summer and autumn. This fruit tree has strong adaptability, is not demanding on soil, and can grow normally in an environment where the temperature is not lower than -12°C. Even in the cold winter in the north, it can be planted by taking proper cold-proof and heat-insulating measures. Figs are drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant, and alkali-tolerant, and are favored for their fast growth, early fruiting, and high yield. Let’s learn how to prune the branches of winter figs.

1. Fixed

Figs are usually planted using one-year-old seedlings, with a height of about 40 to 60 cm, which is also the ideal height for trunk setting. After planting, cut off the top 40 to 50 cm from the ground. If the seedlings are shorter, topping can be done in summer after they survive instead of pruning in spring.

2. Plastic surgery

Reasonable tree shape is the basis for high, stable and high-quality fig yields. Figs love light, so the tree shape should be open heart or flat with a central trunk. At the same time, a certain amount of branches and leaves should be retained to avoid direct exposure of the main branches and large branches to direct sunlight to prevent sunburn and cracking of the branches. There are three main tree types:

1. Happy Shape

The tree has a large crown, a low trunk, no central trunk, and 2 to 3 main branches and side branches. It has strong three-dimensional fruiting ability, is easy to control and prune. It has good ventilation and light transmission, high yield and good quality, and is suitable as a variety for both summer and autumn fruit. It is not suitable for use in windy areas.

Key points of shaping: In the year of planting seedlings, cut the plant height to 10 to 15 cm to promote the germination of axillary buds and branching. Select 3 to 4 branches with ideal azimuths and growth potentials as main branches for cultivation, and cultivate fruiting branch groups on the main and side branches in subsequent years.

2. Clustered

The tree has a short crown, no main trunk, and grows in clusters. The fruiting branches of young trees grow directly from the base, while the fruiting branches of adult trees grow from the main branches evolved from the fruiting branches. It is easy to shape and prune, and is suitable for areas with strong winds and those that require winter protection, but the light conditions are poor and the fruiting position is low, which affects the quality of the fruit. Suitable for varieties with vigorous branching and weak drought resistance.

Key points of shaping: In the year of planting seedlings, prune the plants to a height of 10 to 15 cm to promote branching at the base and fruiting in the same year. Select 3 to 5 branches from the branches that emerge as main cluster branches for cultivation, and then cultivate side branches and fruiting branch groups in turn.

3. The shape of the character “文”

It is particularly suitable for protected cultivation, similar to the form of grape racks . The trunk is short, with two main branches extending horizontally forward. The fruits grow evenly on the horizontal main branches, so that the fruiting part is on a vertical plane, and the fruits mature in sequence from bottom to top. The fruiting branches have a large density, high yield, and easy harvesting and management. Suitable for varieties with strong tree vigor, vigorous branch growth and easy fruiting.

Key points for shaping: Planting row spacing is 2 to 2.5 meters * 3 to 5 meters. The trunk height is set at 40 cm in the spring of the planting year. When the tender shoots are 15 to 20 cm long, select two new shoots that generally extend along the row direction as main branches for cultivation. The extension direction and opening angle can be fixed with bamboo poles. When pruning in winter of that year, keep about 2/3 of the branch length for short cuts, and keep full buds at the cut ends. Before the buds sprout in the spring of the second year, set up the iron wire for guiding and binding the main branches, remove the original bamboo poles and other supports, and tie the main branches to the iron wire. After the main branches sprout, divide them into two sides of 40 cm, select fruiting branches, keep the spacing at 20 cm, and remove other branches.

3. Pruning

Figs have strong sprouting ability at the base, so they should be treated with a combination of winter pruning and summer management. When pruning, you should remove and retain branches in a timely and appropriate manner based on the fruit-bearing characteristics of figs, and the length of the remaining branches is generally controlled at 55 to 60 cm. When the plant is 7 to 10 years old, the length of the main branches should be kept within 90 cm. Because figs mostly bear fruit on 1-2 year old branches, the only control measure is to heavily prune or cut back the 1-2 year old branches after they bear fruit. Keep buds on the left and right sides of the cut, but not the buds in front and behind. The load ratio of main branches to fruiting branches (or branch groups) should be 1:3-4, and the load ratio of each branch group to fruiting branches should be 1:2-3.

When pruning fruiting branch groups and branches, mainly shorten them, retaining 2 to 3 fruit branches in each branch group, and mainly thinning out the more fruit branches. When pruning fruit branches, keep 5 to 7 buds and shorten the excess parts. When renewing the technical group, the heavy pruning method can be used to retain one horizontal bud on each side of the base of the pruned branch. After the new branches sprout, a new generation of fruiting branch groups can be cultivated.

1. Four methods of winter pruning

Shortening: Cutting off part of the annual shoots. Light pruning is beneficial to weaken the apical dominance of branches, increase the germination rate and increase the fruiting area. Medium and short pruning is beneficial to the growth of branches, increases the number of branches, and cultivates fruiting mother branches. Heavy pruning and very heavy pruning are used to control excessive branch growth or for crown renewal.

Thinning branches: Cut branches from the base to improve ventilation and light conditions within the crown, reduce and moderate the polar advantage of the tip, and reduce unnecessary consumption of nutrients. Figs have weak branching ability, so thinning should be done as lightly as possible. Generally, no thinning is done, or only dense, useless and dry branches are removed.

Cut back: To cut back or saw off a portion of a perennial branch. It is mainly used to restore the vigor of fig trees in their peak fruit-bearing period and to renew and strengthen the fruiting branches. By retracting the branches, the amount of buds on the outside or at the tips of the branches is reduced, light is directed deeper into the branches, and the lighting conditions in the crown are improved.

Slow growth: Do not prune annual branches, allow them to grow naturally. The main purpose is to moderate the tree vigor, increase fruiting branches and regulate the number of branches. Giving figs a longer growth period can help them bear fruit earlier and increase yield.

2. Pruning time

Winter pruning: Figs can be divided into two major pruning types based on their fruiting habits. Types that are not tolerant to pruning, such as Purple Fruit No. 1 and Star, should not be pruned or pruned heavily. Pruning-resistant types such as Brunswick and Brown Türkiye can promote branching by relatively heavy pruning.

Pruning during the growing season: During the growing season, root suckers, sprouts and leggy branches should be removed in time to maintain ventilation and light. For those varieties with weak branching ability but vigorous growth, they should be topped in time in July and August, that is, when the new shoots have 20 to 25 leaves, to control vigorous growth, promote branching, and achieve the purpose of increasing the number of branches and improving yield.

In summary, by following the above steps, you can effectively perform winter pruning and lay a good foundation for your fig tree 's growth and fruiting next year.