This is basic maintenance pruning, similar to pruning that you would perform on other plants.
This fact makes it a relative of the mulberry tree.
The plant isindigenousto western parts of Asia and southeastern Europe.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
It is aninvasive plantin some areas of North America.
Fig trees grow 10 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide.
They have a spreading habit.
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They occur in hollow receptacles.
Preferred Growing Conditions
A fig tree can be grown inUSDA plant hardiness zones5 to 10.
Northerners should cut back on watering in the fall to begin the overwintering process.
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When you plant your fig treein the ground in the South, locate it inpartial shade.
Butfull sunis better when growing figs in pots in the North.
The plant will perform best in evenly moist, fertile, well-drained soil.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
The common fig tree does not need another tree for pollination.Scale insectsare one of its chief pest problems.
For this reason, pruning is avoided at those times when bleeding is likely.
The safest time toprune fig treesis when they are dormant.
The Spruce / Kara Riley
This will be a severe pruning: You will reduce its size by about half.
The focus in pruning your fig tree at this point is on training it to remain a compact plant.
You want your fig tree to direct its energy toroot developmentrather than to getting bigger.
Shape the Tree With the Second Pruning
Next dormant season, you will continue this training process.
You want to promote just a few of the strongest, newest branches.
What you are promoting is sometimes called “fruiting wood.”
These branches will become your mainstays for fruit production.
Know the Right Limbs to Prune
You will start with the secondary branches.
These are the limbs that grow off your branches of fruiting wood.
Prune off those growing at less than a 45-degree angle from the branches of fruiting wood.
These branches will be weak because they are growing at an unsustainable angle.
Branches that cross each other and/or are rubbing against each other must be pruned.
These branches could easily be injured and draw fungus or disease.
Prune back the length of the branches of fruiting wood by a third.
