When is a good time to trim my fig trees back, and how much is safe to trim?

I live in south Mississippi. We bought a house and there are fig trees that obviously haven't been trimmed much (if at all) because they are well over 10 feet. I'd like to trim them down as much as possible so that the fruit isn't so high and I can pick it. I know that the fruit will only grow on new growth, and it doesn't matter to me if I have to skip a bearing season...I just want to get the trees back down to a maintainable level.

When is a good time to trim my fig trees back, and how much is safe to trim?
Well ,your right, you will lose next years crop if you prune heavily this winter but,If you must, you can do the drastic pruning in the winter. Pruning a large, old fig tree is best done in stages. Figs can withstand a lot of pruning, but every tree has limits.Most pruning is best done when the tree is dormant, during the winter when it is leafless. Even during the spring and summer, however, you can start by removing all branches and stems that are obviously dead.

If you want to try and have figs for next year, It is better to prune immediately after the main crop is harvested, or with late-ripening cultivars, summer prune half the branches and prune the remainder the following summer. If radical pruning is done, whitewash the entire tree. This helps keep the possibilty of insect and disease attack down.

Hope this helped you.

Laura

BlueStar Acres

Approx. 45 miles due south of Houston
Reply:In the late fall after all the leaves have gone and the tree is dormant. Then just prune to shape, but leave the main trunk and most of the branches, just open the tree up and top it to a practical level. Use a tree seal to cover the wood cuts. You will still have to use a ladder to pick the fruit, otherwise you will have a bush not a tree.
Reply:You won't succeed if you are to destroy them with a tractor.

Best way when they are leafless, trim as much you can.
Reply:The best time to trim is in the winter while the tree is dormant. This will also cause it to "bleed" less as sap does not run as much in the winter. Also, less likely to get diseases during the winter.



Best time is in February, very early march, right before it begins to put out new leaves.



As for how much you can trim, that is compeletely up to you.



You can literally cut it down to a stump if you want and it will grow back. Dont do this though, as it will take many years before it will bear fruit again.



But, if the fruit are already too high, you may have to do a trunk chop - chop it down to about 5 feet and them trim from there. You may not gt any fruit the first year, but you should after that.



And yes, that is safe to do - that is how you get bonsai - you take a large tree and chop it so that you get a fat trunk on a short tree.



Think about all the stumps you see with little sprouts coming up - thats why they have to be poisoned, because the tree will just grow back.



If you like the hight of the trunk, just trim the branches back, but either way, do it in late winter just prior to the new leaf buds emerging.

ada