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Little figs
paull2
Posts: 93
in Fruit & veg
I've had a funny year for my small containerised fig trees. Unpromising Spring when only a few fruits appeared but I re-potted and fed them (as I do each year) at least to keep them happy. By midsummer a multitude of new fruits appeared and I know they will come to nothing. Question is, when these drop off (or I remove them) will new fruit grow on this same new wood next Spring or have the trees overstepped themselves and I'll get a poor crop again in 2017? Did I feed them at the wrong time? Shall I take the opportunity to prune back and forego next year's fruiting?
0
Posts
If you prune you will remove next year's fruit. You should have pinched out each branch end at the 4th or 5th leaf in summer; before mid-summers day. Next year's fruit is now in the leaf axils at the end of each branch. They are tiny.
All figs that are obviously figs should be removed now or through the winter - they will come to nothing.
It is easier and kinder to the fig to put it in a larger pot rather than keep re-potting, but if that is the way you do it, good luck to you, but do resist the temptation to prune away next year's fruit.
If your tree is small, you can bring it indoor and it will stay evergreen and even put up growth.
Thanks for that. All these (6) trees are 3-4 years old taken from cuttings and are about 6-8' tall and healthy in 'tubs'. But for some reason they produced little fruit at the start of the year but a load after I'd fed them in April. Perhaps I should remove the immature fruit and give a dressing now to bed them down nicely for winter (and fruit formation)? Perhaps the growing season is too short for me to feed as late as April? I will resist pruning this year's wood and hope for their good behaviour in 2017.
This site has really helpful information about growing figs - there's also a video re pruning the fig
https://www.readsnursery.co.uk/blogs/tips-advice/163561031-fig-trees
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.