Figs ,mine's a standard

[morverngirl]

Puning advice please, my 2 trees were bought as standards, 1 last year the other this year. Last years is about 5ft high and the other about 3 ft. On both trees the leaves are growing from the tops (pinched out) and the small figs off the stems or main "trunk". I am unsure how to proceed in caring for them as all books seem to talk about bushes and fans.

[FB.]

How big do you want them to get?

[morverngirl]

I want to keep them in pots,we have a south facing garden/patio

[FB.]

If they'll be in pots, surely they'll be grown as bushes?

In my mind, "standard" implies a big tree, with 5-7ft trunk and 10-15ft spread of the conopy.

Figs should be pruned/trained in a similar way to apples.

[morverngirl]

Thanks, they look like fushia or rose standards, I thnk that is the right way of describing them, thin trunk and foliage at top, how do i get that shape to a bush, all the figs at garden centre looked the same, so no choice. actual figs are coming off trunk

[FB.]

If the lower branches have been stripped off by the nursery to give a long trunk, it could be very difficult to persuade them to re-grow those lower branches.

You'll have to work with the shape that you've got by controlling their upwards or outwards growth to the size and shape that you want. But you're probably stuck with the long trunk now that the lower branches have been pruned off at the nursery.

[chris]

Wouldn't notching help here? Guy I was buying apples off was telling me about this - to force the sap to stop and promote growth sideways? - just curious like..

[FB.]

Wouldn't notching help here? Guy I was buying apples off was telling me about this - to force the sap to stop and promote growth sideways? - just curious like..

I was thinking about "nicking and notching" but since the side buds would have already sprouted and then been pruned off to give a clean trunk, there's probably nothing but little scars on the trunk where the buds and branches once were.
The little scars where branches have been pruned off can sometimes be induced to sprout, but it usually takes a catastrophic injury to the top of the trunk (virtual decapitation) to persuade the lower buds to regenerate.

[FB.]

But along similar lines......maybe a fig would accept "bud grafts" into strategic positions......
Maybe even a variation on a cleft graft (using bridge-graft-technique) into the side of the trunk, using material from the upper branches as graftwood.

There would be some scarring evident after bud or cleft grafting, but it may well be barely noticeable after a few years.

Might be asking a bit much of a novice though.....

[morverngirl]

my fig

You are all getting a bit technical for me now, A few figs have sprouted from where the branches should have been, some look green ,others brown and have dropped off. As i had some fresh figs from a tree in South of france i was just hoping to remind myself of the most beautiful taste ever

[morverngirl]

Oh theres no upper branches, just leaves coming out the top

[WrexTheDragon]

I have a standard fig and a bush one. I get fruit on both, but more on the bush than standard.

I only prune to keep them in shape.

[morverngirl]

Cn you tell me what height your standard is and whether you are doing anything special with it in the way of pruning etc. thanks

[WrexTheDragon]

The total height from the ground is 63 inches and it is in a 12 inch pot.

I will only prune it in a months time to keep the head shape.

Hope this helps.

[morverngirl]

Thanks Wrexthedragon for the picture, my figs are now starting to look like yours, the smaller 1 has 4 figs coming off the trunk but I.m not sure where the larger 1 will grow the figs from,still I'll persevere and hope.