The fig tree naturally exhibits apical dominance, where the main growing tip produces the hormone auxin, suppressing side shoot development. This results in a tree that tends to grow tall and spindly, prioritizing vertical height over lateral spread. To cultivate a bushier, more robust fig tree with increased surface area for fruit production, you must counteract this hormonal tendency. The goal is to redirect the tree’s energy from upward growth into outward branching, creating a fuller, more manageable canopy.
Strategic Pruning to Encourage Lateral Growth
The most effective method for structural change is dormant-season pruning, performed in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. This timing allows the tree to redirect stored energy into forming new branches once the growing season starts. Cutting the terminal growth of a branch, known as a “heading cut,” physically removes the source of the growth-inhibiting auxin hormone. This disruption signals to the dormant lateral buds below the cut that they are now free to grow.
To induce a new branch, make the heading cut about one-quarter inch above a bud facing the desired direction of growth. Cutting above an outward-facing bud ensures the new shoot will grow away from the center, contributing to a wider structure. Removing the top growth encourages the release of hormones like cytokinins, which promote lateral branching and a bushier form.
Heading cuts are designed to stimulate multiple new shoots from the remaining portion of the branch, unlike thinning cuts which remove an entire branch back to its origin without stimulating new growth. Structural pruning should be a measured process performed while the tree is dormant. Excessive or late heading cuts can lead to vigorous growth that may not harden off before winter, increasing the risk of cold damage.
Seasonal Pinching and Tip Removal
A lighter technique called “pinching” can be used during the active growing season in spring and early summer. This involves using fingers or shears to remove only the soft, newly formed growing tip, which is the apical bud of a young shoot. Pinching immediately halts the vertical elongation of that specific shoot, forcing energy and hormones to be distributed to the buds immediately below it.
This redirection encourages secondary branching on the current season’s wood. Pinching is typically done once a new shoot has developed five to six leaves, ensuring the branch has enough leaf surface to support itself. The resulting branches are often shorter and less vigorous than those from dormant pruning, which benefits fruit production and canopy density. Pinching should stop by mid-summer, as later removal of the growing tip can prevent the formation of next year’s fruitlets.
Using Notching and Scoring to Induce Branching
Notching and scoring are targeted methods used to force a dormant bud to break and form a branch in a precise location. This technique is useful on older wood where a bud has remained inactive or on a bare section of a branch. Notching involves making a small, shallow cut or notch just above a dormant bud, penetrating only the outer bark and cambium layer. The cut should be about one-quarter to one-third of the way through the stem’s diameter.
The purpose of this minor injury is to interrupt the downward flow of auxin, the growth-inhibiting hormone that travels through the bark. Blocking the auxin’s path above a specific bud prevents the hormone from suppressing that bud’s growth, releasing its dormancy. Scoring is a similar technique where a shallow ring is cut completely around the trunk or branch to interrupt hormone flow, though it is used less frequently. For either technique, use a sharp, sterile blade and perform the action in late winter or early spring just before the tree begins its growth cycle, which increases the likelihood of success.
Nutritional and Light Management
The type of growth a fig tree produces is influenced by the balance of available nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen is primarily responsible for lush, vegetative growth, including long, vertical shoots and large leaves. An excess of nitrogen encourages the tree to focus energy on height and foliage at the expense of lateral branching and fruit production.
To promote a bushier, more balanced growth habit that favors branching and fruiting, reduce or avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. Use a balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 blend in early spring, with an equal or lower proportion of nitrogen compared to phosphorus and potassium. Phosphorus supports root development and fruit set. Insufficient light also contributes to a tall, spindly growth pattern known as etiolation, as the tree stretches for adequate sunlight. Ensuring the fig tree receives maximum sun exposure encourages the development of shorter internodes and naturally denser, wider growth.