Fig Tree – New Growth

Q: My eight-year old fig tree was damaged by cold last winter. In years before it made tons of figs. We cut back the dead parts but from those big branches grew many shoots growing straight up. Last summer there were many leaves but few figs.

A: The fig responded to cold damage and your pruning by producing lots of juvenile growth, which produces very few fruit. It can take a couple of years for juvenile branches to begin fruiting heavily. If you can leave the fig alone and avoid pruning again, it will start producing the fruit you want.