How to Trim a Fig Bush

Figs are an edible fruit that's produced by a plant that can develop into either a tree or a bush, depending on how deep it is planted. Most fig plants are transplanted from nurseries, and then planted into the soil around residences. If you want a bush, which will be smaller than a tree, plant your fig at the same depth that it grew at the nursery. Fig bushes require little pruning, except during the first year or two after being transplanted to your yard, and even then, it is not a terribly difficult job, and won't take much time.

Fig bush
Safety glasses or sunglasses
Pruning shears
Work gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Put on a pair of work gloves and safety glasses or sunglasses. Fig plant branches contain a milk-like sap that can irritate your skin or eyes.
- 2
  Cut the total length, or height, of your fig bush by half. This is especially important to do right after transplanting the bush into your yard from the nursery.
- 3
  Cut any dark or blackened branches off of the main trunk.
- 4
  Examine the bush for any branches that are tangled or criss-crossing. These branches will compete for sunlight with one another, and should be removed. Cut off any branches that are crooked or growing on top of another branch. Too many branches will not allow enough sunlight into the rest of the bush.
- 5
  Select four to six well spaced, upright growing sprouts or branches. These will be the main fruiting branches. Thin all of the other branches around these four to six branches, otherwise you will have too many branches competing with one another.
- 6
  Check your fig bush regularly to make sure it does not sprout a second trunk. Cut off any secondary trunks that begin to sprout next to the original trunk. A second trunk will weaken the overall health of the bush, and the amount of fruit produced will decline.

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