As of: March 7, 2024, 10:00 a.m
By: Joana Lück
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Exotic fruits from our own cultivation – no problem with fig trees.
But when should you cut them and what do you have to pay attention to?
Even though figs are one of the more exotic fruits, under the right conditions they can also be cultivated in this country.
The prerequisite is that the fig tree has a slightly sheltered location and gets a lot of sun.
In winter, outdoor specimens should be better covered while potted plants move into the warmer areas.
They come back outside in March or April.
Then it's time for a pruning.
Treat the fig tree like any other fruit tree
The fig tree needs pruning in spring.
© J. Pilsak/Imago
The fig originally comes from the eastern Mediterranean and is now widespread in all subtropical countries on earth.
However, cultivation is particularly promising in southern Germany.
To ensure that it produces plenty of fruit, you should cut it regularly.
Please note the following for specimens in containers such as outdoor trees:
Only prune the fig tree when it has reached a certain age.
If it is less than two years old, it does not need to be cut back at all, as this will hinder its development.
Similar to other fruit trees, pruning is best done in spring.
According to
Plantura.de
, it is important that the fig tree has not sprouted before you reach for the scissors.
Under no circumstances should you cut the tree in summer, as this could risk the harvest, which is already at risk in our latitudes.
Winter should then be about hibernation, in which the plant gathers strength.
The more discreet the better: only cut the bare essentials: dead branches that you trim down to the next fork.
You can also thin out the crown and cut shoots in the lower trunk area.
If young shoots have been damaged by frost in winter, you should cut off the affected parts so that new shoots can grow there.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
As
Plantura.de
emphasizes, it is important to know that figs thrive on one-, two- or three-year-old wood and not on annual shoots.
That's why you should leave this wood as good as possible.
New figs will later be created from cut shoots by planting them in a pot.