I wish all the videos I researched on YouTube had this kind of instructions. Well done.

I followed your instructions last year and got my best crop ever. There's a lot of 'fig pruning' videos listed above yours when I searched, but this one truly gives the best advice.

I agree 100%. He truly is an expert based on his own decades of experience vs merely copying other's. I watch this video the same time every year to remind myself what to do before pruning my own trees. Every year.

Excellent video, thank you! I live in Nanaimo so this was incredibly helpful,  I was wondering why I only got one harvest when there were so many immature figs still on the tree! I moved into a new home with a HUGE fig tree (as tall as my house) and it needs some serious TLC. Would love to see you make more videos that apply to our local climate.

Thank you Bob - really well explained. We have 3 newish fig trees in our garden in Norfolk UK and this has helped me realise that we need to create a structure not far off the ground. We have been distracted by all the fruit we are seeing.

Very well explained.  I especially like the chosen height for fruit bearing.  It's not too high or too low.  On a separate note, I'm really interested in knowing more information about that espalier citrus behind Bob against the wall.  I imagine the dark wall serves as a heat sink for it and enables the tree to produce fruit.  I'd love to see Bob tell us more about it.  

Real life hands-on experience speaking. I watch this video early winter every year before starting pruning. Thank you for all that I've learned and will continue to learn from you.

Thank-you SO much for taking the time to share this with me. By far the most informative lesson I ever had. I realize I've been pruning incorrectly. Any suggestions for what to do with a 10 year old tree that was never "cut down" in the first three years to develop a spreading habit? Would you recommend topping it off?

Incredible video! Well done! One of the best pruning videos I have seen. Thank you very much!!

Never thought of pruning back that way! So very helpful and thank you so much! I live on Vancouver Island so this is 100% relevant.

Thank you so much Bob! You are the first person who made me clearly understand the breba fig crop vs the main fig crop, and more importantly created a great training system that can produce consistent breba crop. All I have to do now is try to figure out a way (other than fig trees in pots) to go through the much tougher winter in Montreal area in order be able to keep the one year old branches alive... Thank you once again!

Thanks Bob! Love your nursery and your video - I will wait to prune now until everything is dormant. Any ideas whether it's better to trim in December or January on the west coast?

Probably the most helpful video out there for fig pruning. Thank you.

Ditto!

Zarah 777 agreed! This is an excellent video. Coming back to it again and can attest that the advice here has changed the performance of my fig trees. Thanks or sharing.

Thanks for the very informative video :) What time of year would you do this? Also wondering if you would remove all the second crop of figs that don’t ripen from the tree.

Good video. A couple of suggestions: 1.) When using a pollarding technique for managing tree height and maximizing fruiting through hormone response (pruning stress), it is a best practice to prune 2 year growth, weak 1 year and drooping branches to the collar on the pollard head rather than a pre-determined distance (2cm). 2.) Also, it should be specified this method is best for orchard production and may not be suitable for casual figs growers in residential settings.

I´ve seen dozens of fig prunning videos but this is the best one. My grandpa had some figs and now i have 2 on my garden. He´s gonna eat some great figs from heaven. Thank you for all this great info! Much love from Brasil.

Thank you for making sense! Am "starting over" with a new pair of trees and the timing is perfect as they are about a foot tall and ready for a bigger pot. They will be indoors for the winter, so will have an early start in the spring in my zone 4B.

What about if the tree already grew too tall? I didn't know anything about pruning a fig tree, but now you have taught me much. I was watching a video about a drastic prune to shorten the tree a great deal in August. Will that kill a fig tree in your area? Did I understand correctly that the tree only fruits on the branch it grew the year before (as with raspberries)? So a drastic prune, if in August might create some growth for next year's fruit, but a spring prune-down would preclude fruit next year, is that correct? Why does a tree produce a measly 4 medium size figs, then about 40 secondary figs? Can I bring them in to ripen indoors in the fall? I'm speaking about in your area. Thank you.

This is probably the most comprehensive and easy to follow guide to pruning a fig tree I've seen. Thanks so much :) One question, is the a similar way to control height, whilst maintaining a more natural/ornamental shape, without the branches of the permanent structure ending in stubs?

This is fairly common when pruning for production, it keeps the overall height reasonable and promotes fruit production. (Was writing this as he mentioned the height point.) Commercial peach trees often have a similar appearance for the same reasons, encourage fruiting and keep height reasonable for harvest. Appearance is pretty much the trade-off for production and harvest ease in fruit trees.

This video was fun to watch and easy to follow - start to finish. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

This is an excellent guide and demonstration of pruning for a breba crop. Our climate in the UK is pretty similar and so it's quite difficult to get main crop figs to develop here, so this is how I will be training my trees. Thank you for this very detailed guide.

Very helpful , thank you! Can I ask what are the lowest winter temperatures in your area?

Hi Bob, would you have made that core structure shorter if you could go back ? I have a several potted trees that I’ve had for 2 or so years and they are ready for planting and I’m trying to gauge how tall that core should be

I am currently in year 3 of building the structure. I just watched this video for the third time and I'm off to prune right away!

Excellent video. Thank you. You covered all of the important points on how to prune to develop and maintain a fig tree for fig production in a northern climate. You even recommended the best fig variety, Desert King, for northern climates. 400 figs from that one tree?! Maybe you should do a video on what you do with all of your desert king figs!

Very, very well explained and made me learn how to prune my fig trees - I wish I watched this video years ago. Thank you very much!

THANKS Bob. Great video!!! Very clear and easy to follow. Pruning can be daunting but you make it seem much less scary. Just wondering if I should apply this same method if I am trying to keep my 2 Desert King figs more bush-like than tree-like?

Excellent video, you explane it all so well, It brings back for me some wonderful memories of when I was a young boy in Tenerife we had a very large( Breba fig tree) near the house and even had a small treehouse half way up it. It was enormous and totally left to its own devices never prune it and never really looked after it, there was no need, the climate there is so good it use to give us 2 crops a year, one early with very large figs and fewer in number and a heavy crop later it never failed to ripen them all with flavour to die for . I have been in the UK for the last 45 years and here it is very difficult to get them to ripen so I am going to follow your pruning system and hope I will do better. Thank you for your excellent pruning guide and stay safe.

Eindelijk iemand die het snoeien van vijgen eenvoudig en praktisch kan voorstellen!

Thank you! This video is exactly what I was looking for. We recently purchased a house in Central Saanich and were ooking for tips how to keep it looking great and producing. Now my Sunday afternoon is set up!

One of the very best videos of how to prune figs! Thank you!

Great video, explains what to do very clearly. Very helpful!

This is a really excellent film and it solves the problem of pruning for maximum breba over here in the UK which has a not dissimilar climate to the NW Coast. One question - here we are always advised to plant in a 'fig pit' which restricts root growth and is said to also encourage fruiting. Is that what you did with your tree? It looks extremely happy. I'd be interested to hear other viewers experience too. With thanks for any further help and advice,

Hi Bob. Great video. What time of year is best for pruning the 2nd year growth?

Thank you! I'm about to plant a King Fig in PNW. I foresee watching this video dozens of times. Would you post a photo of what your tree looks like in the summertime? Just curious what the form will look like during the growing season. Thanks

Thank you so much ...... We have our first house with an existing fig tree so your video helped us enormously! Very clear for those of us who are first time fig tree Owners.

Hands down the best explanation for pruning Desert King. I'll adapt that to wintering mine indoors.

I have a desert king in Phoenix, and this is applicable to that as well, although I got a great main crop this year into the winter before leaf drop.

Finally, a post that addresses fig growing in coastal PNW and gives a clear, comprehensive overview. I'm not able to physically prune my 16 year old overgrown fig. I think it's a Desert King. It does have a breba crop. It was damaged to the ground by cold several years back and came back strong. Last year it was pruned back to the main boughs, but now it's over 12 feet tall again. I've struggled to understand what to prune and how to recognize the age of branches.

Wonderful video... I now feel like an expert! Thanks very much Sir :-) I will now go out and redesign my wild and hitherto unpruned fig tree with more confidence!

Thank you--the demo and explanations are so helpful!

By far the best explained pruning technique on YouTube. Thank you very much indeed.

Bob gets to choose which branches to keep, and the rest of Canada has to pray our figs don't die over winter lol Thanks for this great video!

Thanks for posting!  We may start training my mom's figs this way.  They're established, but we can still restrict them with this system.

I'm so glad to have found someone that could help my poor expertise when it comes to fig trees.. My fig tree had reached 25 feet in height. Although it produced wonderfully, there was no way for me to get to the figs because the birds always manage to get them first. Last year I decided to prune it and I mean, really......... prune it.. Well, this year I had no fruit and now I know why.. I need to prune it again this year, I love figs and I'll make sure to do it the right way... Thank you for your informative well done video...

any chance you would post an update for this wonderful tree? seeing it with loads of figs would be very encouraging!

Very helpful, I am in Western Australia on the coast in a temperate climate zone and have a fig tree that is about 20 years old and out of control. Season just gone we had an abundant crop, but I need a ladder to reach them. The tree structure is similar to yours but too high and I want to cut it back to a more manageable height . As most of the new wood will go I expect it next season that we will not get many figs.

I get it, it is similar to spur pruning for grape vines. Great explanation and demonstration.

Very clear instructions. Thank you. I am curious what would happen if you cut the two year old wood branches all the way back to the collar instead of leaving a stub? Do you know Bob? Would it still stimulate the release of new branches?

Thank you very much! very clear and to the point video. I purchased a house with some land in Italy with fig trees all over the place, neglected for 50 years. One tree has a 60cm diameter and is all over the place but your method should still work. I will get to it tomorrow. Thanks again.

Your video is the best out there. Very useful. appreciated deeply for your information. Thank you Bob.

Great video. I was wondering how to maintain the size and shape of a 2 fig trees I have espaliered against my fence for the last 3 seasons.  This video made a lot of sense. Now I just need to know how to keep the birds away from them.

Thank you for showing, this is a much needed video. I am in Vancouver and will start pruning the same way.

Fascinating. Thank you. I am trying to build a couple of fig tree structures in my little orchard.

There are a lot of fig pruning videos out there, but almost none about "building" a fig tree. I saw off my five year old fig tree last winter and now I Have about 10 branches. The coming winter I will select 3-4 branches out of that then. Maybe I will grow different varieties on the same tree. Thanks for the great video!

This video is great - thank you. Please never delete it

I'm about to take the plunge into the fig tree world and your video has provided me with confidence to dive in. However, all the trees for sale at my local nurseries, were planted in Aug 2020 and the main trunk is already about 3 feet tall before any branches starts to form. How is it that your mature tree is so low to the ground? Also, I'm assuming as you maintained this 3 branch rule over the years, you were still getting fruit? Should I be looking to buy a tree less than two years old so the main trunk won't be so tall?

Hi Bob, I am in Seattle. I brought a fig tree last October. It has only one 2 feet tall trunk. How should I prune it so that it can split into 3 branches? Should I cut it down to half feet tall? Thank you!

Hi , do you recommend restricting the roots of the tree ?

Very informative video! If you could tell me when is the best time to prune a fig tree in the northwest I would very much appreciated. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.  Now, I know about the importance of the permanent structure.

I live in a London suburb and this works for me. Excellent advice, thanks for sharing.

Well done...beautiful tree, and very informative., thank you. I'm a relatively new gardener in Victoria, BC, and yesterday I noticed a narly old Fig tree at the corners of Cook & Meares streets. ( Don't know the name of this Fig tree) Someone had pruned it so I took a few scions for transplanting. I dipped them in rooting gel, and stuck them in a 50-50 mixture of per-light and peat. My question is will they. or what are the chances of them rooting at this time of year.

Great Video. Very informative and useful. Applied these techniques for Desert King and works well. Will it work for Brown Turkey and Black Mission?

Well explained and very useful tips :) thanks Bob....

phenomenal video. thank you so much for posting this. it was informative and presented clearly. god bless (and send some figs!) :-)

Hi Bob, thank you for the nice and clean information on fig tree. 😊

Thanks for the clear explanation!!! After looking at a lot of video' I' m glad to find this Canadian lesson.

I LOVE the shape/practicality of pruning method for this tree! I live in Zone 8B (About the same) on the East Coast but have a much longer season… aka... I get both crops in my area. I want to prune my trees to look about like this. What adaptation would I do to also get the Fall Crop? Just do the exact same thing??? Thanks!!!

Yes. You could do this method as is presented, especially if you like the pollard form and want both crops. However this method is harder than yearly pollarding as you must leave some 1 year wood to get the first crop. In your area it sounds like you could forgo the first crop and simply yearly pollard the tree. If your tree is already at the size you like, you could try pollarding this year ( 1 later crop next year) and changing next year ( by not pruning next winter) and go to the method here if you don't like the 1 crop. On the third year you could then prune to whichever you like better. Also the balance between crops is dictated by how much 1 year is left on. More thinning will lead to a stronger fall crop, but a smaller first crop. The right balance will require some trial and error and will depend on what you think is best for your situation.

Thanks for making this helpful video Bob!

Hi I have a question on when is the best time to do this. Also thank you very much for taking the time to explain on how to, very informative.

Pruning should be done in the early spring and if you missed the 2nd year stem in the 1st pruning and you found no fig on it, you can prune it off in early summer.

I wonder if this applies to peach trees? Great video.

The most helpful video on pruning fig trees. Thank you.

This was the most interesting info on how to prune a fig tree. I learned a lot ,and feel confident on pruning my tree in the future. I think your tree looks healthy and well kept,awesome job!. Thank you for sharing 🌳👍😊

I have followed your video pruning my mature fig in North Vancouver for the last three seasons. The tree was looking so much more manageable and healthy, and produced hundreds of breba crop figs but this year, it is May now and it isn’t showing any sign of new growth. Did the harsh winter kill it? Are you hearing reports of other fig trees that didn’t make it?

Thanks for the explanation, very clear, we have a lot of work to do.

Great video. Very informative!

Very helpful and clear information , thank you .

Thanks for the instruction. Really helpful!

Thanks for this. I'm just starting; figs planted in pots this year (lower mainland).

Can the two and one year cuttings be planted directly into the ground and expect a new fig tree to grow from it? And if the cuttings will actually turn into new fig trees once planted, about how long can the new tree take before producing fruits/figs? Thank you.

Extremely helpful video Thank you!

Hello good sir, I am from Flint area of Michigan. Was hoping I can get some tips on growing a fig tree. Currently I am growing the Chicago Hardy, and the Olympian in-ground as bushes. Last winter was rather brutal in terms of temperature, well bellow 0 degrees Celsius for many many days. My branches did not survive the winter. How were you able to grow the tree to this size and how are the branches are able to survive the winters? This seems like a rather large tree to cover during winter. Any help would be appreciated.

Very helpful, thank you so much 😊

you have answered all of my questions . Great video , thanks

Excellent and straightforward,thank you sir 👍

Thank you very much for the great instructional video!

Bob, I heard you say that you stubbing back to an inch on the two year old wood. For ga new shoot to grow I have always that you needed a node. Are you stubbing so that a node remains or is that not even necessary? Thank you. Great video!

Very informative and helpful; Thank You

Great information and presentation, thanks!

I realize this is an older video, but here is a question that either Bob or a person from that area can help me with. What does "climate too cool" mean? What is the hardiness zone? I live in NY, USA and the hardiness zone her is 6 and I always wondered if I could have a fig tree planted in my backyard.

I live in the same climate region as the video and have two figs. You can probably plant a fig in 6 in NY, but only varieties for your area because you have a colder winter than what we have here. Also you have warmer/more humid summer than here. Many varieties will not work in your area so your options will be limited. Also, it will be of utmost importance that the planting spot is not in shade and has ideally some winter time wind protection from a wall hedge or building. Look for what your local plant nursery sells, or ask there, as they likely only sell for a limited season and "should" only sell varieties that work locally. You may have more luck with a more cold-hardy type of fruit like a persimmon, or a hardy kiwi, apple, pear, etc. But, again make sure the planting spot is sunny!

Excellent video.... Do you have to bring your fig in for the winter or insulated in a special way I live in Connecticut and I have mine in huge huge planters which I roll in and out for summer.. they grow over eight feet tall.... After pruning it's all new growth which is fine, but if you do insulate yours for the winter what's your method, thanks

What do I do to the second crop of very small figs that are starting to form? Pick them off or will they just die over the winter? Will these branches forming these 'too late' figs produce a crop of breba figs next year?

I wish you had gotten a reply.....

This is the best video I have seen on fig pruning. Thanks and God bless

Excellent video! How would you winter protect such a tree in order to build structure?

Finally, just what i needed to know. Thanks!

How do you protect the branches on such a large tree during the winter? Or does it produce enough anti freeze to survive due to it's maturity?

There is no need for winter protection in that part of Canada. The winters are very mild.

indeed an excellent video, also for our climate in the Netherlands

It looks like your pruning in the fall, I've missed that can I prune my tree in the spring without too much damage? Or should I wait until next fall?

He is pruning start March according to text at end of video

Bob ,I also have an apricot espaliered on a south facing white wood wall .when is the best time to prune? thanks

Could the removed two year old branches be air layered or cut and used as starts for new trees?