AusBonsai

Heya!
So ive got some big figs that ive pruned and defoliated a few weeks ago and are starting to push buds everywhere. Has anyone used a well timed root prune and repot to slow the internode growth?
What im thinking is let them leaf out to 2 -3 leaves and then hit it with a repot to slow the growth on the tree down some more and the fresh buds should help with the recovery of the root prune. Has anyone got experience with this?
Cheers
Nic

I'll be interested to see if a repot slows growth for you. My experience is the opposite. After repotting I almost always get increased vigorous growth for a season.

I'm with Shibui with this. A repot will invigorate a fig and they tend to respond with vigorous growth. To shorten internodes you need more ramification so the tree disperses energy across more growth areas. Repotting less frequently and keeping fertiliser a bit lower is far more likely to reduce both leaf size and internode spacing. I have a large fig I put into an inorganic mix 3 years ago in a tight pot. It has been pruned a few times through the years, more on the top, and is only now getting more consistently smaller leaves and tighter internodes.

Oh okay that makes sense. Thanks for the advice guys! I think ill hold off on the repot for a year then