Advice on pruning my figs

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tom k
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Advice on pruning my figs

Post by tom k »

Hi all, I'm new here.
Here are some photo's of my figs (full photos are followed by close-ups of each). All 3 were started from collected seedlings with a bulge at the base but no branching. The first was snapped off a wall with no roots, the others pulled from a crook of a street tree.
Any suggestions/advice on training would be appreciated.
In particular- On the first, should I be cutting any of the top branches to stop a reverse taper developing? On the second, should I be tipping, cutting back a few leaves, or cutting back to bare branches? On the third, should I select one branch from the two areas where they have clustered after pruning? On this one I think I should root prune as it's been growing vigorously and I'm afraid it'll turn into an ugly tangle, so I should take some top growth too?
And should I do these things now or wait till next spring/summer?
Hope these pics are good enough to be able to say...
Thanks heaps
PS Like the Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) on the base? I think it looks cool and encourages arial rooting.
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tom k
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Joined: April 10th, 2011, 5:28 pm
Favorite Species: F. rubiginosa
Bonsai Age: 7
Location: Sydney Inner West

Re: Advice on pruning my figs

Post by tom k »

Oops, sorry, they're in reverse order :oops:
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Re: Advice on pruning my figs

Post by Handy Mick »

Hey Tom, where do you live in Australia? It is quite important when giving advice to have such info.

Mick
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tom k
Aussie Bonsai Fan
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Posts: 17
Joined: April 10th, 2011, 5:28 pm
Favorite Species: F. rubiginosa
Bonsai Age: 7
Location: Sydney Inner West

Re: Advice on pruning my figs

Post by tom k »

Sorry, thought it came up on the member info thing.
I'm in inner sydney, so no frost but temps occasionally down to 1 degree in mid/late winter.
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Re: Advice on pruning my figs

Post by Gerard »

As a general rule I will only work on figs in summer. A greenhouse will allow more flexibility. If you are concerned about reverse taper you could remove one or two offending branches but avoid repotting and agressive pruning if possible.
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