Just finished one of the emotionally toughest jobs in the orchard… pruning young fig trees. After a year of watching them grow and celebrating every leaf and shoot, the time had come to force them into shape before they put this year’s growth in the wrong place. Every branch lopped off held the promise of new fruit, eagerly awaited by customers.
The different varietals had different habits. The Brown Turkeys tended to sprawl low to the ground, while Desert Kings go for the sky. The Black Missions required very little… they seemed to grow in the proper “wineglass” shape with little training. Some trees look great… others had to get the “do-over” prune.
Tough as it was to cut away that much growth, it still felt good. Having a proper structure for the trees will pay off in the long run. And since we don’t have cooler facilities yet, keeping our crop volume down makes sense.
Now if the cuttings I transplanted will just take root and give me new trees, this will have been a very good day.
