Pruned and Reshaped Figo Preto

I don’t know if you are going to, but I would also notch some of the lower buds as they often want to stay dormant and mostly upper ones wake up.
 
Agree with the above recommendation - do it now. Otherwise, what's gonna happen is the top buds open up and leaf out, and will shade out the bottom buds, and those will grow less optimally. I also think it may have something to do with the hormonal balance, and once top buds begin to grow, getting the lower ones to grow well is always a challenge. But once they wake up at about the same time, this usually is not a problem IME. You want them all to wake up at the same time.

bushdoctor82 said:
Would you recommend waiting for the top bud(s) to open before notching the lower buds, or does it matter?
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MJFIGS said:
I usually butcher my trees when I prune but I can not do this to my Preto 😅 I just dont have the heart to do that.


The shape looks great, from now on it will grow beautifully
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I’ve been putting it off for a few years but finally decided to bite the bullet - and the cuttings went to a fellow member.
 
Great job, Doc!
I know it is easy to say… but those would’ve have been excellent branches for air layers 😊
But, I have been there and I wanted to focus on the mother tree by pruning and allowing it time to heal before spring.
 
MFJFIGS said:
I know it is easy to say… but those would’ve have been excellent branches for air layers 😊
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@MFJFIGS don't worry, those cuttings went to good use! @bushdoctor82 generously gave them to me knowing they would be passed around. After starting several (and keeping some tips to play with grafting), I shared the remainder so they're floating around the fig community now.

@bushdoctor82 when you notch your tree to encourage lower nodes branching, can you please post photos of how deep you notched? I need to do the same for my trees. Some grew so tall last season that I'm starting the scaffolds again lower to the ground.
 
9ah-figlet said:
@MFJFIGS don't worry, those cuttings went to good use! @bushdoctor82 generously gave them to me knowing they would be passed around. After starting several (and keeping some tips to play with grafting), I shared the remainder so they're floating around the fig community now.

@bushdoctor82 when you notch your tree to encourage lower nodes branching, can you please post photos of how deep you notched? I need to do the same for my trees. Some grew so tall last season that I'm starting the scaffolds again lower to the ground.
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@9ah-figlet I hope you don't mind if I respond. I've had 100% success with this method; it works well.

Here is the YT video I used to learn notching, it's the best one out there as far as I am concerned -

Here are my examples from last year


figs-371.jpg

figs-372.jpg

figs-373.jpg

figs-374.jpg


I did not seal the wounds, just left them be, and here is how one of them looks now, a year later:
figs-750.jpg
 
Figgin' A said:
@9ah-figlet I hope you don't mind if I respond. I've had 100% success with this method; it works well.

Here is the YT video I used to learn notching, it's the best one out there as far as I am concerned -

Here are my examples from last year


figs-371.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks so much @Figgin' A! A picture is always worth a thousand words.

After watching the Rusty Fig video, I had some questions I hoped you could answer.

The Rusty Fig has an obvious dormant bud projecting from the node. Can you only notch where there is a bud projecting or can you try to stimulate any dormant node? In your 1st photo, the notch doesn't look as fresh as the green emerging shoot. What did the node look like when you notched? Was it just a node or was there a brown bud projecting?

Second, can you introduce more than 1 new branch via notching per season? In Rusty Fig's explanation, the flow of the hormones and nutrients would seem to stop at the lowest notch and perhaps not stimulate notched nodes further up the trunk. What has your experience been? Can I notch the same trunk more than once a season?

Thanks!!
 
9ah-figlet said:
@MFJFIGS don't worry, those cuttings went to good use! @bushdoctor82 generously gave them to me knowing they would be passed around. After starting several (and keeping some tips to play with grafting), I shared the remainder so they're floating around the fig community now.

@bushdoctor82 when you notch your tree to encourage lower nodes branching, can you please post photos of how deep you notched? I need to do the same for my trees. Some grew so tall last season that I'm starting the scaffolds again lower to the ground.
Click to expand...
I’m going to slice her open tonight. I have to look at the tree again this evening, but I’ll probably notch two buds on each upright. Assuming the top most bud also opens, that’ll give me six new branches this season. That’s the current plan at least.
 
That’s a great job. I’m wondering is this the only one needing pruning or is there more to do?
Figgin' A said:
@9ah-figlet I hope you don't mind if I respond. I've had 100% success with this method; it works well.

Here is the YT video I used to learn notching, it's the best one out there as far as I am concerned -

Here are my examples from last year


figs-371.jpg

figs-372.jpg

figs-373.jpg

figs-374.jpg


I did not seal the wounds, just left them be, and here is how one of them looks now, a year later:
figs-750.jpg
Click to expand...
thanks so much for posting the pictures. I did notching a few years ago but now couldn’t remember if the notch was above or below the bud.👌
 
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