Pruning these vigorous plants regularly helps to keep them under control and encourage a plentiful crop of delicious, sweet figs. They are best trained against a sunny wall or grown in a container.
Figs will grow into large, vigorous, leafy shrubs or trees unless pruned regularly and their roots restrained. They may still produce fruit, but protecting these from frost and harvesting them can be tricky. But you can easily reduce a fig’s excess vigour by pruning it regularly and restricting its roots in a lined pit, root-control mesh bag or large container. This will also encourage it to produce fruit, rather than too much lush, leafy growth. For more on restricting fig roots and protecting fruit from frost, see our guides: 
Fruit: protecting from frost
Fruit: protecting from frost
Figs
Figs To maximise cropping and limit their overall size, figs are usually trained as fans against a sunny wall or fence, where they make an attractive feature. They can be kept to about 1.8m (6ft) tall and around 3.5m (11½ft) wide, but can be allowed to grow taller and wider if you have more space. In colder locations, figs can be
A method of training and pruning fruit trees flat against a wall or fence, so they have a short trunk and multiple straight branches fanning outwards. Fruit is produced on short stubby side-branches (spurs). Both attractive and productive, this traditional growing method is suitable for apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums.
fan trained inside a greenhouse on horizontal wires hung 30cm (1ft) away from the glass. Alternatively, grow a fig as a free-standing bush or a standard (on a single tall stem) in a container.
It’s important to understand where and when the fruit is produced, to make sure you prune correctly. Figs generally produce two crops a year, but in the UK’s cooler climate and shorter growing season, only one will ripen outdoors. Figs grown under glass all year round may successfully ripen both crops.
The first crop grows from pea-sized fruit embryos that form at the shoot tips in late summer
Although the mature wood of most fig cultivars can withstand frost, the younger shoot tips that carry the fruitlets can be damaged by hard frost. So it’s important to plant figs in a sunny, sheltered spot to protect the fruitlets and ensure good ripening. In colder locations, provide winter protection or keep the fig in a container and move it to a frost-free position over the winter months. For more details, see How to grow figs.
To protect fan-trained figs over winter, pack straw or bracken around the branches and secure with netting or fleece © RHS/Tim Sandall
Pruning fig trees at the right time is key to keeping them healthy and productive. While dormant season pruning in winter helps establish structure summer pruning is equally important for vigor fruit production, and disease prevention.
In this complete guide, we’ll cover when, why, and how to prune fig trees in summer. Follow these tips for strong, lush trees and abundant sweet figs!
When to Prune Fig Trees in Summer
Aim to prune figs
- In early to mid-summer, June-July in most zones.
- After the first crop of figs forms and begins to ripen.
- Before the second late crop sets fruit in late summer.
Pruning too early risks damaging emerging figs. Pruning too late removes wood that will bear next year’s crop.
How Often to Summer Prune Fig Trees
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Vigorous varieties that put out a lot of growth annually benefit from summer pruning every year.
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Slower growing figs only need occasional summer pruning every 2-3 years.
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Container figs usually require annual summer pruning to control size.
Why Summer Pruning is Beneficial
Summer pruning offers many advantages:
- Removes unwanted new growth that blocks light and air.
- Opens up the canopy to improve disease prevention.
- Controls size and shape on fast growers.
- Allows more sunlight to aid ripening.
- Stimulates fruit bud development for the next year.
- Increases air flow to decrease fungal issues.
- Improves fruit quality, size, and taste.
How to Summer Prune Fig Trees
Follow these steps:
Remove Unproductive Growth
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Cut out diseased, dead, broken, or rubbing branches.
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Remove shoots growing straight up or down that won’t bear fruit.
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Thin congested areas and crisscrossing branches.
Shorten Extension Growth
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Cut back current season’s shoots by at least one-third.
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Prioritize thinning and shortening vertical shoots.
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Remove or cut back growth shading developing figs.
Shape and Contain Growth
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Prune for an open vase shape, widening as it grows taller.
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For containers, prune to limit size and direct growth inward.
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Make cuts just above an outward facing bud or side shoot.
Clean Tools and Paint Cuts
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Disinfect tools before and after pruning to prevent disease spread.
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Seal larger wound cuts with tree paint to prevent infection.
What to Avoid When Summer Pruning Figs
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Don’t remove more than one-third of total growth.
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Avoid heavy pruning right before dormancy.
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Don’t leave branch stubs – cut back to a bud.
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Don’t prune heavily after fruit sets.
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Avoid pruning during hot, stressful weather.
Signs Your Fig Needs Summer Pruning
Watch for these indicators:
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Becoming very large and unruly.
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New growth is mostly vertical and forms a dense interior.
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Lower and interior branches losing vigor.
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Fig clusters shaded by new shoots.
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Noticing disease, fungi, insects, or other issues.
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Poor fruit ripening on new growth.
Summer Pruning Tools
You don’t need fancy tools:
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Bypass hand pruners for small shoots.
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Loppers for thicker branches.
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Pruning saw for old wood over 2 inches across.
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Disinfectant spray to clean tools.
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Tree sealant for large wound cuts.
Tips for Summer Fig Pruning
Follow these best practices:
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Remove up to one-third of total growth when summer pruning.
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Time summer pruning between fig crops in early summer.
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Focus on removing unhealthy, unproductive, and congested growth.
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Cut back extension shoots by at least one-third.
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Open up the center to improve air circulation.
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Direct growth outward for an open, vase-shaped habit.
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Disinfect tools before and after to prevent disease spread.
Benefits of Summer Fig Pruning
Summer pruning provides many benefits:
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Keeps trees a manageable size for their space.
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Allows more light into the canopy to ripen fruit.
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Stimulates fruit bud development for the next year.
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Removes unattractive, unproductive new shoots.
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Reduces disease issues like fig rust and leaf spot.
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Extends the productive lifespan of fig trees.
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Makes harvest easier without damaging branches.
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Improves fruit quality, flavor, and yields.
Enjoy Abundant Fruit With Proper Summer Pruning
Paying attention to summer pruning, in addition to winter dormant pruning, results in vigorous, healthy, and highly productive fig trees. Follow these tips and you’ll be rewarded with plentiful crops of sweet, delicious homegrown figs.
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Fans – pruning and training
Fan training is an attractive and productive way to train a fig tree against a sunny wall or fence. You will need to attach horizontal wires to the support, spaced 30cm (1ft) apart. Spreading out the branches in a fan shape aids fruit ripening, as does the heat that radiates from a warm wall. Fan-trained figs need pruning twice a year. For advice on training newly planted fig trees to form a fan, see our guide to fan-training.
Start pruning once the danger of long, hard frosts has passed:
- Reduce the number of young shoots formed the previous year by about a third, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) stub and aiming for good spacing. For preference, remove lanky shoots without tiny fruitlets at the tip
- If you don’t want replacement shoots to grow, for example because they would be too crowded or badly placed, remove them entirely
- On mature fans, remove one or two older, over-long, bare branches, pruning them to 5–8cm (2–3in) stubs to encourage new replacement shoots. Prune outward-growing shoots hard back and entirely remove shoots growing inwards towards the wall or fence
- Tie in new shoots to the wires, spreading them out in a fan shape
- As new shoots develop, tie them to the support
- In early summer, remove the tip of every other young shoot once they have five leaves, to encourage branching and reduce the production of fruit that won’t ripen. The cuts may bleed sap, so wear protective gloves and long-sleeved clothing
- Stop pruning back new growth by mid-summer, when the embryonic fruitlets for next year’s crop will start forming at the shoot tips. If you prune after mid-summer, the resulting new growth won’t have time to form fruit embryos before the end of the growing season, so will not produce figs the following year
- Remove the larger figs that failed to ripen. Only the pea-sized embryonic figs at the shoot tips will give you a crop next year
When and how to prune
Prune twice a year – in early to mid-spring, after the last hard frost, and in early to mid-summer. When pruning figs, bear in mind that the sap is an irritant, so wear protective gloves and start pruning from the base of the plant and work upwards, to avoid any drips.
For best results, follow these simple guidelines, whether you’re pruning a fan or bush-trained fig:
- When pruning in spring, remember that your crop will develop from the pea-sized fruitlets on the tips of shoots that formed the previous year. Although you may need to prune some of these in spring, make sure you leave plenty unpruned. For preference, retain the more compact shoots with tiny fruitlets at their tips
- Fig trees have a tendency to develop long bare branches and shoots. Just shortening these achieves very little – instead, prune hard to encourage replacement shoots low down. Cut branches back to 5–8cm (2–3in) long and younger shoots to 2.5cm (1in) long
- When pruning in early spring, the general approach is either to leave the branch/shoot unpruned or prune it back hard. Always keep plenty of new shoots unpruned
- To encourage more branching instead of longer shoots, pinch out the tip of new shoots once they have five leaves, from early summer until mid-summer
In early summer, pinch out the shoot tips after five leaves
How to Prune Fig Trees for BIG Harvests
FAQ
What is the best month to prune fig trees?
However, it’s now advised that fig trees should be pruned in spring. The best time to prune figs is after all danger of frost has passed but before your fig tree starts producing new growth. Figs should be pruned twice a year in: Early to mid spring.
Do figs fruit on new or old wood?
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New Growth is Key:Fig trees produce their primary fruit (the main crop) on the new growth that emerges each spring. This means the figs develop on the current year’s branches and shoots.
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Breba Figs:Some fig varieties also produce a first crop called “breba figs” on one-year-old stems (the previous year’s growth). However, the main crop is still produced on the new wood.
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Pruning for Production:Pruning fig trees is often done to encourage more new growth, which in turn promotes a larger and more prolific main crop of figs.
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Light is Essential:Like many fruits, fig production is also influenced by sunlight. Ensuring that branches are exposed to adequate light through pruning can help maximize fruit production.