Fig Pruning is Sometimes not for the Faint of Heart

As I write this article, I am remembering the first time I saw the Fig Grove pruned to such an extent that the fig trees were unrecognizable. I was shocked!

I don’t know the history of our small, seven-variety Fig Grove yet. It’s wedged deep in a corner between the storage pods and the Propagation Garden, garnering little notice or traffic. It took me quite some time to realize that such delectable fruit was growing on campus. The condition of the Grove then was so sad to see, as towering weeds engulfed the 25+ foot tall trees.

Then one day several years ago, I was gob smacked to see someone had weeded the area and made the trees visible. Usually this is a really good thing but, in this case, it revealed that every fig tree had been cut down to 5’ or so.  A grove of sticks! Though I knew nothing about fig trees at that time, I was pretty sure they would never recover.

I was wrong. They did. And vigorously!

Eventually, the grove fell on hard times again, as there were no volunteers to tend it. Left to their own devices, the weeds reemerged with a vengeance. The trees eagerly returned to their “wild” state; encroaching on and shading their neighbors; impressively exceeding harvesting size. The birds enjoyed a tasty feast, but not so much the humans.

Last year, the Garden Enhancement team determined to clean up the Fig Grove as one of many projects. We hitched up our wellies and waded into the weeds. Once they succumbed, we put down cardboard and tree chips. The end of season came too soon, so taming the weeds was as far as we got.

This spring, there were no weeds in sight. It was time to address the state of the trees. The first workday, Grace came through to take cuttings for demonstrating propagation to this year’s Master Gardener students. She also came armed with flagging tape to help us visualize cutting recommendations.

There were four of us the first day and we took out much of the smaller top growth in preparation for the chainsaws the next day. We filled the new trailer Jake had kindly moved to the edge of the grove.

The next day there were four of us again, as two new faces joined my husband and me. In total, we completed the job in about 32 hours.

Appropriately sized fig trees make working in the Fig Grove safer for volunteers, in that no ladders are required to harvest fruit or provide ongoing maintenance throughout the season. We used battery operated cordless tools with extension arms to keep our feet firmly on the ground and reduce the physical demands of the work. The cordless tools used were 10’ extendable pruners, handheld pruners, 4” chainsaws, and a 10” chainsaw on an extendable handle. We also used manual hand pruners and loppers.

Many thanks go to these volunteers- 1^st day: Pete Livers, Connie Lyssand, Grace Florjancic, Janine Salvatti. 2^nd day: Sam Elliot, Mary Schrouder, Les Nimmo (garden friend and Janine’s hubby), Janine Salvatti. Special thanks to Jake Hoyman, Farm Manager, for the big trailer.

Harsh pruning could be eliminated if a staunch commitment to a maintenance schedule Spring through October every year could be followed.  Later this season, a propagation opportunity will be offered, along with hands-on instruction. Figs are easy to propagate. Let’s have a fig tasting day so you can pick your favorites to propagate!

 

In the case of our Demonstration Gardens, it really does take a village. This is a worthy, educational, productive, and rewarding grove to tend. Would you be interested in working with figs or working with the Garden Enhancement Team? If so, contact Janine Salvatti, 541-973-7456.