Send in your gardening questions and be in to win a fabulous prize from McGregor’s! This week: young fig trees.
Send in your gardening troubles to [email protected] and all questions answered on the Good website will win a fabulous prize from McGregor’s
Q: Last year, about this time, I bought a red fig tree. It was about a metre high and had one large terminal bud which produced leaves over the summer. It is again a bare stalk and again appears only to have a terminal bud. Should I prune this back so that I get side shoots, even though I can see no sign of other buds on the stem? –Sue
Yes you should prune back the central leader, but I am assuming that the plant is still small, so I would wait. Pruning back the central leader will encourage side branches to grow and for practical reasons the first side branches need to be at a height that you can get underneath to mow and access the tree easily.
When you are ready to prune, feel for a growth node on the main truck and prune back by at least a third and close to a growth node. As the tree grows, prune carefully and for shape only – you are aiming for a nice open shape to the tree Too much pruning can cause the tree to keep sending out long strappy branches, which are not necessary and should be cut off at the base.
Seal all your pruning cuts with pruning paste. Borer can be a problem for figs and they enter easily at a cutting wound site!
–Sandra Johnson, Team McGregor’s
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Send in your questions and be in to win!
Send in your gardening troubles to [email protected] and all questions answered in this column will win a fabulous prize from McGregor’s!
Sue has won a pair of McGregor’s Stainless Steel Bypass Secateurs.
These are an essential pair of secateurs that will suit the needs of all keen gardeners. A comfortable fit with precision stainless steel blades that provide a clean cutting action, reducing the pressure on your hands.
Ideal for most general pruning needs around your garden. Cuts up to a 19mm diameter and is easy to sharpen!
