In a message dated 10/6/2003 7:42:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

What type of pruning/trimming would encourage my Willow leaf fig to have
more dense foliage (i.e. more leaves on each branch)?

Defoliating and tip pruning
Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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At 07:30 PM 10/6/2003 -0400, Kelly wrote:
What type of pruning/trimming would encourage my Willow leaf fig to have
more dense foliage (i.e. more leaves on each branch)?

Thanks,
Kelly

Sometimes you have to start over or at least cut way back. There will
probably be better directions on doing a Fig, my directions will be a bit
general.

The basic idea is to get rid of long internodes and force short ones. So
first you look at your tree and note where the leaves form on a
branch. This is an internode.

Illustration below gives an example:

--------\/---------\/---------

Difference between pinching sooner than later.

-----^------^--- Sooner
_____________V_______________V____________ Later

So if your tree has really long internodes, I would trim back to the first
internode and then do rapid pinching on new growth.

This is what you aim for:

V V
V
___/___ ______
\__
|
^

Or somthing like that.

The tree has to be very healthy and vigorous to survive this treatment.

Don't do this until someone else gives you specific culture on figs.

Kitsune Miko

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As Peter and others have stated you can go two ways with the figs to achieve
back budding and ramification either cut back all branches and leave only a
leaf or two on each branch or defoliate the tree and remove all the leaves.
In either case you need a very healthy tree preferably in active growth.
You can check my article on defoliation at
http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com/Defoliatingfigs.html
Hope this helps.
Jerry Meislik
Whitefish Montana USA
Zone 4-5
http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com/
I fertilize my figs regularly and after letting shoots grow out some, i
pinch them back to one or two leaves on the shoot. This usually promotes
great back-budding further down on the branch. I live in the midwest so I
only do it throughout the summer as my trees come indoors under fluorescents
for winter. You could also leaf prune this species or cut it back to no
branches and start over. Only to be recommended on very healthy vigorous
plants though.

--
Peter Kulibert zone 4a/5b


"Kelly" wrote in message
.. .
What type of pruning/trimming would encourage my Willow leaf fig to have
more dense foliage (i.e. more leaves on each branch)?




************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++