I have a Hardy Chicago, planted in the ground. I am in zone 5b, Denver, Colorado. It dies back each year. I mulch it each winter. I almost never get ripe figs before it freezes here. Right now it has lots of branches (stems?) growing and I am wondering if I should cut most of them off in order to allow it to concentrate on a single (or a few) branches to get it to produce figs earlier so they might ripen. Thanks for any insights in advance.
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Hardy Chicago Pruning for Production
- Thread starter Shelley
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2021
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- 39
Right now I would think sap would run from the cuts. Maybe try 1 stem and see what happens. I have 2 Chicago Hardy Plants in the ground and had massive die back this past winter. So far they grew out a lot of stems so if they make it through this coming winter I should have another abundant crop next year. But some of the stems will be hardwood cuttings for future fig plants. You could build a 7' x 8' 2x4 frame and install 50 inch x 16' cattle panels as hoops and cover it with 6 mill plastic to use the ground heat to keep the sap in the tree so the fruit ripens. They sell the panels at tractor supply if one is in your area. Just a suggestion.
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