My guess is that like most other tress, fig twig branching
(assuming the tree is happy) will go on for ever and ever.

My Gues is that it will branch every time you pinch it,for as long as the growing season lasts.The number of branching is limited only by frost or cold,when the tree stops growing
BR

Ask the Math Geeks (I'm not one but I _finally_ passed college Algebra last semester ;-)

It's called the "Fibonacci progression" or "The Golden Proportion" and Fibonacci mathemeticians debate whether he discovered it while laying on his back staring up at the branches of a tree, or contemplating rabbits reproducing. But it holds true to both scenario's as well as many other facets of nature, for example the formation of a delta at a rivers end, etc.

The sequence begins with 0, 1 and the sequence of new numbers is the sum of the previous two numbers. Thus we have the sequence:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 etc.

Wow, I guess I got my $512.00 tuition's worth out of that class. Never thought it would be relevant in MY life though. hmmmm...

Answer: infinite!

Seriously!
In general the apex tip tree tip tends to keep growing
up and up upright. Some tree hormones 'up-there' keep
it doing so. Once the tip is pinched, lack/excess of these
hormones make other 'lateral' shoots/fuits go,just let's say
crazy...

AL (tapla); please help.

Fascinating. I actually thought it was limited to around 3. Shows how much I know. Thanks for the insight.

I'm still trying to figure out what the hell sandsquid was talking about!

Cecil

I am just guesing that in practice there has to be a limit because each node diverts nutrients and moisture from the same nutrient packet that started from the main trunk by the first node/shoot. It keeps diminishing with each node. Just like in many thing else, the last node may divert nutrients and moisture that may not be enough for the threshold energy required to start a new branch. This is my logical guess only (that may fall short if there is some botanical amplification of the nutrient packet).

Ok, let's all get our heads in the right place

I'm an "audio visual learner" so I like pictures...
(sometimes with crayons)

# Start counting from the bottom at the line numbered 1.
How many branches are there at level 1?

# How many branches are there at level 2?

# What about level 3?

# How many branches does the tree have at level 4?

# Continue counting branches until level 9

# How many branches is the tree going to have at level 11?
How did you find that?

Those bunnies look hungry for figs! Thanks.

There is more than one way to look at branch ramification. In young trees, it's potentially unlimited. To see this, you only need to realize the trunk is simply a specialized primary branch. From the trunk, we get secondary, then tertiary, followed by increasingly finer ramification on the branches. The tree itself limits ramification, which is why almost all woody plants have characteristic shapes.

Apical dominance in figs makes the tree want to grow tall and the branches long. This is somewhat self-limiting on the trees' part, as far as increasing ramification is concerned. In nature, as the tree grows taller, the branches closest to the middle of the tree are the longest & they begin to shade the lower branches. This reduces the energy they produce, and along with the reduction the potential for an increase in vegetative mass. The sun dictates where the most growth occurs and the strongest energy sinks are in the sun-bathed apices (tips).

Now we come along and start pruning our trees. This changes everything. When we prune the apical portion of the branch (tip) we remove the primary source of auxin, the hormone that is suppressing ramification. This allows another hormone, cytokinin, to become 'dominant'. Cytokinin is the hormone that activates the latent buts in leaf axils, and if pruning is hard enough, it will activate adventitious buds all over the tree. This is how WE promote ramification and a bushy tree as opposed to a tall, lanky one.

W/o consideration for fruit production, the finest ramification can be achieved by pruning every branch or sub-branch back to 2 nodes. If you want to try this, you should allow branches to grow at least 4 leaves & then prune them back to 2. This forces very fine ramification close to the trunk.

There are many events in the life of a tree that relate to ramification besides tree shape. Mechanical failure and eventual death of old trees are closely related to growth ability and ramification, but beyond what the OP asked.

Al

what I pratice is to pinch all new shoots at 6 leaves which produces more lateral shoots and because figs grow at the leaf base you produce tons more figs . It's a fact I have a 5 foot tree in a pot producing 150 figsa year