Hi - FIrst of all, you almost can't give it too much light for many hours every day (as long as it doesn't act fried of course... where do you live?). Second, you need to chose a small number of branches (right down to one or another uneven number) and concentrate on developing those, cutting off others to do so energy-wise. Once the keeper(s) are established - takes years, not months - they should begin to put out their own new branches and over time you'll work on those too in the same way, but the trunk relative to the new smaller branches will then look larger and older. It's hard to cut most of what's there now, so you have to decide if you want a bonsai (eventually) or lots of foliage on a 'houseplant'. Nothing wrong with either, but the choice has to be made. And of course adequate light will help keep branches from reaching for more.

Thanks, Jose, I like your process. I have less space than you. I have about 20 trees to plant. So, what I may do is plant each row 7 feet apart and space each 6.5 feet in each row. My wife has some azalaes planted and I may have to plant around them. Plus my trees will be on a small hill with partial shade. I also have a rain barrel but nothing as large as yours. I found some additional space in my back yard but I its partially wooded and my neighbour never mows it. So, what I may do it trim his trees and bush hog the area and place more trees in there. I think I can get 5 more trees in that space. Thanks for postings, you gave me some ideas. It makes sense planting these in rows and also build a drip irrigation system too. I now have all the parts to build it but it is crazy hot outside! So,I am planning and designing now and will start planting the trees this Fall. thanks again, Dennis

Ralph :The tree is still young as it started again,about 2 years ago ,and also you left too many trunks this Spring. Now leave them on ,all of them till Spring,and then in April,cut all except 3 trunks well spaced between them,and continu cutting sucker off till August when you stop cutting them and let them be till the Following Spring when you chopp them off again,minus 3,that you let grow for the Sommer. This type of Managgement is needed here in New Jersey and all outside the native growing area of the fig. You will have fruits guaranteed if you do this. Also this growing Season was worse in New Jersey and I too had poor results from some of my best trees like my Violette de Bordeaux. Best Regards

Without seeing it, all I can say is a single root out of a hundred attached to the base of the tree can prevail when the rest of the tree is dead. In consideration of the fact you can always remove the dead parts of the trunk at a later date, but you cannot restore the living parts you removed because you might have been in a hurry. I suggest you put yourself on tree time (everything happens slowly for trees [except lightning strikes]) and wait to see what else develops. Be sure you do not over-water. Best strategy would be to use a 'tell' to tell you when it's time to water. Don't fertilize until you see new growth ....... and even then it might be wise to look at the bigger picture of watering habits, soil choice, light levels, temps, and try to figure out the best nutritional supplementation for you going forward. There's just not enough info to help any more than that. Something about Using a Tell Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al