Pinching and pruning are a littler like Kleenex and facial tissues. USUALLY, pinching means removing branch tips, but pruning to produce back-budding is also called pinching. So, if you have a branch with 20 leaves on it and you prune it back far enough that it only has 2 leaves remaining, you can still get away with calling that pinching. To top that off, the tomato growing crowd also calls removing suckers or lateral branches (axillary shoots) that occur in leaf axils along the main vine 'pinching', when it actually has nothing more to do with pinching than the pinching action you use to remove the unwanted shoots, shoots that in other plants are the very reason you usually pinch.

You can only 'pinch' branches that still have an apical meristem (growing tip at the end of the branch). Once that apex is removed, the branch cannot elongate. The plant activates axillary buds behind your pinch to 'compensate' for the fact that branch can't elongate. If a tree could think, it would be saying, "Gee, all my branches are pinched, so they can't elongate; and, I'm making all this food/energy with nowhere for it to go; I guess I'd better start activating some of my dormant buds so I can keep on growing and use some of this energy that's got me all jittery and anxious to DO something." Pinching out the tips of new growth stops branches from growing longer and changes where the new growth can occur. I use it constantly in directional pruning.

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Al

I'm not sure what more I can say. If you go to the end of every branch on the tree that has more than 2 leaves, and cut through the branch below (proximal to) the last leaf that emerged, that is to say the newest leaf on that branch - cut it off by cutting through the branch and not the leaf stem ............ you'll be done.

Al

You should get plenty of input if you ask your soil-related questions here:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/2842847/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention?n=8

Al

Yes - totally possible. Time and a little judicial pruning is the recipe.

Al

If you haven't, you could tip-prune (pinch) all branches with 2 or more leaves.

Al

Tip prune means remove only the growing tip of the branch, so you took off WAY more than you might have; however, you did about exactly what I would have done. Reason: I tend to be guided by the visualization of what the plant WILL look like as a result of my pruning, rather than being guided by what it does look like, following the session. You'll end up with a much fuller tree in the end (as long as you keep giving it all the light it wants) as a result of taking it back that far. It's not a problem, so don't fret. I wasn't serious with the picture - it's more of a poke in the ribs, if I can be that familiar from a distance, to make whomever might be reading this smile.

It might have been an accident, but you'll be glad in 2 weeks or less when it starts back-budding. Strong work! ;-) Took some steel to do that, huh?

Al

So, this is completely wrong of me, but... I was just wondering, what are your plans for those cuttings?

Because I would be happy to send some postage for one of them. Unless you already are potting them?

Though with my luck with cuttings recently, I should be put in plant jail.

I think odds are that your cuttings will grow -- I think the plants can sense your positive attitude and joie de vivre. Whereas mine must think they have landed on the plant equivalent of the Bad News Bears!

I am going to get better though. Got to go practice grounders.

"Al- my last comment was cut short for some reason."

..... think it might have caught the same your plant did? ;-)

Not sure what leaves you're talking about - would need to see their position on the tree to tell if they're marking time until they're shed or likely to grow. Ficus are funny in that as the branches extend the leaves get continually larger when mature. Leaves that have a branch growing in their axil won't get bigger.

Al

Too large is easy. Too small, not quite as easy - that takes patience. ;-) You CAN prune now if you like, but I wouldn't be too drastic. You should get a decent amount of back-budding, then the plant will stall for the winter due to declining light levels, then start to pick up its growth rate after the vernal equinox in March. I'd plan on repotting next June unless you see any emergent reason to do so before. Your tree will recover from repotting MUCH faster when its energy levels are high and it's ability to make food are peaking.

Prune the thickest trunk back to the ht you want it to be. Prune above a leaf that faces away from the planting's central axis. Do the same with the subordinate trunk (thinner) and make it about 2/3 the ht of the thicker trunk.

If your thought is to prune hard, do about half of what you want now, then finish the job after you've repotted and it's pushing new growth. Trees like lots of leaves in the winter.

..... hope that helps.

Al

Thank you very much Al! My thought would be to just prune the trunks back to the height you said and nothing more at this time. Is that correct?

It is indeed. Remember to cut back to just above a branch facing away from the center of the pot, because the branch that sprouts from the axil (crotch) of that leaf will grow in the direction the leaf is growing with very little variance. IOW, you can count on it starting out in that direction, but phototropism (tendency to grow toward the light) will eventually have it's sway over direction as well.

Al

Got it! Thank you again for this and for all the information you have posted on this site (not that I have read all of it, but I am trying)! It has been so very helpful to me.

The feeling I might be helping others get more reward for their efforts just seems like a natural extension of my own growing experience. It's fun. I do hope you'll fare well.

Al

hi Al,

I have just bought myself a Fiddle Leaf Fig and I a have been lurking these forums and reading everyones comments and advice...and I am still unsure on if I should prune my tree.

The top three leaves are the newest additions since I have brought it home- its been about 2-3 weeks since I brought it home.

I am afraid it is getting too tall and top heavy.

I would like to have the more treelike structure in the end- the ones pictured in a lot of the catalogues nowadays.

Thank you everyone for this forum- it really is such a gift!

Attached are some photos I had taken at night.

-T

Pruning the growing tip of the trunk off will force branching in the axils (crotches) of leaves behind the pruning cut.

Al

Thanks Al,

I was thinking of pruning it about 6 leaves down- where there is a large space. How does that sound?

Makes perfect sense to prune it just below a sparse spot in the foliage so as to be rid of it. Good thinking.

Al

Hi,

I’ve had my fiddle leaf fig tree for a year now and during most of that time it didn’t grow at all. When I went on holiday for a few weeks in August I put it in the shower with one of those holiday watering sets. When I got back it had grown three(!) new leaves and now it looks like it has at least one more leaf coming. These are the first new leaves it has produced since I got it so I’m very happy that it has finally started to grow.

It’s a single trunk without any branches and I really want it to give it more of a tree shape. When should I prune it? I live in the south of England, is it too late in the season to do it now?

I’ve never repotted it, so that’s probably another thing I should do. What should I do first? Repot or prune?

Jo

Hi, Jo. Some growers will try to tell you it doesn't matter when you prune or repot. If I agreed with them, we'd both be wrong. Plants go through an annual rhythm/growth cycle during which the plant's "enthusiasm" waxes and wanes. These periods of growth that range from robust in the summer to virtually stalled in the winter should be observed by the attentive grower and used to limit stress on the plant and to elicit the most enthusiastic response to ministrations like repotting and pruning.

To illustrate that it does make a difference, we can look at the response to hard pruning in winter vs the same in summer. Pruning in months when the plant is in its quiescent phase or about to enter or leave that phase garners a rather unenthused response to pruning. Where if a branch is pruned when the plant is growing strongly and at the peak of its food making ability, you can expect to see much more back-budding and in the axils (crotches) of leaves much farther proximal to the pruning cuts. IOW, pruning a branch in winter might cause 1 or maybe 2 branches to occur in leaf axils behind the pruning cut; whereas, the same pruning cut made on or around the summer solstice might produce 4 or 5 or more new branches as opposed to 1 or 2 when pruning in winter.

It's also an error to think it doesn't matter when we repot/root prune. I've root pruned thousands of ficus and wouldn't even consider repotting at any other time than the 2 weeks before & after the summer solstice. That's not because I imagine that period to be the best time, it's because the trees tell me by their response that it's the best time. The reason: like the canopy, the roots recover much faster, are subjected to far less stress because they actually HAVE the energy reserves to withstand the stress of a repot, and they're subjected to the stress of repotting for a much shorter time due to the more rapid recovery period they enjoy when energy levels are highest and food-making ability (photosynthesis) is at/near its peak.

If it was mine & I was in your shoes, I'd spend some time between now & next June learning how important soil choice can be to success. A soil that allows you to water correctly with no worry the soil will remain soggy so long it wrecks root health or limits root function makes growing sooo much easier and rewarding. I'd plan on doing the repot in mid-June. If the repot requires a substantial reduction in the volume of roots, I'd prune at that time. If you only sorta kinda prune the roots, I'd wait until you see growth is resuming after repotting to do any heavy pruning. Usually, you'll see abundant new growth by the end of 2-3 wks after repotting, but that sort of depends on light levels, which I know can be an issue where you live.

Al

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, Al! I will follow your advice.

Hi Al, after reading all of your comments, I'm wondering if I should prune my baby fiddle leaf fig back to below he too 3 leaves as there is about a 4 inch gap between the base leaves and those top 3. With such a small fig, I'm hesitant to take away any of its leaves. What are your thoughts?

I scrolled through all the posts in this thread and couldn't find any background (other than what's immediately above) or a picture.

May we see an image, please, & have some sort of idea where you call home?

Al

My apologies! I'm a newbie and was having a hard time uploading the picture. Please see below. I live along the coast of South Carolina and keep my fiddle leaf fig positioned in front of this West facing window. I purchased it at a very small size; it has one main trunk with 4 other small trunks (all from below the soil). I recently added fertilizer about a month ago AND moved it closer to the window for better light and have noticed a big difference in new growth. The first photo was taken 9/9, prior to the top 2 leaves developing. The second photo was taken 9/20. Thanks for your help!

morgancritt's Ideas · More Info

morgancritt's Ideas · More Info

The only reason to prune is an aesthetic one. Like all pruning, it represents a setback because it's a limitation on the plant's ability to produce its food (photosynthate/sugar), though in this case and at this time, a minor one.

You can try it two different ways, You can cut back the taller stem so 1 leaf remains above the 'bare spot'. It's possible that as a direct result of the pruning you'll have latent buds erupt immediately above the scars that bear witness to where the now shed leaves were attached to nodes along the bare spot. If no buds break along the bare part of the stem, you have only to prune off the 1 leaf you left + the bare stem back to the spot where the plant becomes full again. You can do that with near impunity at any time, though as always, the summer months favor the fastest bounce-back from any side effects of pruning.

Al

Hi, Kim. I think you're being a little too hard on yourself. Your plant looks healthy, so you get gold stars for that. Where most of the plants seen here would be designated as 'of the species', your is actually a cultivar - 'Bambino', probably, and was selected for it's growth habit. It varies from the species plant in that it exhibits a very compact growth habit - very short internodes relative to the species plant, with smaller/thicker uniformly green leaves with lighter veins, the leaves oriented more nearly upright on very short petioles (leaf stems). I'm sure the cultural wants of your plant are the same as those of the species plant.

Should I cut it way down to encourage branches lower? Sometimes a grower gets a message a plant is sending with only a casual glance. Your plant looks reluctant to back-bud, which is the first step in forming new branches. You can wait to see what the plant does on its own; put the plant outdoors in brighter light (when temps are above 55*), where the light and air movement bight stimulate back-budding; or you can cut the plant back to about 2/3 of the ht you want to maintain it at, which will force back-budding, but to what degree is still a question. I'd do it around the 4th of July if I lived in SF. I've read posts about better soil so I will try that also. I just
want a fuller plant. Also I live in San Francisco if that matters in
terms of light. Not the sunniest spot in CA, it it? ;-) Is the pot big enough? Is that a trick question? It's more than big enough, but that comment needs to be qualified if it's to have any meaningful value. If the roots have reached a degree of congestion where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, it needs repotting. Repotting doesn't mean 'moved to a larger pot', that's potting up. In fact, it may well turn out that a much smaller pot would be a more realistic choice after a repot, which includes root pruning, but that decision would be made based on your choice of soils. The better your soil drains and the less excess water your soil holds, the less important pot size becomes in terms of the plant being over-potted. The reverse is true as well. The more water retentive your soil is, the more critical pot size is and the more important it becomes to avoid an over-potted plant.

Al

Hi Al & all,

Would love to get your advice - have poured through these forums but want to be sure I'm doing the right thing for my plant before proceeding!

I have had his fiddle for a year and it has not grown any new leaves or branches. It has a pretty thin trunk and has been leaning towards the side of the younger branch. I think I should prune the branches to help the trunk grow thicker, produce more leaves/branches, and hopefully balance out.

1. Should I prune back the main branch to remove the top three leaves and then prune back the younger branch by about half the length?

2. There are some leaves that were damaged when I bought the tree (some cracks in the leaves), but I was afraid to remove the leaves altogether so I just cut off the damaged parts. I think it may be best to just remove the leaves altogether when I prune. Do you agree?

3. the tree was also suffering from some root rot as the soil was no longer draining well so I repot the tree about a week ago to replace the soil (in the same sized pot). I also had cut off the parts of the leaves that were turning black due to the root rot. Is it too much to prune the tree this close to repotting?

Also want to note that I would like the tree to continue to grow in height, not sure how pruning the main stem would affect that. And I live in San Diego so we have a good amount of sun for awhile.

Thanks in advance for your input.

I would not remove the damaged leaves as they're still doing work for the plant.

Tell us how you repotted. Did you fully bare root the plant? What kind of soil did you use? I'd remove the moss from the top.

do you have any places in your house that provide more light? I'd place it right up in front of the brightest window.

I did not remove all of the soil but did remove most of the soil from the root. I used a potting mix that was recommended by the neighborhood nursery.

and yes, we had just moved it in front of east facing glass doors. The moss was getting old so I removed it but planned to replace it. Is moss bad for the tree?

Moss will hinder the soil from drying out faster. It's not going to help the plant.

What did you roots look like? Do you know what the soil was? These trees will do much better in something like the 5:1:1 or gritty mix which are homemade mixes.

There arent many store bought soils they'd thrive in, unless you mixed in a ton of perlite and the roots had fully colonized the pot.

I'm not sure what the soil was but the nursery had some healthy fiddles so I hope their recommendation was sufficient! Also not too sure on details of what the roots looked like.. I guess I did not pay much attention to that. Rookie mistake? Is there something I should look for in the future?

You want firm white to tan roots. No offense to the nursery, but a lot of them are famous for giving out subpar advice.

What size is the pot it's in now and what size was the pot it came in?

I would say the roots were about tan colored. The middle root was much thicker and firmer, but there were lots of thin weaker roots around the outside.

the pot is about 11x14. It is in the same pot it came in.

Fine white roots are the ones that take up water and nutrients, and a healthy potted plants root system has a ton of them along with a relatively small number of thicker roots that support the plant and transport what the fine roots pick up. Fine roots are easy to tear and die off if they're suffocated by saturated soil or allowed to dry completely. The good news is that they grow back quickly as long as they have nice moist (not wet) soil with plenty of air between the soil particles to provide them with oxygen. A plant in the ground needs lots of support and its root system has access to a lot of soil to mine water from, but a potted plant needs to get the same amount of water from just a little bit of soil and doesn't need a lot of support.

Hi all - a quick question for ANOTHER fiddle leaf tree that I recently purchased... the tree was sitting in our car for a few hours before we could bring it home, and once I brought it home noticed browning at the tip of two of the top leaves. Also noticed some small brown spots on some of the lower leaves (the two leaves on the bottom right corner in the photo). Any idea what this is? Could it be root rot? Damage from being in a hot car for a few hours? Pests?

Thank you!!!