Ashita:
I am no expert but have one fig almost the same size as yours. It was a whip, a single stem, about 24 inches in height, nodes with undeveloped buds all up and down the stem. I cut off the upper 8 inches and rooted that. The remaining stem is now leafed out from ground to top.

I received another, slightly larger fig and did not cut off any of the top. It too is now leafed out but has only the apical spike. None of the buds at nodes on the stem have developed. Sometime during early summer I will cut off the growing tip of the leafed-out portion of this fig.

It is possible that not all varieties respond alike.
Ox

Why not prune it right now, to about 8-12" and let it start branching?

Here is a link that might be useful: Figs 4 Fun

Hi Oxankle,. thanks for your reply. I think I'm probably going to prune it now, as pitangaddiego suggests. I just have a kind of umbrella-like canopy on top of a long stalk at the moment. I was just so hoping to get at least one fig from them :-( Did your 'top' root quickly? Think I'd better try to do something like that -- otherwise what a waste.

Pitangadiego -- think you're right! Guess that's what I'll do! I feel like a murderer cutting off all those beautiful leaves, though! Thanks for the link -- it looks like a very interesting site, and something to look forward to at the weekend!

There's something about figs that call to you! Maybe it's the ancientness of them? I have olives too, and find myself considering pomegranates, and even dates!!!!!

Ashita

Pitangadiego: I am reluctant to cut the entire growing top off a fig whip that has just broken dormancy. I would much rather wait until it has set some new growth and is pulling its own weight rather than cut it now when it is living off its reserves. When I do cut it I will cut only the growing tip.

Ashita: The little top that I rooted set roots in less than three weeks and developed a nice green shoot with leaves. Unfortunately I rushed the game and set it outside (much less humidity here than in Japan) and it lost its leaves. I have no idea yet whether it will recover. I will not make that mistake again.
Ox

Ox,

I think you may be worrying a little too much about lopping off a fig plant. The plant would handle this just fine, and it would have plenty of time to branch and put out lots of new growth this year. Besides, Pitangadiego knows a little about this kind of thing. He's done it a few times...or should I say...a few thousand times :)

Henry

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to chop them off soon. They have in the mean time grown a lot, upwards only, so when I cut them , I will have about 8 inches of green growth with huge leaves, and about 16 inches of old wood. I thought I would try the rooting method described by Plumfan in Easy Propogation Method for the old wood:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0502001022716.html.

Should I be refrigerating the old wood cuttings till next year, or can I just go ahead and bury the, do you think?

Ashita

Ashita,

Go ahead and try to root the cuttings now (whatever method you use). The wood is full of energy now, and that should help them root. However, you should probably remove leaves from the cuttings you are rooting.

Henry