If you have trees already producing fruit why not just tend to them and have fruit next season. I'd simply wait until the trees are completely bare and dormant to prune them. Cut off all weak, damaged and excess branches until you have the best five or six and remove the suckers as well. Provided they're in a decently sunny location, when spring arrives they should just take off and produce in summer

Thanks for the advice! I wanted to remove the suckers (increase vigor), but figured it might be fun to try propagating them with the clippings. (The suckers don’t seem to have independent root systems; they are coming up from the main trunk).

also, they were planted very close to the patio. My parents have never really enjoyed their fruit (the birds/squirrels seem to get the goodies before we do), but the ones they have tried were not very good. The figs were either dried up or rotten. So they are thinking of pulling up the trees before the roots rip up the patio. I was hoping to propagate the trees in case my parents do end up ripping up the trees. Will suckers/clippings produce identical fruit? We may have to fence the trees up somehow so the animals don’t get all the goodies this year! We don’t mind sharing, but if my parents think it’s a bad fig tree, then it’ll be reduced to wood chips by the end of the year :(

joevineland- how long does it take for you to grow a good crop from suckers? Is it 2-3 years later?

Suckers/cuttings will produce identical fruit as you are basically cloning the parent tree. The advice above is good, keep the best 4-5 trunks and prune away the rest, otherwise you will get an unruly thicket.

Lots of advice out there on how to protect fruit (not just figs) from birds and insects. Some people have tried organza bags with a lot of success.

Thank you for the advice! I’ll look into pest control (wire baskets) and now organza bags! Really appreciate your insight. I think I may try air layering a nice, strong branch with some new growth. Hopefully the air layering will produce a good root system so when planted, it results in a quick(er) crop of delicious figs :)

Depending on where you are, it may be getting late in the year for any air layer. I did a couple during the summer and have it 6 weeks to orifice roots. From what ounce heard it takes a decent amount of heat to work.

Sarah Choi It appears
your principle concerned is getting good fruit as quick as possible and
perhaps growing some in a different location. If correct the quickest
way to good fruit is to tend the trees you have. Unripe, overripe and
loss to pest are likely management issues in my opinion. I don't know
what zone you are in but if those trees produce even a moderately they can be
managed to produce decent fruit. By decent I mean something that you
would enjoy as opposed to what your pest will consume which is anything.

If they are
too close to the patio or you prefer them in another location for any
reason. I'd suggest using soft wood cuttings (not green), five inches
long at least half inch in diameter with three or four nodes each. There
are so many vids on youtube of how to do this, but I simply bury them half way
in moist potting soil in a clear (to see root development) plastic disposable
cups then place those in plastic bags to retain the moisture. Place them
in a warm approximately 75 degree low light location and wait a couple weeks
until they have roots and leaves. Check them every other day or so for
mold and to let them get fresh air. Keep them moist and when they have
good roots slowly harden them off to dryer air. You of course you won't
be able to place them outside until they are larger and its warmed back up in
mid spring.

My 2cent.

Thanks for all the great advice! I am in Zone 9b/10a in the Silicon Valley. I think you’re right- it may be too late for air layering, even with the unseasonably warm weather. Your advice has helped me make a decision about our 3 fig trees (2 inedible and 1 stump) and the root cutting from the fig stump. FYI- I picked a couple purplish/soft figs from one of the “rogue” trees. It was dry and only slightly sweet.

I’ve watched an inordinate amount of videos on how to propagate via cuttings and ground/air layering. I’ve made a few cuttings of our other 2 rogue fig trees (supposedly just grew on their own), but I’m not sure if the labor is worth it since the fruit isn’t tasty. Not sure if that’s due to underwatering, picking immature fruit, or if both are caprifig (male) trees or unpollinated. It could just be a combo of both. Fingers crossed my parents don’t get rid of them in the next few months! I might try my hand at ground layering since that seems easy enough with suckers.

For now, I’m going to tend to these 2 rogue fig trees and hope they bear better fruit next year. I’ll also tend to the fig stump of the “good fruit” fig tree and get it growing again, as well as hope my root cutting flourishes in its pot.

Thanks again for all your advice!