I just started growing figs last year, so I haven't yet learned how, or when to prune. I'm in E. Tn., and mine is already starting to leaf out. It's supposed to go down below freezing tonight, so I might get out there this afternoon and toss some leaves around the base where the buds are sprouting. I was happy though, to see it bud. I thought I lost it to this colder than normal winter.

I didn’t get much help on this so I kept digging. This is the best I found from Mother Earth and Barbara Pleasant. You can always count on her.

Pruning fig plants is best done in spring, after surviving buds have begun to grow. Pruning figs back to live wood is often necessary in Zone 7, where plants are occasionally frozen back to the roots. In other areas, prune to thin plants back to about five strong branches, and to remove old and damaged wood.

Hope we get a lot of figs this year if winter ever leaves!

The above advice is spot on. Grew Brown Turkey and Celeste for a few years. Both produced really well about five years and then declined in production though the tree continued to do well. This seems to be the norm for them sorry to say.

So Beverly, what did you do? Do you think pruning helps keep up production. Maybe I should plant another variety. I LOVE figs.

No, pruning is not the problem. My trees were very healthy and well pruned. I checked GardenWeb many times back in the day when it was so well used and found information eventually that the problem was a common one with those varieties. They produce well for a few years and then suffer from fruit drop Both of mine did produce figs every year, but they pretty much all drop off before ripening; so frustrating. If I had known that, I would have gotten a different variety. Being zone 7/8, I bought what was recommended. To do over, I would have chosen differently and then planted in a spot on a South facing wall and protected by microclimate. After several years of being disappointed, but giving them "just one more try" we finally got rid of them last year.