Buy a New Fig Instead of Propagating the Same One

Q. I have a large fig tree that gives me small green figs
and that is all I get. I think not enough water as you said. I also saw the
picture of cuttings to grow another tree? 
Can I do that or should I buy a second tree? What about pruning? Is this
a good time? 

A. I would buy another tree. They are not that expensive
and you can get a different type of fig than the one you have now. Variety is
the spice of life!

            But
first you have to figure out what fig you have. Figs are all green when young
and turn either yellow, off white, purple, purplish brown or nearly black. The
white or yellow types have a more delicate flavor while the darker ones are usually
more robust in their flavor. One dark one that has been given some nice reviews
from homeowners in the valley is Blackjack and it is a smaller tree.

            Just
make sure when you prune a fig tree, if you want two crops from it, that you
leave some growth present that is last years. If you cut the tree back and take
off all the growth from 2012 you will only have one crop, the main crop. If you
leave some of this growth from last year you will have two crops of figs.

            You can
prune as soon as the leaves drop. Figs can handle any amount of pruning you
want to give them. I will be giving some pruning classes out at the orchard
when I am back in Las Vegas on December 22 beginning at 9 am.