Shaping Fig Trees
Fig trees can be trained and pruned to grow in different shapes.
Tree Form: Where winters are mild, you can train your figs to grow as a tree. To develop a single or 2 to 3-stem trunk(s) tree, the process must be started soon after planting. Choose 1 to 3 trunks you would like to keep and remove the rest. Remove lower branches as needed to maintain a desired height and form. If you're lucky, you might find a 1 to 3-trunk fig tree already established at a local nursery and garden center. To keep your fig in tree form, it may be necessary in following years to remove suckers that grow from the base or secondary branches that grow downward.
Esaplier (flat against a wall): Figs can be trained and pruned to grow in a few shapes, such as a fan. Attach wire horizontally against a building, trellis or fence at 15-inch intervals. Plant the tree under the wire and let it grow. As new branches emerge, loosely tie them to the wire with plant ties in the shape of a fan, spacing the branches so they are 12 to 15 inches apart. Tie all the shoots to the wire during the first summer so the tree can become well established. In the fall when the leaves fall off, remove any weak and crowded shoots. Each summer, continue to cut back the overgrown portions and prune the branches that point the
