How to Prune a Brown Turkey Fig Tree

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Brown Turkey fig trees produce sweet, purple-brown fruit on long stems. With their fast growth habit, fig trees need regular pruning to keep them healthy and productive. Follow these tips on when and how to prune your Brown Turkey fig tree.

Why Prune Fig Trees?

Pruning a fig tree accomplishes several important goals:

  • Promotes fruit production – Removing old wood encourages new fruiting wood to grow.

  • Manages size – Keeping fig trees pruned prevents them from taking over your garden.

  • Improves air circulation – Thinning inner branches allows air to move through the canopy

  • Removes dead wood – Take out any diseased or damaged branches.

  • Shapes the tree – Pruning controls the tree’s shape and directs growth.

When to Prune Brown Turkey Figs

Pruning at the right time of year is key. The optimal time is late winter or early spring when the tree is dormant.

  • Make cuts just before new growth emerges in spring.

  • Avoid pruning during fall and early winter to reduce risk of frost damage.

  • Pruning in summer risks shocking the tree and reducing the current season’s crop.

How Often to Prune Fig Trees

Ideally, prune fig trees annually to keep them productive Here are general guidelines

  • Year 1 – Prune lightly to shape young trees after planting

  • Year 2 – Prune to create tree structure and open up the center.

  • Year 3 – Start heavier fruiting wood renewal pruning.

  • Mature trees – Prune heavily every 1–2 years in early spring.

Pruning Mature Brown Turkey Fig Trees

Follow these steps to prune a mature Brown Turkey fig:

1. Remove Dead, Diseased, and Broken Branches

Cut out any obviously damaged branches first. Pruning away disease helps limit its spread.

2. Thin Inner Growth

Remove branches growing inward to open up the center of the tree and allow light and air penetration.

3. Shorten Long Branches

Cut long, leggy branches back by at least one-third of their length to encourage new fruiting wood growth.

4. Shape the Tree

Prune to create an open vase shape, removing any branches that don’t fit the desired form.

5. Renew Fruiting Wood

Selectively remove older, unproductive branches to stimulate new growth. Cut at least 20% of wood.

6. Remove Suckers and Water Sprouts

Prune off shoots growing straight up from the trunk and any growth coming from below the graft.

Pruning Fig Trees to Restrict Size

For small gardens, prune mature fig trees hard each spring. Cut all branches down to 2-3 buds to limit size. This will sacrifice some fruit but prevents excessive growth.

Aftercare for Pruned Fig Trees

After a heavy pruning:

  • Disinfect pruning tools between cuts to avoid spreading disease.

  • Apply pruning sealant to any cuts larger than 1 inch in diameter.

  • Water the tree regularly through spring and summer to help recovery.

  • Stake branches if needed to prevent breakage until new growth hardens off.

  • Avoid overfertilizing after pruning – this can cause excess, tender growth.

Pruning is essential for keeping Brown Turkey fig trees healthy and productive. By annually removing dead wood, thinning branches, and cutting back old fruited wood, you can maximize fig crops while controlling your tree’s size and shape. Follow proper timing guidelines and disinfecting practices, and your figs will thrive under care.

Physical Characteristics of Brown Turkey Fig Tree

The brown turkey fig are small tree with a mature size of 12-20 feet tall. Theyre not very fast-growing trees either, but they are vigorous. Those fig trees have glossy dark green leaves with silvery undertones.

It has a striped trunk. It depends on how much sunlight it gets during the growing season to determine the different colors of its bark. More sunlight makes the colors darker. The bark of this variety has light gray/white stripes to darker brown/purple stripes.

Brown Turkey Fig Tree produces two crops. The first will be from late spring to early summer. The second will be from late summer to early fall. This harvest can sometimes extend to late fall. The two harvests make those fig trees even more popular.

General Information About Brown Turkey Fig Tree

Brown Turkey Figs, also known as ficus carica brown turkey, are fruit trees native to the Mediterranean region. To produce their sweet fruit, they dont need another tree nearby as theyre self-pollinating. This makes them ideal to grow in areas where pollinators arent abundant.

The brown turkey fig tree is named for the dark brownish-purple color of its fresh figs when ripe. You can eat fresh fruit fully, including seeds. These are some of the most well-known figs. They have a very strong flavor and can be used to make jam or added to baking and recipes.

Ever Wonder How to Trim a Brown Turkey FIG TREE?

FAQ

What month is best to prune fig trees?

Prune twice a year – in early to mid-spring, after the last hard frost, and in early to mid-summer. When pruning figs, bear in mind that the sap is an irritant, so wear protective gloves and start pruning from the base of the plant and work upwards, to avoid any drips.

How long does it take a brown turkey fig tree to produce fruit?

The Brown Turkey fig tree has to grow for three to five years before bearing fruit for the first time. Since this tree will outlive you—most Brown Turkey fig trees have a lifespan of about 200 years—you only have to worry about buying and planting this tree once.

Can I keep a brown turkey fig small?

Even gardeners with relatively short growing seasons should be able to harvest some of the candy-like fruits. Brown Turkey fig trees get about 20 feet (6 m.) in height, but you can keep them pruned to a shorter plant quite easily.

How tall does a brown turkey fig tree get?

‘Brown Turkey’ fig is a multi-stemmed, woody, deciduous shrub with edible fruit in the mulberry family (Moraceae). This fig cultivar was bred to be more cold hardy than other fig cultivars and quickly grows to a mature size of 10 to 30 feet tall and wide.

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