Time Frame

• Do not prune fig trees during their first season. During the second season, select three or four strong, vibrant shoots and prune all others down to the ground before spring growth has started. Each season thereafter, prune away up to 1/3 of a fig tree's growth after frost danger has passed and before spring growth has begun.
  
  

Significance

• Pruning a fig tree in South Carolina cannot be done if the danger of frost is looming. Frost can severely damage freshly pruned shoots and branches, causing deformity or even death to the tree. Although the precise date that frost danger lifts cannot be accurately predicted, fig trees in South Carolina should certainly be pruned between mid-April and early May. According to the South Carolina State Climatology Office, data suggests that early April poses a frost risk, while mid- and late April do not.
  
  

Effects

• Pruning a fig tree encourages new growth, shapes the tree and provides additional nutrients to existing branches. Dead wood should always be removed from a fig tree so room is available for new shoots.