It was doing really well in spring, but the leader was getting far too long.
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| October 2016 - before pruning |
I decided to shorten it so that I could get some ramification.
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| October 2016 - after pruning |
The tree responded well. Within weeks there were lots of new branches developing more or less where I wanted them.
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| New growth - November 2016 |
Then disaster struck. Four days after the photo above was taken we were hit my a massive hail storm and all that lovely new growth was ripped off, leaving this:
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| November 2016 - after the hail |
It's now four months since that storm and sadly the tree hasn't replaced those branches. After some lesser hail late last year, it's looking worse than ever.
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| March 2017 |
With winter approaching it appears that the entire growing season has been wasted. I guess all I can do now is wait to see how it responds next spring.
Ouch, that's a shame. :( I don't know a lot about fig trees, but I guess they don't usually produce a lot of new growth in Autumn? Maybe it will come back perfectly next year! At least, the trunk is a tiny bit thicker now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tante Rose. The trouble is that it didn't grow for most of the summer either. I'm terrified that there might be something more serious wrong with it so I may ask for advice at my bonsai club next time they meet.
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