Winter care for fig tree

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by John, May 30, 2005.

  1. Hi all, I am from Mississauga, Ontario.

    I just bought my first fig tree to day, the name is Bugisota, I have never heard of this type before. I will be growing my fig tree in a 20 gallon plastic drum. In the winter I will move the fig tree in my garage which is unheated. I will wrap the fig tree with an old bed sheet and then wrap it up with in a plastic bag to help give the fig tree some protection when I open and close the garage door. My question is this. Will the fig tree survive should the dirt in plastic drum freeze up? Any and all advice is welcomed.
     
  2. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Hello John,

    I don't think the fig would survive if the roots froze, that is what we try to prevent by mulching and covering our plants. If you worry about the temps falling to extremes overnight in the garage maybe you could try to wrap the pot with something that would insulate it well. Hold back on water in the fall to help the tree harden off for winter.

    Fig trees can even be left in the ground in northern areas if they are grown as bushes and mulched and covered well.

    My father grew a fig tree in Ohio not too far south of you in Mississauga. Every fall he would dig a hole next to the tree and tip the tree sideways and bury it. This went on for maybe seven years before he got tired of burying the tree and it died in the winter. We had some good figs though.
     
  3. LI_John

    LI_John Member

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    I just joined this website and, although I am not from your area, our climates are somewhat similar. I love reading about all types of plants and getting ideas from others.


    My grandfather always had 2 fig trees in our yard while we lived in Elmont, NY (on Long Island) from 1967 until he passed in 1985. He always left them as they were all year, never buried them, but wrapped them in burlap, blankets and tar paper, topping it off with a plastic bucket for the winter. I tried my best to cover and wrap them but to no avail. I never paid much attention in those days. Now, I have 2 trees of my own and still have had no success with the wrapping process. I always find myself having to cut the trees almost to the ground nad letting them shoot up from the roots. This winter I thought I would get away with it as we were having an exceptionally mild winter. Then....BAM! 2 weeks of 20 degree days and the trees were history once again.

    You can always tell when you are in an Italian neighborhood by the number of upside down plastic pails on top of rolls of tar paper you see in the yards!
     
  4. rosie333

    rosie333 Member

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    Hi, I just read your fig tree story to my 95 year old Italian mother(as I am too American Italian). We really laughed out loud. My mother just gave my daughter and her sig. other a fig tree and they will surely appreciate your story. How true, when I was growing up in an Italian ghetto, we all saw the upside down buckets and black tarp. We all thought that is how everyone grew whatevers. We also had to sneak to get the figs, and grandpop would come out screaming in Italian that we were devils. Thanks again, nice memories.

    Rosie333
     
  5. crowldawg

    crowldawg Member

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    ddurksen , the insulated garage may make the difference .Mine is uninsulated with 2 ,7x9 doors facing into the prevailing wind of arctic blasts. I keep a B&B frig in the garage (bait and beer).It never goes on from some time in jan to some time in march.
    I have had sodas and beers explode in there. I have also kept potted miniature roses in there But I do keep my bay rosemary and myrtle in the basement near a large south window
     
  6. LI_John

    LI_John Member

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    Hi crowldawg.......

    I have a basement but no window on the south side and the other windows are under parts of the house that overhang the foundation so the basement option really doesn't work for me. Late this past summer I decided to try to root a clipping from the newest tree, a white fig, that is very vigorous. I just stuck the stick in some potting soil and watered it everyday. Well, the leaves fell off and things looked grim. I was about to give up on it when I noticed tiny buds forming along the stalk. I wound up with 8 large leaves by halloween. I knew I had to bring this one in along with my 2 tangerine trees so I parked it in front of our sliding glass door (facing east - unfortunately) and have watered it once a week since. It still looks pretty good despite being indoors for over four months but I can tell that it longs for the outdoors.

    One of the ones I have in the ground I want to move to the south side of my house. Do you, or anyone else, know when the best time to do this is? I'm basically 'just around the corner" from you....about 40-50 miles west.
     
  7. crowldawg

    crowldawg Member

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    LI,
    Just got back from a long vacation where everything I grow in the house is outside.
    I haven't even checked the figs yet .If the plants are still alive I plan to put them out when the evenings don't go much lower than 30 .
    That about the middle of April for me . I'm going to play it by ear
    tom
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2008
  8. rashena

    rashena Member

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    Location:
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    i know a man who has a number of figs, various sizes. he lives in kelowna which has some -20 nights in winter. he keeps his plants in a shed which has no heat,but is insulated, and nights of that -20 he places on the cement floor a hot coal from his wood stove. now of course we do not all have wood stoves with this novel solution. however, one can use an electric heater on those cold nights. i have also heard laying the plant down and placing straw again if not possible you can always bring it indoors ,but then there is a possibility you will not get very much fruit. this man is giving me a plant this summer so next winter i can give you first hand info with my results as i will be keeping my plant indoors. good luck with whatever idea you come up with
     
  9. crowldawg

    crowldawg Member

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    I checked the figs this AM .They seem to be doing fine .I will still wait till the night time temps don't drop below 30 before I put them back out on the deck
     
  10. LI_John

    LI_John Member

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    I've been in Oklahomaa for the past 3 weeks but when I home I'll be looking at my 2 plants surveying for damage. I'm sure I'll be lopping off a number of dead ends but I can also be pretty certain that they are fine under the soil. We've had some cold nights but nothing that has made the ground freeze solid more than a few inches deep. I just hope that it warms up early on and stays that way till Thanksgiving! :-))
     
  11. LI_John

    LI_John Member

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    Apologies for the above spelling and grammar.


    I've been in Oklahoma for the past 3 weeks but when I get home I'll be looking at my 2 plants surveying for damage
     
  12. ddurksen

    ddurksen Member

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    Rashena,

    Do you have contact information for the fellow in Kelowna with fig trees? My e-mail is ddurksen@coppervalley.bc.ca - I would love to contact him as our weather and his are very similar and possibly I could call or visit with him over the summer. Our warmer days are starting to get my fig tree excited buds are swelling but it is still too cold at night to put it out.
    David Durksen
     
  13. crowldawg

    crowldawg Member

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    http://www.Figtrees.net/.This is on the thread below ours .I found it helpful .Mine will always be in containers because my deck is sunny ,shektered and mosr importantly DEER free
     
  14. violet77

    violet77 Member

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    Location:
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    Hi everybody,
    I live in Philadelphia, PA and have two Brown Turkey fig trees.
    My mistake was I wrapped these trees with burlap, brown paper, and tarp. To protect roots, I covered with thick layer of leaves.
    When I removed all wrapping in early March, I found white thing on branch and poor trees looked dead.
    My guess is inside of wrapping got too hot and high humidity caused to form fungus on these trees.
    Using tarp was big mistake first place.
    I am going to prune all branches to ground level and wait to see if these trees are still alive or not.

    I hope people are not going to make same mistake.
    Please don't use plastic to wrap fig trees because trees cannot breath and create high humidity when weather get warm.
     
  15. janeann3797

    janeann3797 Member

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    Location:
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    John from Ontario:
    Never use plastic when wrapping your fig tree. Here is a link to give you a great idea how to preserve it:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71NlBkOvUxs
    You do not have to put the tree in the ground, but wonderful insight is available in this short video.
    Good luck.
    Jane Ryan
     

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