Looking for Zone 7b Fig Advice

[CyntheB]

Last night's snow weighed down the top covering, loosening clips on one side, and there was a gap when I went out to look at the figs this morning. Also, strong winds are a problem if it gets under the edges making the material billow out. So I've had to redo the clips on the east side the past two morning. The fig trees still look good although frost damage can take a couple of days to manifest. Tonight the lows are going to drop to 20F (-7C). Brrrr!

[alanmercieca]

You would have to seriously heat up those sheltering 'cathedrals' to prevent snow buildup, yet that could be dangerous with a setup like that. Take things one day at a time, that is one thing we usually don't have to worry about, heavy snow, very rare yet not impossible.

[CyntheB]

Well, the combination of cold temps 20F / 6C and short daylight hours have killed the leaves, except for a few near the ground at the base of the young trees. However, much to my surprise even w/o leaves, the remaining figs are still attempting to ripen!! Picked and ate two more today. Not great. There's not enough heat to sweeten them or precip to make them juicy.

I have high hopes the tree trunks are going to make it through this winter ahead with minimal cold damage. They are looking quite good. In the 6 winters we have been here the temps rarely drop below the mid-teens, so we'll see.

[alanmercieca]

Well, the combination of cold temps 20F / 6C and short daylight hours have killed the leaves, except for a few near the ground at the base of the young trees. However, much to my surprise even w/o leaves, the remaining figs are still attempting to ripen!! Picked and ate two more today. Not great. There's not enough heat to sweeten them or precip to make them juicy.

I have high hopes the tree trunks are going to make it through this winter ahead with minimal cold damage. They are looking quite good. In the 6 winters we have been here the temps rarely drop below the mid-teens, so we'll see.

6 winters! Time sure passes by fast. I think that the longer times of freezing temperatures and the strong winds you have when it's cold, is what is so hard on the fig trees. We rarely have those things so extreme at the same time. Our fig trees are still producing figs, yet bland and not sweet, with thicker peels. Here they are drier this time of year as well, yet I think that it has to do with the cold and the shorter hours of sun, it makes them drier with thicker skins. There is less sap in the trees regardless of how much it rains/doesn't rain. That is one reason that people wait until the fig trees are dormant to prune them.

[CyntheB]

6 winters! Time sure passes by fast.

This is only the 4th winter for the figs though...

Our fig trees are still producing figs, yet bland and not sweet, with thicker peels. Here they are drier this time of year as well, yet I think that it has to do with the cold and the shorter hours of sun, it makes them drier with thicker skins.

Interesting that you also still have figs ripening. Skins thickened in response to cold makes sense. I assumed the dryness was due to lack of in ground moisture, but reduced sap flow as a seasonal response makes sense as well.

Yeah, figs really prefer warm winter climates like California where they grow absolutely huge!! I'll have to find my photo of an enormous fig tree growing in Napa county at a farm I visited.

BTW, Alan ~ I'm not receiving notices from the forum when a reply is posted. It used to work flawlessly, but hasn't for several months now. Wonder if email security requirements have changed to cause this.

[CyntheB]

I have some in shrub form for the reason that you mentioned, but now I'm trying to train them as permanent horizontal trunks just above ground level. These will send up shoots along the length of the trunk that will get pruned off back to a bud at the end of the season to be replaced with new shoots the next year. This method makes it easy to cover the plants to protect them. It's called the Japanese Step-Over Espalier method, with the horizontals grown lower than normal to help with the need to cover in the winter. I've only just started training some of my figs this way. Here in zone 5 my biggest concern with this method is voles.

Greg ~ How is your Japanese Step-Over Espalier fig training going? Are the trees responding well? Do you have any photos to post? How wide / long a length are you planning to grow them? How are the vole deterrent protections working?

[alanmercieca]

BTW, Alan ~ I'm not receiving notices from the forum when a reply is posted. It used to work flawlessly, but hasn't for several months now. Wonder if email security requirements have changed to cause this.

I have changed nothing, I have not even updated the forum. Might the e-mails be in the spam folder?