Hello everyone, question, I am in zone 6A Queens NY area NYC area… its November and we are heading into winter.. I put up two air layer on a fig last month (October) with the standard orange juice plastic container method.. being that we will wrap the figs in burlap and plastic to go into the winter season what are my chances that these air layers work and grow roots as to when unwrapping in the 2015 spring will they have roots? anyone every do air layer this late in the season? wondering what people experienced or found by doing this?

This is my first year raising figs but I just put to bed my 3 fig plants and one of them had two airlayers going when I tucked it away outside. According to the nurseries that sell all sorts of trees, this time of year is the best for planting new trees because the roots still grow through the winter giving the tree better survival come next spring and summer. My only fear of it is the rooting media may dry out and the roots die. I may open the cocoon sometime during the winter on a good warm day to check, or it might be best to leave it along so as not to expose the plant to the warm air of that day and take a chance of waking it to early. My other thought was the air-layers may add to much moisture to the cocoon and I open it to find mold or fungus.
 I had to get them wrapped this weekend because tomorrow we are supposed to hit the low 20's and by the weekend, maybe the teens.

thanks for the information much apprichated.. now you got me thinking, maybe a 1/2 PVC tube in the air layer and sticking out of the cocoon so that i can water from time to time? photos of my cocoon  and tube to follow.

Hi charliethefig,
What is your goal? Do you need the airlayers now ? Do you want to let them grow inside for the winter ? Will you let them overwinter in sleep mode ?
To be honest, I would check for roots now, and if they don't have roots, let them , but if they have roots, I would remove them and pot them up.
Good luck !

thanks that is a good idea as well. i guess after a month or so you think they may haev roots? if so i will cut them and get them inside in a pot.. all good options thanks guys.

This sounds like a great experiment. I doubt it will work but you would really be onto something if it did. I would think that underneath your burlap you are only keeping the figs maybe in the 20s at most if the outside temps are in single digits. That may be enough to keep the plant from freezing but I think new roots would freeze at those temps.

I will give it a shot and take some photos and document.. maybe interesting.

it's too cold for them to grow new root and because the roots you have formed are above the ground they will freeze and die later this winter unless protected. Trying to make an air layer in winter is as useless as trying to ripen figs that fall off your tree it just don't work. 

thanks, do you think they woudl contiune the rooting process in the air layer once i uncover them in the spring time? maybe i just leave the air layers as is and let it do its thing once its uncovered

What if the air layer was on a potted tree that was protected in a garage or shed with a heater, minimum temp of 32 deg F?  Do you think that the roots might continue to grow thru the winter?

Anyone ever test that?

if the soil temps a from 45-50+ they should still grow weve been getting frosts in nc and i root pruned the trees and to my suprise i seen active white roots

I agree with some comments above (e.g. jdsfrance and ediblelandscapingsc, others).  But though you may get some root growth now, it'll be slower.  And whatever roots there are are young and vulnerable to freezing (death of those roots).  Why not do cuttings instead of airlayer?  Check 'em if you haven't already, for roots now.  But if you're interested to bring them indoors, then even if they don't already have roots, you could just treat them as cuttings.  (Like cuttings that already got their start as a late airlayer start, but became cuttings).  Now is the time for cuttings, not airlayers.  If you leave them outdoors and there's any kind of freeze, you'll lose any "starter roots" progress that you may have happened to get so far.  Cuttings in winter; airlayers when there's new growth going on.

Mike