Here in Arizona my figs are breaking dormancy in this order:

Do you have Frost in Arizona. Sound strange to me. If you need more frost just let me know. Free of any charge.

This was my first winter here.  Apparently it was one of the coldest in a while.  Several frosts this winter.

Joe--were any of them protected? Just wondering why your Black Mission NL & LSU Purple were affected while the others escaped damage. We dropped to18 degrees in Tucson and my in-ground trees got quite a bit of damage, but I won't know exactly how much until they start leafing out. However, most branches any thinner than my thumb seem dead and brittle. The potted figs went into the garage before each freeze so they look fine, and about as you've described--ranging from swelling green buds to some with tiny new leaves. Black Madeira & Black Mission NL seem slowest to wake up.

Ken,

Welcome to Arizona, FrozenJoe.   You're gonna have to find another username.

For what it's worth...I have eight black mission trees in ground at my place in Havasu, and a couple in pots.  Most are leafing out, a couple  have figs allready, and one is still completly dormant.  All were cuttings off the same tree a year and a half ago.    We're a little warmer over here than Phoenix, and we didn't get hit as hard with the forst.

I think micro climates have a lot to do with it.  Mine are planted all around my lot...some in varying shade, some exposed on a ridge, some in full sun.

All of my figs have broken dormancy now except for Black Mission NL.  Even LSU Purple has come to life, pushing out new buds near the base of the plant.  My last three plants to break dormancy are, in order, Marseilles VS, Hardy Chicago, and Joe's Jersey.

I have a quick question for you guys. This is my first spring with fig trees and I have been going outside and checking the trees daily for signs they are alive. I am not totlaly sure what to look for. Today I noticed either buds or braba, I'm guess... Most of the branches close to the tips have little balls forming around them. I can't say I have the best memory for this, but I swear they were not there over the winter. Can anyone confirm this is a sign of life, also I think I have noticed the buds at the tips getting bigger and peeling off a layer, is that the swelling I should be looking for?

P.S. Ignore my hand in the picture. I had to do that for my camera to focus.

I have the same issue with my BlackBerry's camera, I've had to do this same thing, knew what it was instantly ;)

You know, I can never tell if the offending swells will be buds or figs.  It's never clear until they emerge.  Bud swell like this is typical around this time of year, but for me, 90%+ of the time, the terminal bud emerges before any of the bud swell above the leaf scars do.

I know it's probably tough to wait but ...

So those little balls forming are a definite sign of life and not my imagination at this point?

I received a few cuttings of Latarulla that came dormant with little knots like that last year, and they stayed there all through winter till spring, and then exploded.

Until they start breaking open, I wouldn't place a lot of value in them.  If you have pictures of your cuttings before, look at the pics for comparison.  It's the best I can tell you.

Yeah, I'm going to look around and try to find what I did with pictures I took before. I am pretty sure they were not there or not as pronounced before. I guess I will just keep waiting untul I see some green.

71GTO,

Here, I just took this photo of one of my cuttings down here.  This bud is in the process of rupturing.  Note the outside shell is cracking away and you can see green beneath - it could be a fig or a leaf, never know till it unfurls (or doesn't).

This is what I meant by leaf buds turning green and swelling.  Sorry the pics are pretty blurry.  My batteries ran out before I could take better shots.

I pictures aren't coming up.

They disappeared.  Let me try again.

Thanks!

I just checked my Black Mission NL.  It is sprouting some new green buds near the base of the plant.  Every one of my fig trees has now broken dormancy.