Hey all, my only fig tree above 12 inches tall has been put to sleep in the dark garage for the winter here in zone 5.  I went to visit it yesterday and it looked like the tips may be trying to leaf out again.  No leaves yet, but the tips look greener and larger than I remember. 

Could it be trying to grow still?  It was outside, with all the leaves gone, and now it is in my attached garage.  Is it too warm in there?  I can put it into the unattached shed for a month until the temps drop more...would that help?

I really don't want to lose this one, because even though it is only an unknown white, it is the first and only one I have that looks a little like an actual fig tree. 

Thanks for any help or advice that is out there!

Dave

Has to stay 45 or lower. Anything above that will spur growth.  This time of year is tricky because you can have warm spells.  3 days ago it was 70 in Southeast MA. Go figure.

Dave,
    I keep my larger potted trees in my tool shed behind my house.  It is not insulated or heated, and I don't wrap them or protect them in any way.  Just keeping them out of the winter wind and free from snow and ice build up seems to work here in Zone 6b. 
    My smaller potted trees come in the house and live with me all winter. It does me a world of good to see those little green trees inside during those seemingly endless winter months.  

David
You should be OK. Just watch that garage does not get warm for a number of days above 7/8 deg C.
I had a Turkish variety dormant plant that I forgot to put in the cellar and it stayed two weeks inside the house. It sprouted and had some nice small yellow leaves. Then I put it in the cellar and it stored OK and started good growth in the spring... just lost a little stored energy by sprouting.

Mine are kind of the same way, so sometimes i open the garage and then let the cold air in, I am debated if I should leave the against a south wall or not but I think I should be ok.

Hummm
Finally I find a benefit of being in Zone 5a. I don't have to worry about garage getting warm to break dormany from November to mid April.

Shana, Dormancy protects the trees from freezing temperatures, which will kill leaves and new growth.

Dave, one thing I have done with young and fragil trees is to let them be a house plant for their first winter.   This works great if you have an inside sunny location and not a whole lot of trees and don't mind dodging them for 5 or 6 months.   I did this with one last winter and it is now a five foot tree planted in my back yard which produced fruit this year.

I presently have two  indoors for the winter, (a new little hardy chicago, and one of my unknowns which I rooted in September) and...as I described above...will be house plants untill all chances of frost are behind us late next spring.

So if your tree does break dormancy...you might consider that as an option.

Dormancy is a god thing for those in colder climate. Outside is deep freeze, the trees resting in sleep in a cellar or somewhere safe (hopefully) and no jungle to take care of inside.