Hi all! I just took a peek at a couple of my trees and they have completely no dieback even after the bitter cold snap we had for a good week a few weeks back. For those of you who took to my experiment with the spike lights and heat lamps, it must have worked! Anyway, it was about 62 degrees here today in Northern NJ and had to urge to look inside.

While the trees are in great shape, I noticed a bit of moisture buildup on the paper side of the pink insulation (facing the tarp) ODDLY on the north (shady) side only. Luckily the paper has done a good job of absorbing the moisture but the pink insulation is completely dry. I did notice a little bit of white fuzz on the top of the longest branch. I can't imagine that the additional heat provided by the lamps weeks ago are responsible although they were positioned on the north side.

Is moisture buildup typical under wrapped trees when mild temps set in? The ground is not wet and there is no moisture on the bottom of the trees so my only guess is that the mild temperatures are causing "sweat" to occur underneath the tarp. I must say that I was VERY surprised how much warmth the layer of insulation provides when I reached in to loosen up the cloth to get a peek.

Should I keep the buckets off above certain temps to lessen the moisture build-up? I'm a bit concerned the mold will become a problem although it is only the paper on the north side (and in isolated patches - not the whole length) where the moisture occurs.

I know some of you also wrap your trees in a similar way - with a layer of insulation. Have you ever run into this issue? Is it normal? Any advice is appreciated!

Below are some pics of the green!

  
 
 

Condensation is caused by a temperature difference. The south side is warmed by the sun and heats the air inside, the water in the warm air condenses when it contacts the cooler material on the north side. 

Rot is likely to happen when it gets too warm inside, condensation or not. Keeping the bucket off the tops in warm periods is a good idea.

Just keep an eye on it, chances are it is nothing to worry about.

Try wiping it off and look at the bark underneath to see if there is damage.

Since no rain is in the forecast, at what temperature do you recommend leaving the buckets off without causing any cold damage? I'd obviously leave the wrapping intact until end of April when chance of freeze is over.

A light freeze is not a problem for a dormant fig tree, I would keep the bucket off when the forecasted low is above 27 F.