I am wondering how long the fig trees in warm climate like California and Arizona go dormant? In my zone 7B my trees go dormant from November to March that is 5 months which makes my season very short. I am thinking to cut the dormancy to three months November-January, I can do that by providing a controlled climate because I build a home made green house. The walls are sun selector Astrix which keeps the heat inside at 80 efficiency. It is amazing the temp inside during the day reached 98 degrees [may be now because it still warm] I had to open the top and put a fan inside to circulate the air. I can maintain temp to 75-80 range in winter which I think it will be enough for the fig trees. I am doing all that as a fig lover hobby and to extend my season because I want two full crops. Although I had two crops this year but the second  never ripened due to short season. Question to the experts can the fig trees go dormant 2-3 months and this will be enough. How many months is the dormancy in California and Arizona? I am determined to beat my freezing weather I hope I succeed.

In Houston, my trees never made it to full dormancy.  They would start losing their leaves in late November and stay quiet until mid-January to early February depending on the year.  The trees in the ground had a bit longer rest.

In the low So CA desert, the figs go dormant around late Nov. Dec.  It actually gets cold here at nights when the rain comes, and snow covers the mountains, and the winds blow the cold off the snow.

Suzi

The figs around here (Coastal S. California, zone 10) often never make it to full dormancy. The ones in my neighborhood, including my young ones, are still either still all green or actively growing. It was almost 90*F here today with mid 80s predicted for the rest of the week. Since many figs originated in warmer Mediterranean climates like mine, achieving full dormancy never happens. Other figs from colder regions probably need it.

Hmmm.. I just checked my zone, (go figure) Zone 7a. My trees transplanted and in shock. I was think of snipping the leaves off. We had one frost. Leaves curled but that's about it. It feels forever... Then watch the snow come in!

I've read somewhere that figs, depending on variety, need anywhere from 100 to 300 chill hours.  A couple weeks of sleepy time should be enough. Then it's time to wake up and grow some figs.

I read in another thread on this forum, a member from Indonesia grows many figs in his tropical climate, they seem to produce well and they never go dormant. SO maybe the need of the chill hours is not proven...

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=6044866

The chill hours will definitely help produce a stronger crop, it is not required but with the chill hours you should set more fruit on the same size tree vs the tree than never got chill hours.

I would say your idea should be fine, I let a panachee wake up in February in a greenhouse at work and it started to produce a crop by march, that's dormancy from November to Feb, it would have done a better crop if I hadn't knocked off a bunch of fruit, but I was pinching and wanted branches for next year.

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/IS-DORMANCY-NECESSARY-4884220?highlight=hawaii+dormant

In CA, the only time my trees went dormant is when they were root pruned or transplanted. I'm not sure when to take cuttings for others then. I thought it might be better in late winter since people elsewhere can root them then. In AZ, some of my trees that were under some shade actually started losing their leaves because they got too much sun too fast as the angle of the sun changed and they got way more sun then normal, but now it is like spring time again as the temps start to dip into the 90's and leaves are sprouting everywhere and even more figs.

If you look at the climate of Malta, January and February are not so different than the weather in NYC now in mid October.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Malta#Climate_data

Here trees are still green. I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden yesterday and saw a Chicago hardy fig with new figs, green leaves enjoying the sun,

My small Chicago Hardy in 2 / 3 gallon pot is ripening about 20 figs and still putting out new branches.

I wonder if fig trees in Malta growing by a wall and with southern exposure if ever they go dormant.

When we were in Lake Havasu, (USDA zone 10), the year we had no frost, my trees did not go dormant.  Or maybe they went semi dormant.  All the previous year's  leaves did drop, but over a period of several months (November thru March) while new leaves were growing and replacing them.  I also got three distinct crops on many of my trees.

We are now settled in at our new place in the high (3500 feet elevation) desert of central Arizona.   I have new main crop figs starting now, but here we get freezing temps every year, so there are no expectations of a third harvest. 

Thank you all I read all your comments and I think I agree fig trees do not need dormancy. Most figs are originated in Egypt, Turkey and Italy. All These areas  has Mediterranean weather I have friends in these areas who tell it gets very cold in winter and when I asked what is you temperature which you call very cold  they say it dropped to 30. that is Cel converting that to Feh it is 77 I laugh. I am going to woke up my trees on February First and this will give me 9 months season. I hope I get plenty of figs. For the money I am spending and the time and efforts I am putting in I deserve to have plenty of figs. I will be looking for my first breba I never got one before. As for chill hours, stone fruit such as Apricot, peach and nectarine which I have too, need chill hours fortunately fig is not stone fruit.

I think your idea has merit.  I kept a one year old tree in a pot ext to a window where it got lots of sun all winter and it didn't go dormant.   Then in April I put it outside in a raised bed, and it really took off and it bore fruit.  It is now 6 feet tall and continuing to ripen fruit.  Not a lot (remember it's still a very young tree), but it continues to grow and fruit.

So waking up your trees early oughta work.  Assuming you can keep them in an area where they will get sunlight and not freeze.

They grow in tropical regions and never go dormant.

What I have observed is this:

In San Diego,in warm winters, the still have previous season leaves when they "break dormancy" in the spring. Even if they have lost their leaves, often the wood is still not fully hardened, and sometimes still fairly green.

If we have warm weather followed by a cool/cold week, say  in the 60s, many plants will begin heading to dormancy, and then reflush with new growth when the weather warms up, again. This can happen several times in a season is the weather pattern is hot/cold/hot/cold. This beginning of dormancy, if it happens at about the time when fruit set would have begun, will reset the plant and delay fruit formation till much later in the season.

Younger trees are more likely to hold onto leaves and resist dormancy than older trees.

Sudden hot spells with a 15-20 degree swing will often cause defoliation, which will be followed by a reflush.

Foolishpleasure, I think you confused F with C. In Mediterranean regions the minimum can not be 30 C! Probably not even on the equator the minimum temperature can alway be 30 C which is 86 F. 
I just had posted the climate of Malta which is pretty close to N. Africa and south of Sicily http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Malta#Climate_data

Also Italy, Greece have a lot of mountains, so there is a lot of variety with climate. Winter can be mild, or can get freezes. I am originally from Milan 

http://weatherspark.com/averages/32256/Milan-Lombardia-Italy

Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from 25°F to 84°F and is rarely below 15°F or above 90°F.
"The warm season lasts from June 6 to September 10 with an average daily high temperature above 76°F. The hottest day of the year is July 27, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F.

The cold season lasts from November 18 to February 29 with an average daily high temperature below51°F. The coldest day of the year is January 8, with an average low of 25°F and high of 43°F."