I didn't want to change the subject of Eli's thread about girdling, so here goes.

Eli, you said something in that thread that reminded me of a question I'd thought
of asking the forum.
I'm not the only one who's heard of somebody beating their fig tree!
HA!

I have a buddy who knows an older Italian man that beats his fig tree, right before
winter sets in.

"What do you mean, he beats it?" I asked, in disbelief.
"Yeah, he takes a baseball bat and beats the hell out of it!"
He says, laughing hysterically.

Apparently this makes his tree less likely to dry up in our cold winters.

That sounded ridiculous to me...

Is anybody else here beating their fig trees?
Do you know somebody that beats their fig trees?
Have you witnessed a fig tree beating?
I'd love to hear more about this, now that the cat's out of the bag.
Is there a video on YouTube that shows the proper technique?
-all in fun-

Eli, you mentioned a person that does it to increase fruit production, and I heard that it affects
winter hardiness.

What on Earth...?

i used to practice kendo... that involves beating the tar out of each other with bamboo sword... never really though about beating up a tree. that doesn't seem very sporting... lol

Southern farmers used "Flail" Okra, basically involved taking a small stick and beating the Okra stalks, was said to increase production, I don't know if it did.

Lol pete.

I don't know about beating a tree, but living in zone 6b I would consider if there was enough compelling proof.

I know people will beat the tar out of citrus trees that stall what they use is a length of garden hose folded over.  

Well, I've never heard of anyone beating a fig tree to make it more tolerant of the cold winters but when I was growing up, my grandmother would use a ladder to climb up the tree and beat the limbs with a stick or shake the limbs to knock off the figs she couldn't reach. 

Been known to heat them real hot but never did i beat them .

Check it out:

http://blog.chron.com/lazygardener/2009/09/no-blooms-try-beating-your-plant/

I've heard it also done to thicken the trunk.

If you bang it enough to loosen the bark and/or make fissures, it will thicken as it heals. Risky though, as you create points of entry for pests and disease.

hey Figaro
"seasonal beatings" -LOL-
I have seen in an article that girdling has a dwarfing effect and inhibits height growth,.
if that confers the tree a better and stronger bark layer above the girdle so it should be tried.
http://www.hortwatch.com/library/trunk-girdling.html

" Girdling offers an alternative to dwarfing rootstocks for higher density plantings and there are a number of examples of intensively planted blocks on vigourous rootstocks being successfully held in check by regular girdling each year."

what does cold hardiness depend upon? bark diamter and ratio to cambium?

i am not a botanist so got know idea... next step is to try to cover only the area below the girdle in cold areas and try if it helps.
i wouldnt try the cutting of the bark but first try constricting it by a plastic or metal  wire...

I have heard about beating trees in late winter, but that was maple trees to get the sap going.

Danny I don't know exactly how you flail okra but on your word I beat the tar out of mine this morning. They are way past due in producing, I hope it works. Some of them I beat a little to hard and broke them, but what does it matter if they don't produce.

On another note, I had a Celeste that would only bear small marble size figs. After a few years I pruned it down with the thought of putting the chain saw to the rest. Things happen and I never got around to finishing the job. The next year, same thing, small figs. I pruned all I could cut with the lopers and was gonna use the chain saw. Again something got in the way. Follow year tree grew nicely and produced some very nice figs and has since. I didn't beat it but it was brutal.

"gene"

That's funny Gene. It reminds me of a Cattleya-type orchid I had that simply would not bloom. I threatened it with extinction and still nothing. then one day a little cherry head parrot I had made a salad out of it. When that Cattleya recovered, it bloomed like crazy.