We were 80F today, and have been in the mid to high 70s for more than a week, with another week to go, at least. Nice problem to have. However, Figs are going to want to wake up any day now. I am spraying them down with cold water just about sunset every day, hoping to give them enough chilling over night to keep them from popping their buds. Want to get at least another couple weeks of dormancy, if I can, so I can take cuttings at the end of the month.

Don't know if this will work, but hoping the coldness of the water and the evaporative cooling will provide that something extra to keep them dormant.

Pruned the Black Mission NL today because it was not going to wait. Sap sprayed out of every cut because tree is so juicy and ready to break dormancy.

Yeah, this is my garage.  We've been at 18°F the last two nights.  Wife not happy, but I mean, gotta do what you gotta do ....  

Garage looks great Jason! I have a quarter of that and caught a little grief too but I'm hoping the fruit this summer makes up for it.

100 u-line bags with sprouting fig cuttings all over the kitchen table. There should be a spouses support group for Fig4Fun members. At least you have confined your figs to the garage, it could be worse.
All in fun of course.

Jon, I read of people who mist their orchards to allow their trees to get enough chilling hours when winter doesn't provide it. It seems to work because they count on having consistent fruit production.
"gene"

Jon,

Just move to Michigan. You will get all the chilling hours you want.  I promise.

Jon send them my way i will be fair in my babysitting fees and they will sleep well here in "winter paradise".    ; )

There you have it Jon. You have Martins winter paradise or you can choose my winter wonderland. Or you can choose the cream of the crop and take you to Da U.P. Eh? But you must learn to speak Yooper eh. 

@ Jason. If you move that car that's in the way you'd have alot more room in there. See how she takes to that idea :) . -(All meant in good humor).

Don't need "chill" hours, just a little less summer.

Martin, I would take you up on the babysitting offer, but I don't have time to sort the dark ones from the rest, and I know I couldn't trust you to take care of the non-dark ones.

Jon, what is the consequence if your trees come out of dormance prior to taking cuttings at the end of the month?  Will they be less viable and less likely to root successfully?

If you've watched football, they have these big mister/sprayers they blow on the players on the really hot days.  I believe due to the evaporative effect, and the use of cool water, they reduce the temperature substantially.  I would expect that your air is fairly dry.  My understanding is that if you mist dry air with cool water, it absorbs the water and in the process cools down.  Not sure how much those things cost or how easy they are to obtain, but just an idea if you are getting really worried.

Rob

Shovel prune some roots.

hahaha my trees are waking :S and a weird white fig tree has already some figs.

@Vince, I think that's roughly 65-70 trees altogether, half are in 1gal pots in the rear.  Sadly, I have 15-20 more trees actively growing in the basement on the other side of the wall from the white car pictured.  So, they've rolled over to inside the home also.

@Bill, that's my car, I'm not about to put my new (to me) BMW outside to endure the elements, I need my warm seats in the morning and no ice on the windshield.  The wife's SUV is the missing vehicle, and I think blood may be shed if I asked her to put it outside! ;)

Any buds that break dormancy are toast and will not be viable when the cuttings are rooted.

Buy or rent a snow machine like the ski resorts use and run it constantly.  Pixar trucks in snow for their Christmas party and makes sledding runs.  It lasts for days.  You could do the same.  Or run liquid N2 through your irrigation system.

Jon types
Martin, I would take you up on the babysitting offer, but I don't have time to sort the dark ones from the rest, and I know I couldn't trust you to take care of the non-dark ones.

Your right i feel it would be a waste of time , for every decent light type there are least several dark ones that are just as good and or better .  ; )
The dark side is calling you....   lol

Jon,

I don't know about everybody else, but I'll take cuttings now.  :D  I've got some going into the ground tomorrow.

~james

I'm taking cuttings too. Our weather has been so up and down the past two months that I want to take cuttings now, before any buds decide to break.