i'm sure storage location makes different. all mine are against the south wall that gets sun all day long. it has windows on that side so some gets what little light they get during the winter. i think being protected from wind makes big difference also. even if the temp was in 20s, the trees in the garage did not have any issue. one thing i did notice last yr is that water usage by the trees go up suddenly in the garage if the temp start to raise sharp in early spring. keeping eye on them so i don't kill what little breba i'm trying to taste this yr. 

I could be wrong but more and more I think the "hardiness" of a plant has less to do with the minimum temperature it experiences and more to do with the temperature conditions when its internal alarm clock goes off telling it to wake up. If the sap starts flowing and it freezes then that kills the plant.

I grew some fuzzy kiwi along side my hardy kiwi here in Ontario and they would die back down to the ground level every spring. I decided to grow them in ground in my unheated greenhouse. Starting march 1st I put a heater in there to keep it above freezing and since then they grow fine. I have a 5 year old male vine that flowers every year now in my greenhouse. Now I just need one of them to be a female so I can get some fruit :). This year will be a test for minimum temperature hardiness for sure with the winter we've had!

Thanks for sharing the pics Joe!

Hi,
Concerning suckers - since your tree is not grafted -, they perform as the mother plant .

I know because my ufti strain has been propagated via suckers only, and the new trees perform well. The Italian gardner gave it to a friend, that gave it to a friend, that gave it to me , and I did propagate it wia sucker as well.
So  generations of suckers :) later, the tree still produce well.
Of course, depending on the exact place where you install the new tree, you can get some small/big differences from one tree to another, but that applies to cuttings propagated trees as well .
In 2013, one "sucker" of my ufti - some 3 years old sucker- did carry bigger brebas than the mother plant ... Ok it only had 4 where the mother plant had 30 ... that "could" explain the difference in size ...

As for the bud break, I have my "dalmatie" number 2 that shows a leaflet from the upper bud, where the mother plant is still sleeping - but kept between 10 and 20 figlets during the winter.
To be honest, I'm wondering if the leaf didn't show up in November and has been waiting since. But at least, the leaf is still green - so she should be alive ...
So I think that bud breaking depends as well of the maturity of the tree - old trees tending to wait more to bud break ...

why are my trees not breaking dormancy? they have been held all winter in front of an east window, with temps in the 60s during the day, lows around 50.

do they wait for the frost free date? they are zone 6 trees getting zone 6 sunlight.

It's still early Susie.  Give them some more time.  If you move them outside on warm days they will break dormancy faster.  Make sure you bring them in at night and if the day turns cooler.

Hi Joe...

Thanks for the answers.

How nice it is to have such a long, productive, growing season.  We are still frozen solid here in The Bronx, NYC.  So far 55"+ of snow has fallen, and we still have plenty of winter coming.  I am expecting some serious damages, and, heavy losses with my fig trees. 

Good luck with the fig crop.  Make some new videos.  I like going to the movies.

Frank

Thanks Frank.  Hang in there.  What a winter you guys are having.  But it can't last forever.  Spring is coming.

Yes this should be a great yr for figs. Almost all of mine are in containers. I have panache in ground with brebas popping. The trees on the west side of my backyard seem to get the most sun and they had the most leaves as compared to the same variety in other locations. I don't think it will make much of a difference as they are only ahead by a few days. Looks like you have plenty of room for more. Your welcome to any extras I have. Last check I have way too many. Seems like in ground is way to go. Repotting is hard work. I'm not going higher than 15 gallons anymore.

Figfinatic thanks for the offer.  I'm going to see how these trees do this year before I plant anymore.  I might be asking what you have this fall though.  You probably already have everything that I grow but if not and there's something you want me to air layer for you this year let me know.