Hey All,

It looks like a few of my plants just started to break dormancy.  Leaves have not come out in full yet, but are looking like they are going to do so pretty soon.

Last year they did this and I put them near a window where they did pretty well, but when I brought them outside the leaves were sunburned.  I am wondering if there is something I can do to prep the plants for a hot sun and summer?

Any Advice?

Best,

Phil

Put them in,sun maybe,before the brake dormancy

I do the Painstakingly work to take them out into a rather shaded area of my house where they only get about an 1-2 hours of sun. Then, after about 1-2 weeks (not a science here, I do it when my schedule allows me) I move them to yet another spot where they get about 3-5 hours (here they stay about a week). I did not do this with 3 of my plants and yes, they were shocked big time. 

I am unsure, however, if specific varieties of figs have better resistance to sun and being exposed like this.

Hope this helps.

My thinking is if figs in ground dont burn after brakingdormancy. If potted plant are exposed weeks before the brake would be pre sun hardened. Really i dont know if this is true but makes sense to me. But why dont figs burn that are in ground ?

I'm with Figpig, let those babies break their dormancy in full sun.  First leaves may start out a little small side but, they will thrive with full sun.  If they have already leafed out indoors or shade, then you must do the moving around dance to avoid certain sunburn.  But, it's an unnecessary pain in my opinion.

Hey Phil, greetings.

Where do you have these potted trees that they are breaking dormancy? You might want to get them to a cooler spot, and slow them down. It's still winter especially when we look at today's forecast! But if they do continue to spring to life, when you do bring them outside ( still two more months), first place them in a more shaded area of your garden where they only get some direct sunlight. Gradually move them to their final full sun location. Those first early leaves, especially if formed indoors, often can't take extreme outdoor exposures and wll fall. But, more leaves are usually out by then.

I have some potted trees that have greening buds, but definitely no leaves yet. Buds are nice and tight.

Good luck!

I also live in the DC area and mine are still snoozing.  They are in an unheated, detached garage which tends to stay between 25-38 degrees.  As Mark implied they are likely breaking dormancy because they are stored at too high a temperature.  But if that is your only option then you will need to start them out in a shady spot and slowly transition to the sun the way you would do for tomato seedlings.  I use the north side of my house for this.

Thanks for all the help.  I'm going to move them into darker places and slowly transition them out.

Hopefully after the next week or two when all this snow melts here int he DC/VA/MD area I can just put the pots outside for some more cold hours.

Phil,
Some comments:

1. First, darker is not the same as colder.  If they are breaking dormancy, it's because they're too warm.  Moving them to a darker spot that is the same temperature will not slow this down, but will actually make the problem worse because any leaves that form will be totally unprepared for the sun when the time comes, due to the darkness. 

2. Once the leaves start to sprout, if you put them outdoors, any temperatures near or below freezing will kill any leave that have formed.  So I wouldn't recommend putting them outside until danger of frost has passed. 

3. What most people think is a "sunny room" is in fact very dim when compared to hours of direct outdoor sunlight.  A grow light would be better than a sunny room or window, but maybe you don't have any.  Either way, it's still much much less bright than outdoor conditions, so the tree will need a transition period or the leaves will get scorched.  Even a shaded spot outdoors is likely much brighter than a sunny room or even a grow light (unless it's a near professional setup).  So if you don't have anywhere to put them that is less than 45 degrees, you can do as Jerry suggests and progressively put them in brighter areas outdoors when the time comes. 

4. Even if the leaves get scorched when you move them outdoors, it's probably not the end of the world.  You should try to avoid it, but if a few get a bit scorched, don't panic.  The tree will likely recover fully in time.  Now if it fully leafs out with dozens of leaves, and you stick it in direct sunlight and they all get totally scorched and fall off, that's bad.  Just do a decent job and you'll be OK.

Phil, if the leaves are actually coming out, and there are no good options for cooling them down in a garage or outbuilding, I would be inclined to increase light rather decrease it.  Can you put them in front of a south facing window until it warms up enough to start transitioning to a shady spot outdoors?  It will probably be weeks before it is warm enough outside.  You could try to cool them down in the near future by putting them outside but the temperature swings will make this tricky in my opinion.  Let us know how it turns out.

Thanks Rob and Rewton.  This is all great feedback.

I agree that it has to do with the temperature they are breaking dormancy and not the sun exposure.  I just moved into a new place and don't have a spot to put them yet for a good dormant winter.

The swollen buds show the cracks where the new leaves are, but they haven't let any leaves out yet.  I hope they hold off until next week. After this VA/MD/DC snowstorm (I guess its a lot of the east coast getting hit) - when the weather warms up - I can let them outside on my southern facing porch during the day and bring them in when the temp drops back down in the evening.

Looks like I can start doing this on Monday when High's will be from 50-60F all next week.

Phil,

Didn't mean to stear you wrong, I should have preferenced or qualified my comment and freshman experience.   I'm located in a most favorable fig growing environment, that being the Southern California Coast.   Needless to say, we do not contend with near the winter dormancy issues you may have.   Growers in your climate zone would be the experts to listen too.  Good luck!

No worries Jack!

I'm only about 3 seasons in to growing figs, so any information helps.  I am jealous I hear about all the great experiences of Cali fig growers and I must say I feel compelled to move out there (bc I also enjoy surfing).

Best,

Phil

Phil,
  If the leaves have not fully sprung yet, you can still try to slow them down by moving them to a cooler and darer place.  If the leaf is opened, do as Steve (Rewton) says and give it the light (natural and or artificial) it wants.  You will have to transition the tree gradually to full sunlight.  Some leaves may get fully or partly sunburned.  It's not the end of the world ;-)
  Whatever environment the new leaf opens up into is the light level it will be expecting.  That's why a brand new leaf that opens up in full sun wont get sunburned, while a leave that open up into the dark and gets moved to full sun will get burned and drop off.
Jim
PS -- Don't feel bad.  I am in the same boat.  My storage area is also too warm for a long, full dormancy.  I have 56 fig pots in my living room right now. (Yes, 56, I just counted.)

Hey Phil

I was wondering how many potted trees you are talking about? It's a bit of a pain to move plants in and out. :-) also, don't let next week's mild temperatures fool you and ur plants. It's better to let them gradually break dormancy, buds greeen up, leaves emerge, etc then putting them in and out of different "zones." I think we have plenty of time here to wait before any thoughts of putting plants outside. Good luck!

Ogh, yes. Exactly what Rob said regarding effects of light and temperature on keeping plants dormant. It's all about the temperature. I have my "dormant" potted trees in our unheated sunroom. They get bathed with sunlight daily, but the temp is close to freezing. Some of these trees have just a slight hint of greening buds. I do give them all a small drink of water every few weeks throughout the winter. Here's what my Black Madeira looks like