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Figs Hibernating in Frigid Maryland

Greetings all

As REWTON noted a few days ago, and others have already commented, a frigid arctic blast arrived here in the northeast USA. Temps here in central Maryland down to single digits (F) overnight, with a morning temperature at 9F.

In late Autumn, I built wire cages around my fig hedge of HC and Celeste and Standalone Hardy Chicago. I'm hoping the bulk of leaf mulch protects them all. Here's an afternoon pix of the trees this afternoon.

Anyone else have pix of their shivering trees? Please share!

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All the best for your trees Mark. I hope they will withstand the arctic cold.
I am glad we have a mild winter so far over here!

   You did what is possible.   I wish you best luck.  

@ Mark B.----I have had Chicago Hardy in ground for a couple years now in Kansas. We hit below zero every year, even for brief periods. Lots of windchill here too. My CH is right up next to the south side of the house. There is some die-back each year, esp. if I take late cuttings like I did last week (yeah, I know---kinda dumb)...but it rebounds like gangbusters. So does my LSU purple. They are about the same size as your trees...about 3 + feet. I have never covered them EXCEPT once the leaf buds start swelling in Spring, and I know we will have late freezes. Then I throw a tarp loosely over....

The only figs I have ever killed in winter were those I overwintered indoors (not the garage---INDOORS)---I actually underwatered and killed my RdB :-(. It also suffered from maladjustment when I put it outside in Spring...it died in a cold snap in pot. An old Sicilian fig grower in NY told me the best you can do is not baby them, to put them permanently in ground as soon as they have a good root system, either dormant in Fall or in Spring after freeze risk---let it acclimate. That is what the first Italian immigrants did in NYC...and now those fig trees are HUGE. If you are really worried, take cuttings when it goes dormant. That way...if it dies, you have rooted cuttings by Spring as back-up.
cheers!

Here's my Kathleen's Black first wrapped with burlap and then with a white tarp.  I included some mothballs at the base to hopefully ward off rodents and mounded up shreaded leaves around the base as well.  Finally, a couple days ago I shoveled snow at the base as well.

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Nice job there Rewton.

Snow is an excellent insulator.

Tonight will be bad, the rain and 40 degrees last night just melted the insulating snow , then the temps are to dive to 0 tonight...we have a hobby that puts good use of those pesky leaves each fall!

Jack, I was thinking the same thing.  I have a pile of shredded leaves that I will use to replace the melted snow.

Awesome job Rewton. Well, looks like winter finally decided to show up in our parts again...

I put painters plastic up all over my screen room and brought all my tree in there. My chimney runs through there and its about 10-15 degrees warmer in there now. 

Here's one of my in ground trees. It is -3 outside right now.

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gascony
@ Mark B.----I have had Chicago Hardy in ground for a couple years now in Kansas. We hit below zero every year, even for brief periods. Lots of windchill here too. My CH is right up next to the south side of the house. There is some die-back each year, esp. if I take late cuttings like I did last week (yeah, I know---kinda dumb)...but it rebounds like gangbusters. So does my LSU purple. They are about the same size as your trees...about 3 + feet. I have never covered them EXCEPT once the leaf buds start swelling in Spring, and I know we will have late freezes. Then I throw a tarp loosely over....

The only figs I have ever killed in winter were those I overwintered indoors (not the garage---INDOORS)---I actually underwatered and killed my RdB :-(. It also suffered from maladjustment when I put it outside in Spring...it died in a cold snap in pot. An old Sicilian fig grower in NY told me the best you can do is not baby them, to put them permanently in ground as soon as they have a good root system, either dormant in Fall or in Spring after freeze risk---let it acclimate. That is what the first Italian immigrants did in NYC...and now those fig trees are HUGE. If you are really worried, take cuttings when it goes dormant. That way...if it dies, you have rooted cuttings by Spring as back-up.
cheers!


I am starting to come to the same conclusion.  I know they grow MUCH better and faster in ground.  I was amazed by the growth of my M.B.V.S. this year in ground compared to the rest and the growth of the Ginos B after I put it in the ground late season.   I think I will do exactly this including saving cuttings and or an airlayer for safety.  I WILL however protect them by covering for the first several years.

Agreed

Those leaves from one and all neighbors come in handy for these types of winters. Here's a pix from December, before I finished off the mulching. Since these pix were taken, I have heavily pruned most of the long Hardy Chicago branches and sent off to a few F4F forum members.

Weatherman just said 4 degrees F tonight, but up to 54 by saturday or sunday. Crazy.

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