Has any one had any expierence in using FreezePruf to increase the cold hardyness of their in ground fig plants. If so, how much more cold hardyness were you able to obtain? Bob Harper

I had never heard of the stuff, so I googled it. Pretty interesting! Also pretty pricey--at thirty bucks a gallon, it wouldn't take long to have the most expensive figs on the planet!

interesting claims. if true, that would be worth it to me, since some of my plants are at risk. heck, if i could keep my bananas and oranges from freezing it would be worth the 30 bucks to me.

hmmm... 2-9.4*F of protection for 6 weeks, depending on the species.  Sounds like it would be great for those sudden unexpected late spring frosts.  Hopefully figs land on the 9.4 degree protection category.  If someone tries this product, it would be great if you could post the results! 

For what it's worth, I asked an experienced  fruit-growing acquaintance (he grows many sub-tropicals, but not figs) in Phoenix if he had heard of the product, and he responded:

Yes. I have, Ken, and believed it saved a few plants from total destruction but the protection is minimal or absent in a hard freeze any longer than a mild freeze. Other methods work better, like frost cover, perhaps in conjunction with flooding. Covering to reflect the heat back into the soil works better, it seems to me.

i am planning on putting glass in front of my plants on the north side. i got a bunch of sliding glass doors for super cheap for this. then i'm going to put incandescent lights on the side with the plant, and control them via thermostat. i'm hoping they bump the heat up on that side a few degrees. they shouldn't have to run more than couple of dozen nights during the winter.

i'm hoping this gives me a few degrees for my vulnerable plants. my figs i am going to let freeze, just mulch them like crazy and hope they come up from the roots next year. i'm going to travel away for 3 months in december, so whatever happens, happens :). i will get this stuff and spray it on the plants as well. i've got a lot of money in my vulnerable citrus and ornamentals (i'll spray the figs too).

Papayamon--
The same person who commented to me about FreezePruf says he's had good success using industrial-sized oscillating shop fans directed into his trees' foliage on frosty nights. Using this method, he's been able to grow mangoes outdoors in Phoenix.

Your zone (8b) is pretty close to mine here in Tucson (8a), and I've been able to protect my small citrus (as well as figs and guavas) by just covering them with old bedsheets or tarps and weighting the edges down to the ground with rocks. In my location at least, it works best if mulch is cleared away during the winter, because that insulating layer blocks some of the heat radiating up from the soil. The key seems to be having a large area of exposed, bare soil beneath an umbrella-shaped cover (as opposed to gathering the cover around the trunk, which actually makes things worse). Nursery-supply companies sell rolls of lightweight thermal fabric designed for the purpose, but I haven't tried them.

I've also used an incandescent light bulb plugged into an inexpensive thermostat called a "thermo cube" (it looks like a three-outlet plug adapter). The thermo cube kicks on when temps are just above freezing, and with the light bulb's heat trapped under a tarp or cardboard box, it kept things alive for cheap.

ken the problem i have is that i am leaving to go to another state to work during dec-mar. so i won't be there to cover/uncover. whatever i do, it's got to be automatic.

it's possible i could have someone spray my plants for me a couple of times during those months, though i think the figs will be frozen off by january. that's a yearly thing here.

i would dearly love to have a mango tree, and maybe next year i'll experiment with creating a protected spot. it gets way too cold here for mango, so this would have to be pretty heavy duty.

the citrus is marginal. some of my citrus can handle the cold, others can once they reach a certain size. it's getting them to that size that's the trick.

thanx for your suggestions.