Here are a couple of good links, they may have posted some time in the past but it never hurts to post them again for newer members.

http://www.planetfig.com

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/fig.html#Propagation

Thanks, Kirk. I hadn't seen that Perdue paper. Did you notice that it exhorts us to destroy virus-infected plants?

I recall the website from 3 years back.
At the time i was reading about the Pastiliere which was growing in our yard and always dropping fruit
and saw Rouge De Bordeaux as a syn there.

Acquired Rouge few years back to see whats what and if it holds onto
its figs and taste similar.

I found that "PLANET FIG" site is loaded with easily understood comments, especially in the "Resistance to Cold" section.  I believe that within this small section lies the key to better understand the correct culture when it comes to growing figs.  What caught my eye was perfectly concise explanations and admonitions about growing fig trees too "soft".  We grow our figs with far too much water and over-fertilize the hell out of out trees.  This practice almost certainly leads to soft, lush growth, and then, to winter damages, die-back or, worse.  After reading these sentences, I am rethinking about my culture and its failures to duplicate the natural growing conditions for fig trees.

Most of us, myself included, grow our trees in almost exactly the opposite cultural conditions from those conditions found in the natural habitats where these fig trees evolved.  How many of us grow in rocky, dryish, stoney, poor soils?  No one I know grow this way.  We water, feed, pamper, enrich, add soil amendments....and then wonder if the still too juicy new "wood" will survive our winters, even though, according to the Planet Fig information, our trees are NOT properly hardened-off before the onset of those winter temperatures found in the USA. 

This information came at a good time.  I am in the process of replacing some of the trees, not all, that I lost to the harsh, brutal winter of '13-'14.  All my trees were killed.  All were in large, 18-25 gallon containers, and now, all of them are in the garbage.  Slippery bark on roots and trunks told me the were morte...dead...no possibility of re-sprouting.    That's OK.  This season, will be different.  Especially the period from mid-June through late-Sept.  I will try, very hard, to grow my tree(s) without excessive watering, nutrients, and to make sure that the new wood is properly hardened before the freezing temps, once again, hit good old NYC.

Thanks Danny-

Frank

Well said Frank..I do believe that we over pamper them to get that perfect fig ...and in the long run we may be doing more harm then good ...
Sorry about your loss ..

  omg Frank,  I'm so sorry about your collection.. Thanks for sharing your heartbreaking experience.  Hopefully it will spare some of us such a loss.

Thanks deerhunter. Couldn't agree with you more.

I have come to the conclusion that I have to radically change my growing culture, or the same results might happen to my new fig trees once again.

Planet Fig comments reveal that the nature of the fig tree is half succulent, and, half wood, and that fig trees are loaded with natural antifreeze-type sap/latex.  It also explains that the new wood must lignify and harden-off, BEFORE the onset of colder temperatures.  It makes perfect sense.  Juicy wood will freeze.

My growing culture must change.  My Zone-7b climate will not allow me to make mistakes.  Mother Nature always trumps man's best efforts.


Frank

Frank, isn't there some chance the roots are still alive?

Frank, my trees generally start exfoliating as soon as production is over (mid to late September). By mid October they're mostly bare. I don't know if it's rust or just production exhaustion. But, I've wondered if the exfoliation might be a good thing by forcing an early dormancy before freeze. Wonder if anyone has tried pulling off leaves to force trees into early dormancy (might be feasible on smaller pot-culture plants). 

@ Rob-  I wish there was a chance that roots would still be alive, but the putrid, moldy smell tells me they are dead, as does the slimy bark.

Winter won, I lost, and it was my fault.  Now I know better.


Frank