Other than stopping fertilizer mid summer to reduce new growth, is there any way to promote or speed up the hardening off process of the new green wood?

My 2-3 yr old plants in pots that are bearing figs mostly quit growing mid summer - I am not concerned about those.

My new plants from cuttings or airlayers that have been growing all summer are a mixed bag - some quit growing and are hardening off well, but some have continued growing and have a lot of green wood remaining.  Also, the only one I put in ground permanently in May grew minimally all summer, then about 5 weeks ago abruptly started growing - 2 feet or more of new growth in 5 weeks on multiple branches - these are fat, healthy looking branches but very green. 

Is there anything to do with the potted figs to get their wood to harden off better?  Perhaps since they are to be stored in a cold basement room it will not matter too much.

The inground plant growing like crazy - can anything get the wood to harden?  Removing some leaves early?  Magic potion?

Thanks for any input!

Ed:

I think removing leaves is the wrong approach. That reduces carbohydrates essential for cold hardiness.

Besides cutting fertilizer I'd also cut back on water. No more for in-ground and try to cut back in pots.

Thanks for the reply, Steve.  I can easily keep the pots drier, but no way to really restrict the water to the inground plant. 

I had similar feeling about the thick green shoot growing fast after a couple of days of rain some ten days ago. Having read in a post in the past, I pinch the branch tip to slow down the elongation growth of the shoot.

The potted ones should be fine Ed if you are bringing them in to a cold room in the house. I had a lot of green growth on many of mine that were stored in a concrete cellar under the porch which got pretty chilly. I didn't have any issues in the spring.

The inground one maybe you will need to give it a bit more protection?? I wonder if anyone has tried those 1/2" foam pipe wraps??  Just a thought to give it a chance.

Tyler

Ed

Try some Silica added to watering can. It helps harden off. I have the Dyna Grow version.

I am assuming that hardening is associated, naturally, with the coming of fall, which means cooler temps and shorter days. So, perhaps putting them in the shade to reduce heat, and sunlight, might be going in the right direction. I guess you could p;ut them in the frig, as well. ;-))

I wonder what would happen if you put a layer of ice cubes on the soil every night.  Maybe try that on a few and let us know how it works.

A potassium silicate source like Pro-Tekt or Sil-Matrix will help quite a bit .
I've used it mixed in water for watering at the lowest label rate, haven't used it as a foliar application.
Another available silica source if abundant in your area is horsetail, Equisetum arvense ,1 heaping cup dried herb to 1 gallon of water boil 20 minutes or more , strain, cool and water or foliar spray. One gallon of tea can be mixed into 4 gallons of water for application. I've used it mostly as an anti fungal plant treatment. but it also helps "ripen" the wood.

A combination of Jon and Kerry.  Didn't you guys run for president?  :S

I do not believe (let the flogging begin) that continuing or discontinuing fertilizer has nearly so much to do with the continued growth of the tree as we might think.  The plants produce their own "food" from photosynthesis which is dependent on sunlight.  The shortening day is a trigger for the trees to go dormant.

Plants can't get nitrogen and many other nutrients from the air, so it has to come from fertilizer (or bacteria in the case of legumes and clover).  No nitrogen, no amino acids. No amino acids, no protein.  Photosynthesis can only produce glucose, oxygen and water.  There's no DNA and no energy transfer without phosphorous.  There's a wide range of plants where excess fertilizer is blamed for delaying dormancy and increasing the risk of cold damage.