It's been not all that hot here in Maryland and I have lots of green figs but, they seem stuck in limbo. I am wondering if I could increase the heat for them by using reflective car windshield covers around their leaves and fruit for a few hours each day to concentrate the sunlight on them.

Do you think that this will just toast them or perhaps give them some extra heat as a stimulus to move along in the ripening process? 

All of my trees are in south facing full sun areas in the backyard and some are placed next to the house.

Thank you and have a ripe fig soon.

Hi Potatochips101,
A greenhouse will help but car-windshield might screw them ... Because of solar tainting included in those glasses ...
Just my 2 cents ...

Potatochips101,
A Green House, Hoop House, Cold Frame or simply a Tomato Cloche. The cloche can be the simplest to fabricate and assemble. Note attached picture found doing a Google search for "Tomato Cloche". They can be made from garden fence and wrapped with plastic, with the top left open. Good Luck
.

<edit> Here's a simple example of draping plastic on an existing garden fence enclosure...
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Also keep in mind that figs usually ripen on their schedule, 30-60 / 90 -120.
~30 days to grow from embryo to stagnant stage.
~60 days in stagnant stage.
~90 - 120 days total from embryo to ripe, for Early to Late cultivars.

Nice info Pete, very creative to help the northerners. Now, any suggestions for making it cooler down here, avg. temps this week...94. :(

Waynea,
Substitute Shade Cloth for the Plastic?   ; )

If you tried to use those reflective things it might actually reflect more heat away from the trees and reduce the heat.

I am in the same boat as you as far as those figs just sitting there, but just in the last few days a few have started to ripen.  There is still enough heat in august/september to ripen here.  I think patience will be rewarded

When it starts getting colder I am getting ready to put up some greenhouse hoops and then secure some poly to keep the heat in and the expected fall rain out. 
For now it is still warm enough to just let it be.

Do figs really ripen faster if hotter or is it really more a combination of; cultivar, reasonable temperature, adequate water, growing conditions, sunshine and most important length of the season before the big frost hits?

There are heat unit studies required for ripening grapes but I am not ware of any information on heat units required for common figs to ripen their main crop. 
It must also depend big time on the variety since some ripen very early and some not until Christmas (i.e. the name Natalina means xmas).

Place big rocks on eastern and northern sides of plants or by a wall that is southfacing. That will absorb and radiate heat. I wouldn't reflect as you'll likely burn the plant.

My figs are ripenening here in NY and we've had less heat than you. Patience is the best counsel.

Hoping for this week's really good high temp. spike will help my VdB figs ripen. Right now watching the hummingbirds gives me patience with the rest of the town around me in chaos. Otherwise it is a bust for me this year.

if you could put your pots on concrete or asphalt that helps south side of house with a concrete walk is great, otherwise just hang in there, plenty of time left for ripening

Good info. Thank you all.

I just got one (nearly) ripe fig this morning so I'll wait to see what else ripens.
If it gets too cool I'll try either the hoophouse or cloche.
I won't bother with the reflective materials and if I find some large rocks I'd like to try them.
Last year, I had hard green figs that were stuck in limbo. The cool ending of our summer didn't help one bit. I oiled the figs, they turned brown remained hard and fell off. sigh, that was another learning experience.
My guess is that oiling may work better on figs that are more nearly ripe than my little fig rocks that hadn't budged in weeks.
I may try oiling again on a couple of figs at the end of fall if it comes to that but, I'm praying for miracles.

Has anyone tried enclosing the tree in clear plastic totes? I normally do this indoors when rooting cuttings or after repotting a tree/air-layer. I open/close the lid to maintain humidity. I've been thinking the same could be done outdoors as the weather gets cooler. One could put a layer of stones down before the tree goes in to help better maintain temperature.

It is good to remember that the figs do have a 'dormant' stage, for about 30 or 40 days.
the fruit grows to a certain size and then just  sits there apparently doing nothing,

until that last week to 10 days when they swell, change colour, droop, etc as they ripen.