Originally Posted by cheahafig
I agree. I think that the length of day would be the tree's ultimate signal. My figs always try to come out of dormancy early and I don't know why because it is usually cold when they begin to break bud for the first time. I think that a younger tree, it it's first few years would be easier to trick because I have noticed that the youngest trees are usually the last to go dormant, but that is just speculation. I think that dormancy is a tremendous benefit to the tree and I believe that it results in a more vigorous plant in the spring. Summers can be very hard on figs here, so by late fall, they are ready to rest. Most of mine go dormant at the end of October and it's not really all that cool yet. I have also noticed that; regardless of the amount of care given and conditions, fig cuttings are easier to root in the spring, right after the weather is warm. That could be because later, the cuttings are older and have been stored longer, or they are already trying to break bud when they are taken, but in the early spring, it just seems so much easier to root them. I guess I'm over romanticizing.