Here is a picture of my in ground Ronde De Bordeaux fig. This tree was completely top killed this past winter. All of the growth that you see on this tree came from new growth that rose from the roots The stick that you see next to this tree is exactly 4 ft tall. This tree will ripen a few figs this season. As you can see, it wants to grow into a HUGE tree.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Wow!  That is some major improvement over the weeks!  Nice tree Dan!

Dennis......this tree scares me!!

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Hi Dan,
I am in NC and just wondering how can a fig tree freeze to the ground in south LA? Or this is because in your climate they do not go fully dormant and become susceptible to any slight freeze?

That sure sound strange doesn't it???? How can that be in zone 9??

Well, this can happen very easily in my climate.  Our problem is with winter time ambient temperature "fluctuations". Cold fronts will cause a tree to go to dormant. Then the weather will warm up and bring "some cultivars" right back out of dormancy. They will put forth new leaves after warming and that in turn will get zapped when another cold front comes right back through the area. Those leaves will die and the tree goes dormant again. Then another warm front awakens them again. Then more cold.... This is the cold/warm temperature cycling pattern that often top kills fig trees in my area. As the tree gets older, it usually learns to stay dormant longer and not to awaken at the first warm spell.

Fluctuating outdoor temperatures during the winter are MURDER on young fig trees in my area. Leaving too many figs on a young fig tree too late into the growing season can do that too. Both mechanisms draw lots of energy reserves right out of the tree. The tree responds the only way it knows how......it will save the remaining energy reserves only for its roots.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

In NC we have a similar problem with the late spring frosts. However, in 14 years that I am in here, it happened only ones to see the young shoots killed. Later , new shoots grew from dormant buds.

I planted this fig in the middle of my garden, it had survived and grown very this summer. It is very vigorous, and productive variety indeed. The fluctuating weather does hurt the fig. In the mediterranean region usually when it warms up it remains that way, at least as far as I can remember. 

During some of our winters, it is not unusal to go from winter coats & heaters to short pants & air conditioning over the course of several weeks!! It is those extreme warm/cold cyles that can hurt some fig trees. It would be much better for my fig trees if the weather just remained cold. Like I've said, as a fig tree gets older they usually adapt and this becomes less of a problem.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

I was envying those who live in the deep south and have the possibility to grow all the subtropical plants, but the weather in the south turned out  to have its own shortfalls.

Being too close to the Gulf of Mexico often brings rains, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Also, in some areas they have very sandy soils which nematodes love and this can be a problem.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Want to sell it?

I still want to study this one a few more years. RdB will produce figs from new growth that comes up from the roots.  I did not know that until I saw it on my tree.

I have another Precorse RdB that is still in a container. It came from a different source. When its mother tree was in the ground, I did get a chance to eat a few figs. They were very good tasting for such a young tree. IMO, RdB has the potential to be a GREAT tasting fig. The mother tree died that winter....likely from trying to ripen too many figs.  Fortunately I had taken a cutting and had rooted a back up tree. That back up tree will be going in the ground next spring.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

I have two from two good sources.
Don't mind getting one from you sometime in the future.

Let me know.

OK

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Thanks