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Inground covered tree has a litle bit of mildew but branches are visibly green

Hello there.

One of my smaller trees succumbed to mildew completely because I may have wrapped it too tight even though the top was left open with a bucket. That tree was the one I had a problem with last year when I planted it and it never grew much at all throughout the summer unlike the other. If there was one that I would have worried about not making it through the winter it was that one.

Anyway, the kadota that is in the ground is the one I'm concerned with. When I pulled off the wrapping last week to check all of the trees, it had a little bit of mildew that I cleaned off. Unlike the other one that was completely rotted, the branches had green throughout on the outside so I'm hoping it will suffer minimal dieback. Unlike my two large trees though, it doesn't have any green buds on it. There's only reddish buds on some of the branches.

When mildew is discovered, is the tree completely screwed or can it be saved from complete dieback if caught early enough while dormant?

i re-wrapped all of the trees making sure there's no moisture underneath as the temperatures will drop again, as expected. Out of 5, one was completely shot. I'm hoping this one makes it through okay. I also transplanted a small kadota that I dug up and planted in a sunnier spot in the yard. That one was green and had buds so I hope it makes it through the transplant. I put a gallon of diluted Superthrive and it's been re-wrapped as well.

any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
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I would kill the mildew but not have high hopes for those red buds.  With figs you never know, though.  If there's any live wood underground it can sprout from that.
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Originally Posted by rcantor
I would kill the mildew but not have high hopes for those red buds.  With figs you never know, though.  If there's any live wood underground it can sprout from that.


I took off the mildew but I'm hoping that it still buds from old wood as the branches were visibly green unlike the other tree that was rotted and dark brown.

Do trees without green buds still have the potential to bud later on old wood? Thanks

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In my experience any limbs that had mildew will usual die this is why I gave up on in the ground trees a few local old timers put a pipe going into the bottom and one coming out the top for ventilation no substitute for experience 
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Originally Posted by Dave
In my experience any limbs that had mildew will usual die this is why I gave up on in the ground trees a few local old timers put a pipe going into the bottom and one coming out the top for ventilation no substitute for experience 


I wonder if the mildew attacks unhealthy limbs in general. Sometimes it's spotty, and other times it attacks the whole plant.

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Figgi11, take cuttings before you put them to bed for the winter. This way, if there is a casualty (hope not), you'll at least have some cuttings to start another tree. I hope your trees all come back healthy.
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  • ricky
  • · Edited

I am newbie, I warped -up my small fig trees wrongly with too much moisture inside, and, I had wet winter soils, They had rotten tips on all branches and mildew on main branch.  One month ago, I dug them out and roots was melting, I built them raised garden bed, rains and sun washed away mildew?,  now, small fig tree recovered and bigger one is still fighting due to weaker root vs body size system.

Good luck for your fig trees, and hope my best.
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Originally Posted by ricky
I am newbie, I warped -up my small fig trees wrongly with too much moisture inside, and, I had wet winter soils, They had rotten tips on all branches and mildew on main branch.  One month ago, I dug them out and roots was melting, I built them raised garden bed, rains and sun washed away mildew?,  now, small fig tree recovered and bigger one is still fighting due to weaker root vs body size system.

Good luck for your fig trees, and hope my best.


Hi there. I'm sorry to hear that. It's always a crapshoot when it comes to winter protection. Even the most meticulous job is faced with mildew because of warmer than expected temperatures, or die back because of severe cold. Even then, some trees that are covered make it through well, while the next tree wrapped the same exact way is a mess. One connection that I am noticing, is that different varieties seem to be more resilient to winter wrapping. I noticed that if one tree came out unscathed, another one that had mildew or freeze issues depending on the weather, is a different type. For example, my black mission suffered from complete mildew and rot, but it wasn't that healthy of a train to begin with last summer. My two Kadotas seem to be very cold sensitive And don't respond well to wrapping even if they come out alive and well from the winter. My Celeste and Southern brown turkey are large and in charge with green branches and buds throughout. There was a little bit of mildew on the brown turkey but the tree remained unaffected. I guess if you could find a good tasting variety that is more agreeable to winter coverage, like a good Celeste variety, it's probably better to stick with those if you insist on having inground trees in colder climates. I know it allows for a much more limiting variety, but it also causes less aggravation and discouragement in the spring. It's funny, here in Northern New Jersey, I wasn't even able – and still haven't been able to – find a hearty Chicago which you would think would be available in this area. Most of the garden centers will sell black jacks, Spanish mission, Kadota, peters honey, Celeste, and brown turkey even though only the latter two respond well to inground protection.

Did your one tree that you said bounce back produce buds on old wood or only new shoots from the ground?

I'm one of those stubborn people that refuse to keep potted figs because I think they look beautiful planted in the ground naturally, and always have to remember that there is a risk and consequence in doing so. Usually early intervention during a unseasonably warm day in the late winter can often help rectify some issues detected early enough like excess moisture. You just have to make sure that you wrap them back up. also, don't make the mistake of unwrapping too early because any green on the tree will die if you have a night or two of freezing temperatures. Some say that wrapping them with a blanket will help prevent any dieback, but I never had any luck doing that. Instead I just keep them covered and remove the buckets so long as the temperatures are mild and no rain.
Good luck to you and let us know how everything turns out.
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