Hi All,

This past year, I had 100% die back of my fig trees above ground.  I started seeing most of my trees push up new growth in March and April with a few waiting until the beginning of May.  Six did not break dormancy (2 were mature trees, 1 I received as a small rooted plant, 3 were cuttings rooted last year). 

I learned in the 2007 season not to give up on a plant too soon, when I unpotted a tree and knocked the growing mix off the roots to throw it away before I realized there was new root growth.  So I've watered and fed the dead trees just like the trees which were actively growing.  Last week, I was out in the field pruning the frozen carcasses off my trees and decided to cut back a 'Native Black' which had not shown any signs of life.  As I pulled back the mulch to make my cut, I found a little sign of life



Here is what it looked like after I made the cut:



I was thrilled to see this growth and amazed that it had been almost 6 weeks after the last tree (and almost 3 months since the first) to show signs of life.  It gives me hope that the 'Sicilian Black' (J. Robin origin) and '143-36' will also make a come back.

This evening I was checking on trees and decided to pull back the mulch on the 'Golden Celeste' (I received as a very small rooted plant that did not grow much last season) and this is what I saw:



While I was looking at this pic on the camera screen, I noticed the small bit of green peeking out from behind the remnants of the stump.  I pulled back the mulch and found two more shoots coming up.



I checked the other four trees which have not come out of dormancy.  While none of them show signs of shoots coming up, only one's roots is not holding the trunk firmly in the ground anymore.... so I still have hope.

~james

I had similar situation with eight plants  in pots since I stored them this past winter in partially heated garage where the doors were occasionally opened to winter air-blasts at -10F or colder. Some were 3 or 4 years old in pots. I counted them as dead, put them to a side but kept on watering them. Now in mid-June half of these are showing green buds near the bottom. However, three are really dead as seen from the colour of the wood right up to the soil level with cracked bark peeling off the wood.

The ones with the small green buds will survive but in my opinion it is too late for these plants to be fruitful this year in our short zone 5 season. So, these will join my three Desert Kings (that lost the brebas) doing just vegetative growth with no useful return this year. Well, at least (hopefully) they will be ready for next year if stored properly.

I'm so glad for y'all that your trees are coming to life again and you didn't lose them.  :)  That's great news.

noss

Congrats on the new life in your trees.  My unknown but probably Celeste does the same thing.  Doesn't sprout until the first of June.  But then again, I have found that it has been tampered with by a mole also.  However, as of yesterday, it has an additional leaf bud - making two.  I guess this winter I am going to give it some protection to see if it won't die back. 

After reading so much on fig trees, the only real way to kill it , is to kill the roots.