Need advice. Plants outside with green foliage but temp dropping to 22F !?
 
What will happen to my plants (growth and cropping next year) if left in the open at -6C (22F) forecast for Thursday and Friday nights?
It has been an unusual fall and the fig plants still have most of the leaves this late in our location. This years (2011) rooted cuttings have the greenest leaves yet and no sign of foliage drop. All of a sudden we are faced with below freezing temperatures overnight.
What will happen to next year growth and crop if the plants are left outside until they can go dormant?

Last year this time all plants were stored in their final winter place after foliage drop. I can rush them to the garage with the leaves on if this has to be done but it will be rushing at not so young age, and the garage may warm up for the next couple of weeks during day times.

If you leave them out, it will solve the leaf drop problem, but I would assume it will be detrimental to the wood that is still green, or not fully hardened off.

I suppose you could strip the leaves, forcing dormancy, and then bring them in for storage. If they are in ground and you strip them, they would need to be protected until they are hardened, or they will quite possibly get moldy while wrapped.

Cover and add heat to above freezing till they go dormant?

No easy choices, I am thinking.

I would start taking cuttings now, just in case.... good time to start a new round of plants "just in case".  I have some of the trees you've shared cuttings with me on.  If you lose something, give me a holler.

Can you pack them against a wall outside for a couple weeks? Tip them over for a couple days in their regular spot and cover over at night?

Another thing is sprinkling if you happen to have a fancy irrigation setup. I found this info from up there in Canada, lots of other good facts here as well. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/85-116.htm.

1. Sprinkling A very low rate of application of water through irrigation can be effective in preventing freeze damage through the release of heat during cooling and freezing. Protection from freezing temperatures as low as -6⁰C have been reported for low growing berry and vine crops, when 1.5 to 2.5 mm per hour of water was applied.

   Sprinkling of the crop should begin with the onset of freezing conditions and a film of water continuously maintained until temperatures have risen above the freezing level (0� C). If sprinkling is discontinued prematurely, heat will be drawn from leaves to melt the ice and freeze damage may result. This method creates another problem if the frost lasts too long, because the plants must be able to support the added weight of ice that builds up on the leaves and branches. A forecast of the duration that temperatures are expected to remain below freezing is very useful when using this method.

   In spite of the problems, this method has proven effective for low growing crops such as strawberries, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, peppers and squash as well as vine crops and tree fruits. It is important to recognize that this method only prevents the temperature of the protected plant from falling below the freezing point. It does not warm the plant parts nor does it raise the air temperature appreciably. Moreover, sprinklers need to provide constant, uniform coverage.

   There is controversy over the use of irrigation as a protection method prior to frost occurrence. The added moisture has the beneficial effects of increasing the capacity of the soil to store heat and improving conduction of heat to the surface. Nevertheless, heating of the soil during day time is reduced because increased evaporation uses up heat energy. Moisture may also change the critical temperature which is needed to cause freeze damage to a crop. Since there are counteracting factors, a general recommendation cannot be made.

Man, I just noticed that temps are supposed to dwindle near freezing here in a couple of days as well :\

Explains why I had to introduce my 4-battery maglight to a family squirrels in the wall of our guest bedroom this weekend.  Little buggers seem to know the weather better than any of us.

We called that our backup Night stick!

Yeap Jason, same here in the Carolinas!  It is suppose to get down to 32 on Sunday.  This time last year, it was still 80 degrees!!  This has not been a good year for figs in my opinion.  The Black Madeira I got a few weeks ago are ripening now after I repotted it.  Temps have been dropping down to the 40s and 50s at night so I've been rolling it inside my garage at night b/c temps are still in the 70s by day.  I got 2 ripe figs already and others are ripening now.  The wife loved them....me too!  The weather is just MENTAL!!!!!!

Ottawan, I would just cover it with a few layers of burlap and add heat until the weather gets better.

Ottowan:

22 degrees is pretty cold. I respect everyones' advice here but personally if you have the opportunity to pack those trees away in a shed or garage, maybe with a small heater, you will save the green growth on these trees. They will eventually go dormant but if you leave those trees outside and try to cover them without them already dormant, I feel you're risking too much damage to the trees.

Akram im in the same boat as you have about 30 young plants at home with green growth including an inground tree weather has been very cool in the nights and frost is just around the corner. I have been trying to finish insulating my shed to store the figs but there just isn't enough time in a day for me to do anything for myself anymore. For now I have just put them directly behing my shed next to the wooden fence this away it will be away from the winds so far so good yesterday was already 3 degrees celcius.

OK, noticed had gone out to family members far and wide in the city that the garage is family garage only in the summer time and I need all the space possible for the winter time. So I cleaned it yesterday taking out 3 sets of '4-summer tires each' and other similar non fig related stuff & junk stored there. Made room for the young plants and today I brought all young plants (current and last year rooted) inside the garage. Yes, better safe than dead or sick plants.
Night temperatures will become tolerable around the week end.

Happened to me a few years ago ------ sudden -5*C during 1st week Oct knocked out all green leaves and killed all green stems. Leaves will looked burnt within a week. Best to either cover with tarp as it creates a warm zone or bring in the must have varieties. The following year was a painstaking year for the plants to recover.
 
Note : When I put a tarp over my plants, it was a day too late. I wander into the tarped covered area and it was warm. Just a day too late though. If you have any plants that are badly affected, you are most welcome to ask whether I have any to spare. Would never hesitate to help.

Is 30 deg cold enough to warrant bringing them in for one night it they still have lots of leaves? It looks like it will dip one night then go back up to high 30s and low 40s here for a while.

hI Akram
I have already put some in my cold cellar a few days ago,
the rest will come in before tonights sub freezing temps.
same as last year, some are dormant some are not, but I expect them to do fine over the winter.

Grant
Z5b

I'm in the same area as 71gto and my plan is to bring my small plants inside for friday night. then bring them back out, because the weather looks okay for another week or so.

                                    luke

Luke, I was thinking I would do the same thing. What size trees would you leave outside?

71GTO

I will put away all trees that are under 2 years old in the shed. I saw on the news that Friday night could get to 32 and Sat. is going rain hard all day. So I planning to bring them back out on Sun.I bought a couple trees that are 3 to 4 years old so if a get a little nervous I might cover with a tarp, then Sun. take off. There are a couple of figs that might ripen if weather warms for a couple days.

 I don't know if I would follow my advice, because I am new to figs, just saying what my plans are. Could be one of the pro's might tell us it's

                                                        time to put them to bed for the winter.

luke

Oops
I was out since mid-day; came late now and checked and tonight temperature forecast is -6C  (as was originally forecast some days ago for this night but tomorrow forecast is -8C (17.5F). It is really an undesired change in forecast and surprised me. I have saved the current and last year rooted plants but any other ones are still in the open and have to brave the cold until tomorrow. I believe I shall be very busy tomorrow shuffling them around. I know the breba will suffer on some that have good breba crop.

I am new at this as well. Most of my trees are under 2 years old also. I think Friday was supposed to be clear and high 30s in central nj. Sat is 30 and maybe snow. My concern is that most of potted figs still have most off their leaves and don't look like they are dropping. Now wondering if I should cover my two inground trees also with a tarp for now.

Yesterday was nuts!

Dominick
You said "cold front coming down from Canada".
It may be coming down there but it want to stay here too. It should make its mind !!!

hi Dominick,

So are they put away for the winter? Do you take off all figs when you put away? Just saw the weather report and it looks like Fri, Sat., and Sun. could have 32 or under nights. I have a couple figs that are close and hope i will be able to eat.

                                                            luke

Yeah I'm going to be scrambling tonight. The weather online was saying 39 for last night, but when I checked the current temp this morning it was 34. I'm going to just put everything in the garage and see. It is cooler in there, but not real cold. I wanted to just put the dormant trees in the basement, but the basement is nit cold at all yet. I will have to move them twice once into the garage then maybe into the basement when the garage gets to cold.

Luke
I have a couple of figs close to ripening and I moved those plant to a safe area close to a wall (preferably south facing); or put a clear plastic bag over the part of the tree where the figs are.
In the first year I started, my plants were small with some figs with potential chance of ripening and Herman agreed that putting a clear plastic bag should do the job.
Believe me we had an inch+ thick ice this morning in some pots that had  water in it. But very funny thing is happening that not all the leaves on the fig plants were bothered and, as Jon would say "Go and figure"!!
I cannot figure it out except there is always delay in the freezing effect on the leave attachment point. 

Everything is done for the year.