A gentleman allowed me to dig up some fig tree shoots out of his shrub-like mass of trees.  This one looks like it may have been eaten on by some bunnies.  It's about 6 feet tall. Should I cut it off? Should I cut it off below where the bark is eaten off? I got three of them and I'm kinda worried about the wind because they're so tall, even though they don't have any leaves. Should I put something on the bark wounds? I just put it in a pot without doing anything else.  I'm in Oklahoma, zone 7a. Should I water them, now?  It's going to stay outside, unless you convince me otherwise.    It's expected to be below freezing for a couple of hours Monday night.  I don't know what particular varietal it came from and neither did the old man.  He said it was over 27 years old.  The figs were wonderful and the foliage is attractive, even without regarding the value of the fruit.

I would probably cut it about 2/3rds of the way down if it's six feet tall,and make cuttings out of the rest, but if you are looking at freezing temps would not leave it outside you need to protect those roots. Welcome to the forum

Water them good after you put them in pots to settle the soil around the roots.  I don't think a couple hours below freezing will hurt them, but I would keep them out of the wind.  I agree with pruning the tops back.  I would not put anything on the wounds, they should heal on their own.

I appreciate the feedback form you experienced figgers.  I'll cut them down to 2-3 ft tall, water them well, keep them out of the wind and use the cuttings to make more!  

I would personally clean up the roots a little. Those thick roots aren't doing much for the plant, especially that massive one drifting to the left. Might as well trim them back and let new ones grow. 

mulch, mulch mulch.

Holding moisture is very important on any transplant.


Doug

It's funny the variety of answers one gets when asking a question. Well, here's another one. The biggest treeling you have with the rabbit damage, it's hard to see how deep that wound goes. If it's shallow enough the tree will just heal, if it's too deep then it will be a damaged point for some time. Personally, I would cut that tree off right at the bottom of the rabbit damage, you have several nodes below that and the stump will grow a new branch at each node. Rub off whatever new shoots you don't want as they appear and let it start over with a solid new trunk, and next time you up-pot it you can bury it deeper. Then you also won't have trouble with a tall tree and limited roots to support it's growth as well as support it in the pot without staking to prevent it from being pushed around in the wind. Trimming the biggest root wouldn't hurt either, it's just an anchor and at this point..it's no longer anchored.

I would make small, shallow scratches just through the bark in a few places along the stem.  If you find no green anywhere the plant is dead.  If it's alive get those roots covered by moist soil and keep it above 28 degrees.  If part of it's dead everything above that has to be taken as a cutting and rooted.

Welcome to the forum and best of luck.