A few of my trees in my garage have awaken, some even have figs on them...

I am thinking in zone 7, we are still 45 days away from bringing them out for the shuffle.

What will be the less expensive way to bring them enough light in my garage which is at about 50 degrees?

 I dont want to lose these trees. What will it cost me to get this done until Spring or 45 days?

Seems about as cheap as it gets: http://m.homedepot.com/p/ViaVolt-2-ft-4-Bulb-T5-High-Output-Copper-Fluorescent-Grow-Light-Fixture-V24/202985194

Or http://www.cheaphydroponics.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=SPJ102

Thanks, I just ordered this 10 minutes ago, I needed to act fast as my new Brunswick started opening up. I really didnt want to spend this much after I spent $120.00 converting my wine chiller but I cant see my fig trees dying and I can always use it next year if it happens agian.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TJQ61W/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cancel your order and go with the apollo 600 watt grow light setup on amazon, it's like $144.00 for the kit and it will light up your whole garage.

This one AZ? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004L3AQ1U/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486620805&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+apollo+600+watt+grow+light&dpPl=1&dpID=51ffvsV1CDL&ref=plSrch

Thinking long- term I really think you need to figure out why they're waking up so early. It's been a mildish winter but nowhere near the temps that should be waking your trees out of dormancy. You need to get a good handle on your garage temperature. I have a bunch of trees in my attached garage. In there with them I have a wireless thermometer that send the temp to a display in my house. $10 technology. If the temps do Below 8C then you can open a door. In your area though you shouldn't be that warm that they wake up.....so maybe something else? Is there a strong light source where they are?

Joe, I have an attached garage with a furnace and clothes dryer in it, I am thinking it is that what is bringing my temp up to 50/55. Living in NY, I wouldnt want to leave the garage door open for fear of hoodlums coming in and entering my house, that would be a bigger issue for the me & the hoodlum.

Hey AZ, thanks for the tip, I thought about cancelling my order, I researched that Apollo, 600 watts going on for 15 hours in my attached garage concerns me. It seems like it is good for someone growing things in the Winter but I read the label and it clearly says not recommended in living areas, small areas and more of an advanced growing room/barn type area?

All I want is something to give me 45 days of hope.

Pete, not sure of your setup, but if I was going to keep fig trees inside my garage going forward, I would look into installing a window.
Here's something encouraging, I know someone in Brooklyn who planted his tree near an outside wall between 5th and 4th Avenue, it comes back every year, no problem, but the trunk is at least two to three inches thick. Not sure what he has.

Peter, is it possible to put up a partition (a sheet of plastic hung on a rod) between the fig plants and the furnace and dryer?  If the figs are near a window, the outside air could come into the garage and the plastic curtain would keep the cold air near the plants and the warmer air on the other side of the "curtain."  If nothing else, the plastic could contain the warmer air from the furnace. 

Just a thought.

No windows in the garage, Ive moved the fig trees close to the garage door where some draft is. This is a two car garage so partitioning would be tough with 10 ft ceiling.
My one year old Brunswicks bud opened up and my Deanna has breb figs, many of them, tiny and are green. I want to be ready when it is time.  My Godfather tree, going on two years old is starting to awake as well.

The oldest tree in the garage is my Sal's C, this is about four years old and in a big sip container, Sal has not awaken yet.

I've got a one-year-old Brunswick too (unless I'm wrong and it's a Black Mission).  It had started opening too.  I thought if I cut that part of the stem off that I wouldn't have to worry about them opening up too early.  I stuck the tips in a little pot and they're opening up now, no roots yet.  Each of the three spots I tipped now have pea size figs on them.  I've got two Green Ischia's that the buds are swelling on, a Kadota with the same situation.  This is going to be interesting.  I'm paying attention to what you guys are doing.

My Brunswick is in a 6 gallon wine pail. The pail was outside all last year and I know it has gnats and other insects in it so I will not be bringing it indoors or even re potting to my wine chiller grow room I made.

The lights I ordered will be here next week sometime, when the tree/plants leave out, then the lights will go on them. 

Im having the same issue here in eastern PA in my attached garage, which does have 2 small windows and sits at about 40-45 all winter long.. I had to bring those trees waking up into my basement (about 60 degrees down there) and set up a couple cheap T8 shoplights at varying heights to accommodate the different size trees.. crazy winter we are having! I didn't want to chance waking the others in my garage by bringing the lights out there, but definitely did not want to lose these other trees! Of course the more rare varieties are the ones waking up too.. lol just my luck! Anyway they are all looking good down in the basement with my el cheapo shoplights.. now Im just worried about how they will adjust to the transition of going outside fully leafed out to the strength of the sun's rays.. I will definitely need to be careful when that time finally comes by doing the transition very slowly.. best of luck to you Pete!

On another note, I just checked some inground trees I left outside unprotected this winter (zone 6a)... all are alive with no dieback! So far at least lol! An encouraging sign but won't count my chickens just yet! :)

Jamie the same thing here in CT yesterday was 58 degrees and today we are having a blizzard LOL 

Last year I had that problem where my trees came out of dormancy very early they are so tight together in my winter storage I couldn't put lights by the time I brought them out all the leaves got burnt from the direct sunlight "too many trees to put in the shade then move back to direct sunlight" this year I blocked 90% of the light in my winter storage shed and I try to keep the doors open as much as possible don't want that to happen again very ugly 

what varieties do you have in the ground unprotected? 

Jamie makes a good point for me here

If I used a really bright 600 watt bulb, all my trees may wake up, I have at least 13 in my garage, no basement here.

This forum always helps me work things out in the best solution

thanks

Go big, or go home!

I think you've found it. 50 - 55F is getting pretty warm for figs to stay dormant. If your dryer is venting in the garage it's also adding humidity to the equation.....Which will make your trees want to wake up.

Nobody needs hoodlums in their garage....

Short-term I have no confident advice - but as a long-term fix I'd say you need to find a way to get that garage cooler and dryer...or this will likely keep happening year over year...I don't know what kind of space you're dealing with but if you can't get the necessary ventilation in the garage, I'd consider next year keeping the dormant trees in another space. Like a shed - maybe one of those types that can be set against a house wall...

Just a thought. This was you could tailor the environment precisely to the figs...If it gets too cold pit in a lightbulb. If too warm...crack a window...

 

Same here in my garage in Philadelphia. The contractors added a vent into my garage in my new house. I think they were going to make it into a bedroom but, decided not to. So, some of the fig trees are developing leaves.

Thats a thought, Joe

Funny, I built my own large shed made of 2 x 4 and insulted, that she filled up really quick with tools and equipment lol

I may need to build another one, perhaps off the south side of my home.

Currently my potted figs are in my attached garage against the house wall. I draped blankets to retain the heat from the house.

In with the trees I left a wireless thermometer so I can keep track of the actual temperature in there. I got this on sale for $15

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/la-crosse-wireless-weather-thermometer-indoor-outdoor-1427129p.html#srp

Once able to monitor I needed to manage climate control. I do this with a temperature controller similar to this one:

https://wrap-on.com/product/heavy-duty-adjustable-thermostat/

And to be safe, I use a standard personal heating pad set to low as my heat source. I plug this into the temp controller which is all tucked away with the trees:

http://www.sunbeam.com/pain-relief/heating-pads/sunbeam-moist-dry-heat-heating-pad-light-blue/000731-500-000.html#srule=Price+Low+to+High&sz=12&start=2

I set the controller to 0C (32F) and that's it. Monitoring in the house over this winter my lowest temp has been 0C (32F) and highest was 7C (44F) once.

Correct, you could definitely avoid any possible warm spikes by using a colder space that you heat rather than vice-versa...

I'll be insulating my shed and and overwintering in there next year....I think my wife wants the garage for the car....I don't get it....



 

I wonder if this thing could be tweaked to open a hatch at say 8C (44F) and close back up at -5C (23F)

Anyone have experience with one of these things?

Many of my fig trees that I have stored in my unheated garage have also awakened. Do you think that they would survive if I put them outside in March and cover them with a makeshift Greenhouse to diffuse the intensity of the Sun? I'm in Maryland Zone 7 we've had a pretty mild winter so far and my last frost date it's supposed to be in early May. I'm wondering if they can handle a little more chill and reap the benefits of tempered outdoor lighting IE the Sun.

I would not put these out until the nights are 45 or better, I am thinking at least another month for this. Maybe trees over three years old could survive but not newbies or year old trees.

No way I am losing my Godfather fig tree, I worked too hard to make that happen.

<< I am thinking at least another month for this. >>

Peter -- I'm in Z6B, and I wouldn't take my pots outside overnight until end of April.  In 2015, we had lows of 33-37 on April 23-25th.  In 2016, we had lows of 35-39 on April 26-27 and 30th.  So I'm looking at another 2 1/2 months.  Is it that much warmer there?  If so, enjoy it.  I just want you to be realistic about the timeframe.