For my fig friends living from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, we have a big snow storm coming!!!!!  Temps in Charlotte will fall down to 10 degrees with ice and rain to follow.  For those who don't understand, every year in January we get hit with a couple of big ice storms followed by snow and more ice.  It usually last about 3 or 4 days depending on the snow track.

This year, I was not able to protect many of my trees due to some health concerns.  So, we will see which ones survive in a few months!  Here is the link to the weather forecast:

Winter Storm Watches From Alabama to North Carolina as Winter Storm Helena Poised to Spread Snow, Ice Into the South 

cheers!!!!

Tis a dandy of a storm.
At least no trees are trying to bud before this freeze.
That does kill em for me.

Doug

It looks like I'll be getting a mere dusting, which is just fine with me.  But it will be cold!
I hope you guys aren't hit too bad.  Pray the power stays on, at least.

Six feet of snow is no problem but a coating of ice on branches. Ugh! Did not get my figs as protected this year as other years either.  Babies will be ok but in-ground trees are going to have to rough it.  Fingers crossed.

My trees were put in the ground back in April and grew like weeds. The green wood on the ends never turned brown and have already been bite even with wrapping them. Hopefully this won't work its way down to the brown wood.

When I put hem in the ground they had already spent the 1st year in a pot and were 3 feet tall.

Yeah the ice is the worse. The lows for Monday and Tuesday for my area is 8 an 11 degrees! I wanted to move some trees in but had surgery the end of November and been working from home since! I'm not allowed to lift anymore heavy objects so 90% of my trees will suffer this time. I bought 3 huge portable greenhouses to protect those on my patio and deck but I don't have time to put them together. Oh well!

Dennis, I wish I was out closer to you.  We are going to be at about 14 here in Wilmington.  Im going to get everything wrapped up tomorrow I hope.  Is it possible you can find some help tomorrow early out your way?  Id hate to see you lose trees :(  I was sick for a month earlier this year and lost a bunch during that time.  It sucks.  Fingers crossed for you bud!

Thanks Lou!

My son came over a few weeks a go and moved some inside my shed. These will be fine. I have a huge Black Mission that has never fruited but I know it will and this tree has to be protected. So, I've decided to go get a handful of trees and bring them inside. Like, Smith, Strawberry Verte, Improved Brown Turkey, Italian Honey and a few others will go indoors tomorrow.

Next year I will contact the local school to come over and help me protect them.

which is more damaging, the actual air temp or the wind chill?  We will have temps in the high teens, but windchill in the low teens to single digits.  Also, how long does the hardened wood take to get damaged.  The lowest temps are usually for only a few hours over 2-3 days.

Wind chill is worst,I believe.
Icy cold air freezes small branches fast.
I'm to get 5" of snow. next week we go back to the 60's.
Screwy winters.


Doug

Watching the news and I am supposed to get 7" of snow!!! I better go out and get some bread and milk! Lol, ( you will only get the bread and milk comment if you have lived in the south when it snows.) Glad I got all my figs inside my shed.Dennis I wish you luck! now would be a good time to pray.

Personally I like nothing better than watching a snow storm while drinking a glass of milk and eating a piece of white bread.

I just got a dusting of snow over night.
It looked like Charlotte got hit.
Dennis how did you do?

Doug

Now it is calling for 9 degrees tonight. That is about as low as it gets here(knock on wood). This should tell me a lot about my future fig endeavors.

If they die back to the ground, hopefully they will just
re grow for you.

Yeah maybe they will grow back from the roots. That certainly cuts into the next years harvest doesn't it. I'm hoping I protect them long enough to get 3 or 4 years on them and from what I hear they are a lot more cold tolerant.

Got 4 or 5 inches of snow by this morning here in Tn.

That is what I have found Spiff.

Doug

Ditto, 4 inches

I'm looking forward to hearing which figs make it through the cold and ice Dennis, yinz all stay safe, and warm.

I had surgery the 28th of November and was in the hospital 2 days. I've been home since and was told by my doctor not to lift anything over 5lbs. I tested his recommendation and was back in the ER a few weeks ago so this time I will listen! My wife was mad at me. I was planning on moving some trees inside my shed, greenhouse and garage but couldn't. Up till now, our weather was normal but this weekend was to be our coldest of the year!

I called my son the next day. He came over and I pointed to the ones to move where and he did. But there were so many others to be protected that were left out. Yesterday I had my 6weeks post op appointment and all is well now. I am clear to go back to work but instructed not to lift anything for 6 more weeks! With tonight being the coldest night of the year, I went out and brought all the one gallons and two gallons inside my garage. And those against the southside of the house, I covered all of them with frost blankets. With 4 inches of powdery snow on the ground, I did a very smart thing before the sleet and snow came. I covered my steps and driveway with thick tarps. When I got up the morning, they were covered with snow. All I had to do is pull them over and boom, I had a dry walkway for the wife and the dog.

Good thing I brought those trees in, it's 19 degrees outside and dropping! Things we do for our trees.

Perhaps some blanckets might help. Hope that all goes well.

Gary in CT,

I think to bury your tree, you need to cut the roots in one side by digging it up with a shovel...then proceed to cover partially uprooted tree with dirt, fill, tar paper etc. Paying attention to covering the exposed part of the root ball very well.

Lots of info in this forum for how the Italians in NY and NJ did it in the past...

Dennis, 

You should have called me!  I would have come over and helped you out.  As it was I was up every 2 hours to check the greenhouse and keep the snow off the greenhouse.  I ended up buying a just in case the power goes out generator which I did not need but feel better for having it.  For now it is in the garage but I plan of settling it up this month.  Much easier to do that when it is warm and I don't need it then to have to learn in a winter storm, using a flash light clenched in my teeth.