Now that's production!

I just planted my stepover fig project the other day...6 VDB.  

It has to be very easy to cover them for the winter

Wow!  That is impressive!  It must have taken a lot of twist-ties to do that! :)

I'm curious to see how it's all protected during the cold winder months?
It seems to me that covering them with straw, leaves, plastic, dirt, etc,
would be nothing but an invitation to a LONG salad bar for rodents all winter!

Has anyone one seen winter pictures of this method used in the US?
Or must one assume that they are not protected at all?,
And/or this method only works in warmer climates?

Do we know where this production is going on? It surely has to be some commercial operation. Very well kept, thats for sure.

Mark,
I believe there was another thread on this method (with pictures) mentioned a few months back.
If I remember right, it is in Japan that this method was being used?

It looks like it would probably work beautifully in my climate but,
I'd expect voles/mice would eat them alive during the winter months here.

 

2nd picture is inside a large high tunnel.
Here are some more pics of the method I pulled together.

Different place

Aichi fig research station

Private Grower

Different place

Each branch is trained with a wire

It is all I want!  I have seen similar pictures, but these are so more detailed.... Hey, Slavi, can you picture this in front of my rockery?

@Hoosierbanans: Thanks for the pictures,

Ya, Great pics Brent.

And Figs4life...thanks for the thread.  This is a good one.

thanks for the pics w/details.  definitely going to have to try this as the garden space is getting very limited!

truly amazing. :)

@ hoosierbanana:  wonderful, informative pictures and comments.  Thanks for posting.  I'm wondering...
@Dan:  couldn't you wrap the trunk in some sort of protective wrap to keep the rodents from chewing and then pile whatever insulating material over the plants for the winter?  I've no experience with tree wraps so I don't know if they are effective or not.

I want to try it someday too.

Fuzz,
I've seen pictures where mice/rats had chewed through 2" thick wooden boxes to get to the food contents.
Besides, that's a lot of wrapping to have to do since the whole tree is so low to the ground, and completely accessable to rodents!
It would look like a mummy by the time you're done! LOL
I suppose it could be done by a younger/healthier/richer man than myself.
I have no idea what could be used to cheaply wrap the tree so that they couldn't easily chew through.
Sounds like a good challenge for someone to take up though.

Since the trunks are grown horizontally and close to the ground with no branches, what about starting with hardware cloth arched over them and then put insulating material over that?  

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