Hello everyone,

I'll be burying my 85% of my cuttings tomorrow underground for the winter using the method below. It's a nice storage method, but I'm trying to figure out a way to get some roots out of it when I dig these up in May.

Temperature will be key. The problem is, my climate is pretty cold during the winter months and 0 root growth will occur. It won't be until May that the ground will warm up enough to see any root growth at all, and that's still a longshot. But my question is: what if I insulate? Is it possible to raise the ground temperature around the 5 gallon bucket enough to see roots when I dig them up in May? If so, does anyone have any insulation suggestions or suggestions to raise the temperature?

-Ross

   Ross,

    I make no pretenses about being anywhere close to a horticulturalist...  plus, except for two years working narcotics in Alaska, I have been blessed to enjoy my 45 working years in terribly temperate climates;  so I am certainly no judge of overwintering techniques.   But this guy sure seems to talk a good game, as if he maybe knew a thing or two about this topic; and he is in Ohio...  does Philly get that much colder?

   To make a shot in the dark towards solving your temperature dilemma, my first thought went to using a timer to activate the type of battery blankets that we used in North Pole, AK for say, 20 minutes each hour.

      http://www.amazon.com/10952544-Battery-Heater-Blanket-Watt/dp/B000FE7IIS/ref=pd_sim_263_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=51a%2BFjToKML&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=01CDCWR3A7MRN50QH7QS

   To gain the insulation needed to keep this working, I thought of maybe using a slightly smaller bucket inside the 5 gal bucket and wrapping the battery blanket around this smaller one.

   Another idea might be to not use the bucket at all, but instead use a thrift-store purchased ice-chest to hold the cuttings and planting soil.  This could be stored in the garage, mud room, etc.  and an auto heating pad 

http://www.amazon.com/Kats-22400-Watt-Battery-Heater/dp/B000I8XDAS/ref=pd_sim_263_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41RYj8NSKDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1W5WNRRK8V71YPTATQ0R

  used with a timer for a few minutes every couple of hours, to maintain 40* or so.  About April, pull the ice-chest out into the sun and open it up on nice days to warm the soil inside even more.  By May... you have the rooted cuttings that your seeking.

  Again,  Just a WAG...    good luck,

      Blue

Hi ross,
I'm trying another method: Just put them in a bucket in a shadowy spot in the garden till next Spring. Next Spring, pot them.
Last year at the end of March I cut 4 branches and stuck them in a pot. I have 4 new fig trees.
This time, I cut the branches in the beginning of November and put them in a bucket. Rain came in, and they have now some water.
I don't know when I'll pot them ... next month, or come next Spring. Perhaps in two batches .

For your test, manure is known to make heat while decaying. So you could bury the pot in a compost pile or a manure heap in a sunny spot.

jdsfrance ,

Do you leave cuttings in -25c weather outside for the winter and they don't ruin ?

John

You may try under a compost pile if you have one partially active.

Hi Johnparav,
It is the plan. We only had -25°c once ... When I lost some 10 fig trees in 2012 (lost my bigger one). I had 14 trees at that time. The survivors came back from near dirt level, so no figs for me that year.
We normally get -16°c/-18°c as a minimum ... But just -2°c so far this year - but that's fine for me. I swear that I still live in the same Zone7 :P .
Those cuttings are just extras. I'm not worried if I end up losing them.
I have already done that with rose cuttings and they did root. So this year I'm trying it with fig trees cuttings.
The idea is to keep the fridge clean from cuttings. While keeping some cuttings alive during the winter. I could use this as a routine backup plan every year.
I would keep some cuttings protected in my unheated garden house and root them if the in-ground trees had trouble surviving my winter.

In cold climate the fence posts holes are dug to permafrost level in 4" or 6" dia or may be wider. Such a hole (a little deeper) can be a good place for a reasonable amount of cuttings if it does not fill with water. A right size bucket with a rope can be lower to the above freezing depth of the hole.

Thanks for the info guys.

John