Unwrapped Inground Fig Trees Today in NJ!

figgi11
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The 10-day forecast isn't showing any freezing temps with plenty of sunshine after tomorrow so I felt good about uncovering them. I posted some pictures below. As you can see, I still left the heat lamps for those nights where it gets into the mid-30s. The lamps seemed to have helped my peach tree keep a lot of flowers during last week's couple nights of freezing temps.

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figgi11
1460405961 · Edited

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FigTrees2013
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They look fantastic! May I ask your method of wrapping them? When I uncovered mine just a bit farther north I had some mold problems.

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Gardencrochet
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You have a very nice set up Figgi11. Do you prune your fruit trees when they go dormant? If so how tall do you leave them? They look very healthy. I have lots of peach trees. They grow quite fast every year. I'm considering giving them a good trim. Only problem is that the birds feed off the very high branches. That is why I'm debating to hack the tops or not.

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figgi11
1460408063

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Originally Posted by FigTrees2013
They look fantastic! May I ask your method of wrapping them? When I uncovered mine just a bit farther north I had some mold problems.

Let me confirm: wrapping is a crap shoot. This past winter, I used a few layers of weed cloth (it's breathable) to wrap the branches first. Then I used pink insulation like you use in the home to keep the temps from shifting too much and prevent freezing. Lastly, I wrap the tree with a blue tarp and leave the top exposed but put a bucket on the top to allow circulation while protecting from moisture.

It has worked very well except where there had been moisture build-up - from what I reckon - was from the insulation absorbing some ground moisture. This problem was only on my Kadota, which isn't a very cold hard variety. I will make sure the next season that I put a layer of rocks on the ground to prevent contact from ground moisture.

As much as I love the Kadota variety, I've noticed that this variety does not respond well to outdoor winter protection and is very easily affected by moisture build-up. They are also very temperature sensitive in the Spring and will die-back even if not leafed-out yet as opposed to my Celeste and Spanish Mission (Texas Everbearing?) when temps dip in the low 30s.

I know most people in non-native fig climates swear by potting, but I think the beauty of having them inground outweighs the argument for keeping them potted. I only have a handful as well, so keep that in mind. If I were a large fig producer in this area I would most definitely keep them potted.

Which variety do you have that encountered mold problems? I find that Mission don't do well in this area as well.

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figgi11
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Originally Posted by Gardencrochet
You have a very nice set up Figgi11. Do you prune your fruit trees when they go dormant? If so how tall do you leave them? They look very healthy. I have lots of peach trees. They grow quite fast every year. I'm considering giving them a good trim. Only problem is that the birds feed off the very high branches. That is why I'm debating to hack the tops or not.

Great question. In my yard, the birds attack the peach tree but don't even touch the fig trees. As a result, the only thing that help with keeping the birds out of my peach tree is netting.

As far as pruning, I wait until new growth puts out in mid-Spring before I prune. The key in this climate, is to protect the trees enough so that you're able to get considerable new growth on the current season's limbs that will allow for plenty of figs! Allowing trees to fully dieback here often results in poor yield which is why I cover them in the winter.

You never know what Mother Nature will do. Even proper wrapping sometimes fails when temps drop too quickly and too suddenly that trees don't have a chance to harden off to survive complete dieback. Then you have winters that are just too cold that wind up n disappointment despite covering. There's always the circumstance where the trees are over protected as a result of a mild winter and often succumb to mildew.

Always a crap shoot! Hope this helps.

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Gardencrochet
1460409105 · Edited

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Originally Posted by figgi11

Great question. In my yard, the birds attack the peach tree but don't even touch the fig trees. As a result, the only thing that help with keeping the birds out of my peach tree is netting.

As far as pruning, I wait until new growth puts out in mid-Spring before I prune. The key in this climate, is to protect the trees enough so that you're able to get considerable new growth on the current season's limbs that will allow for plenty of figs! Allowing trees to fully dieback here often results in poor yield which is why I cover them in the winter.

You never know what Mother Nature will do. Even proper wrapping sometimes fails when temps drop too quickly and too suddenly that trees don't have a chance to harden off to survive complete dieback. Then you have winters that are just too cold that wind up n disappointment despite covering. There's always the circumstance where the trees are over protected as a result of a mild winter and often succumb to mildew.

Always a crap shoot! Hope this helps.

Yes, that makes complete sense. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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figgi11
1460409769

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Originally Posted by Gardencrochet

Yes, that makes complete sense. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Glad I can help. My theory is that some varieties are better suited inground with protection during the winter than others. Celeste has been very dependable. LSU Purple also seems like a variety that's been "engineered" for cold hardiness. If you go to Bill's Facebook page, he lists varieties that he grows, purple and green, and specifies if a particular variety is cold hardy. He grows in NJ as well:

https://www.facebook.com/FigTreesBillsFigs/photos/a.264142253795775.1073741828.264139320462735/383692945174038/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/FigTreesBillsFigs/photos/a.264142253795775.1073741828.264139320462735/383692318507434/?type=3&theater

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figgi11
1460410691 · Edited

Also, the last 3 pictures is also a Kadota fig that I transplanted in the yard (for more sun exposure) two weeks ago. Figs don't like to be moved. I noticed that some of one branch had shriveled a bit so I cut off the offending areas. The tree, although it shows some budding, may completely dieback. There wasn't any shriveling before moving it, but the lower portions still show green budding. I hope it's not a slow death where the tree will sprout from the soil.

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