I'm thinking about spring and getting my young figs (2 yrs in ground) off to a good start. As anyone ever tried warming the soil around the tree to jump start growth in the spring?

We once laid old shingles around some sickly blueberries bushes (to kill grass) and it was amazing how much they grew in just a month or so. They grew more that 4-5 weeks than in the previous 2 years combined!

So I am thinking about experimenting with something similar on one of my figs this spring. I want to lay black  landscape cloth in a 4 ft circle around the base of the tree, beyond the mulch area. That should raise the ground temp across a significant area of the roots. I have theorized that it will push growth.

Any thoughts? Suggestions, cautions?

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-210/430-210_pdf.pdf 

I put biodegradable plastic black mulch on several tress this year, didn't seem to make much difference, kept weeds down though which would help promote growth due to lack of competition.  Bare soil will warm up faster with no mulch though, it will also loose heat more quickly in cold weather, if you wait until your soil has warmed up enough to say plant tomatoes or peppers then apply the mulch I think this would make the most benefit for your roots.  If you really want to push a boost if you can, try putting some stones or concrete walking pavers around the tree (leave about 2 feet open next to the base of the tree to add fertilizer/manure etc) this will act as a heat sink and store some extra heat that can help ripening slightly as well.

When I rooted some grape cuttings (before I got into more and more figs) the instructions came to warm up the area where they would be planted by preparing the area (remove larger rocks, fluff the 2feet wide and deep hole, add organic matter,compost, and cover the area with a large black plastic bag, tucking the edges, so no cold wind gets in the bag will heat up and hold the heat down, inviting worms to the easy soil...
don't step on it, until you are ready to dig the hole for the tree. once planted, continue keeping the plastic on the soil, but careful, not to let the plastic touch the tree. it may burn it.   I did this for some of my grapes to try, and surprisingly i got a few clusters of grapes on my first year.

I would think this also works for other trees.  A raised bed with rocks on the side, also warms up quicker.

I guess it all depends on your climate.

For instance 2013 was a cold spring here and everything got 4 weeks delayed - even tomatoes - so such a setup would have just make the figtrees drop the brebas.
Still most (dorée,longue d'aout) droped them because the cold lasted too much . So it is not only heating the soil - you need to heat the leaves - so basically go /temporary?/ greenhouse ...

I know that kind of setup is used in areas where the temps raise late every day - say at 10 or 11 o'clock - so in a sunny spot on sunny days, you would raise the temps by 9 o'clock - and that could help.
Mosts do it by laying dark stones like slates - but I would be concerned as rodents would take advantage of the setup and get attracted at chewing the nearby figtree and its roots.
So for me it's no.

The choice is yours ...

I would also love to find ways to extend my fig season as well.  

Once the risk of frost is past you could warm the soil by putting clear plastic on the ground around the tree.  Leaving a foot or so from the trunk so it can still breathe and get water.   It will get rid of the weed problems for sure since they will be burned by the polarized sun light.  I am not sure if this will damage the fig roots.

A better idea may be a figatorium concept.  
Someone in Canada is doing this.  Basically a greenhouse with a top that can be easily removed.  Anyone have a design?

Regular greenhouses don't work too well for figs since unless heated they won't protect the fig tree through the winter and I am assuming growing the figs under plastic may affect the taste of the figs as in the case of tasteless hot house tomatoes.

The plastic does not affect the taste, the reason hothouse tomatoes don't taste as good is because they are bred for yield not for flavour because stores don't pay more for flavour and as such breeders are looking for yield first taste comes further down on the list as resistances for diseases and viruses are above that.  I grow commercial tomatoes, have grown hundreds of varieties in both plastic and glass houses, heirlooms included.  Even the organic tomatoes I grow organically commercially don't have as much flavour as the ones I grow at home under plastic due to the fact that I select varieties at home for flavour vs yield.

There are figs grown under plastic and glass where I work and many other commercial greenhouses and they taste just as good if not better than my in ground trees as they ripen when its hotter and have supplemental heat so even in september they don't get too cold at night.

Sorry for my lack of knowledge on tomato growing.

Thanks for dispelling my greenhouse phobias!   Cost aside sounds like a simple solution to extend the growing season?

I'm growing all kinds of fruit in a greenhouse. It's by far the best fruit I've ever grown. Just don't plant figs in the ground in a greenhouse. At least not Strawberry Verte. It will take over the whole place. A greenhouse can add months to the harvest season.

If interested link below is a writeup about my greenhouse and fruits grown there.

http://www.davewilson.com/home-gardens/growing-fruits-and-nuts/cultural-practices/greenhouse-fruit-growing/greenhouse-fruit-production-in-west-texas

It is amazing the fruit Steve grows and the production he gets.  

Steve,
Who would have figured that you would need a greenhouse to grow figs in Texas?   I guess 4,500' elev. makes a big difference.
Very informative write-up! 
Thanks  

Lot so of good ideas. Perhaps I was not as clear as I should been. I am thinking of doing this, later in the spring, like mid-March. Here that means there is very little chance of a hard freeze. second, I am going to use landscape cloth, it's black, but water goes right through it. Also, this would be beyond the existing mulch area at the base, about 2ft in diameter. Maybe the key would be to add some dark stones to the hold heat. We have lots of black shale just up the road from here.

This sounds like a great set-up to manage weeds and keep the fig from drying out during the summer!
But I would think the landscape cloth and even the stones will actually keep the soil cooler contrary to your stated goal.

Fig shuffle helps extend the season by getting them started earlier.  I am convinced that putting them on stones or something else that retains heat will help extend the season (such as planting a fig along the south wall of a house).  I am starting to think this may be one of Martin's secrets of getting awesome figs (not so secret since he tells everyone he does it)

Good luck with it.
Look forward to hearing how it works out.