I hope they aren't dead. I supposed I am supposed to wait and see if anything sprouts, but I don't know what the best conditions are for them at this point. I have 2 fig plants that were suckers, about 4 feet tall that I dug up and potted last year. I cut one back by about half and tried to root the part I cut off. Didn't work. I thought it might also encourage the plant to branch out. The other one, I just left along, one tall stem.  They are in 5 gallon pots, but only filled half-full. I have not read as much as I should about caring for figs. I read somewhere that they are hard to kill and I guess I took it to heart.  They started showing a few little signs of growth several weeks ago. For most of the winter they have been in my basement laundry room. I didn't think they should start leafing out so soon, so I put them outside, thinking they might go back to sleep. I have been bringing them in or covering them if the temperatures get below freezing. Today I thought I'd cut them both back till it looked like there was live wood, but they are onlyl about 8-10 inches tall now and I think they look dead. The stems are not very small and I guess they aren't supposed to be green--they are quite woody, but they look too dry. I thought there would be some sap or moisture. I don't know the variety, but the trees they came from are 8 feet or so tall and even wider than that and they were covered with figs last summer. They were at a rental property and didn't get any special care. In fact, nobody was even picking the figs. The tenant helped me dig them up. The plants are sitting at the south side of my house, it is supposed to be 23 tomorrow. Looks like I am in zone 7 Nashville, TN 37013

I guess I need to know whether I should keep the plants outside or whether I should bring them in and try to coddle them while I wait to see if they show any signs of life.  I have not left them out in temperatures in the 20's.

Seeing as how they started growing a few weeks ago I would say they're still kicking. Now that you cut them back they will need time to awaken some dormant buds. I would keep them inside and wait until it warms up before putting them back outside. Don't over water the soil but just keep them on the moist side. If the tree starts to grow but it's too cold out then move it to the brightest window or give some artificial light. Don't throw them out too soon because as many have found out "it is hard to kill a fig tree".

we have about 5 weeks till our last frost date, i think. i will bring them in till then, and get them planted, if they show any sign of life. I am crossing my fingers. i need to read up on wrapping them for winter weather protection. I will be watching my neighbor's trees to see how they fared. They are too big to wrap.

Hi tnmom66,
Just my own way :
If temps are no longer going under -5°C, dig an hole, and put each pot in an hole.
Water those things when temps are not on the freezing and let them do.
If you keep them in and out, they might just get killed the day that you'll forget them outside ... So for ease, that is what I would do - Just my own way .
That is the reason why all my trees are in ground - except the smalls tests I'm running at home to keep me busy during winter time .

This is what they looked like in August. They were only a few inches away from each other when I dug them up. I used a bread knife to saw them apart. They lost some leaves, but looked like the recovered well. One of them even had a little sucker coming up before frost. I still am not sure where I want to plant it.....one of them is going to a friend if they both are still alive. I guess I'll put them in front of the big window in my garage and leave them there till April 1. I think the in-and-out may be stressful for them and for me.  

Looks like Brunswick/Magnolia fig.

Don't despair, these are weeds, don't over think it, put them back inside, 23 deg can kill an unprotected young tree.  When all else is lost, leave them alone, warm moist corner, a little light, it will grow.

I already brought them in. We had crazy weather today. Low wind chill temps, sun, snow coming down so hard and fast you almost couldn't see across the street, and then a hailstorm, or maybe it was sleet...I thought you only got hail in warm weather. Middle Tennessee weather is so weird sometimes. We are supposed to get a "killing freeze" tonight.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll let you know how it goes!

Just for the heck of it, I retrieved 2 pieces I cut from the stems of my figs I had pruned back looking for signs of life. I have had amazing luck sprouting seeds wrapped in wet paper towels an putting them in a ziplock bag in my oven, with the light on and the door open. Not sure of the temperature, but it seems great. It gets hotter in there with the door closed all the way--that is where I incubate my yogurt. Anyway--it may be my imagination, but it looks like there is life in these cuttings, after all!  We will see...

Brunswicks (if that's what it is) are hardy.  I think it would take more than that to kill it.
I've been abusing a certain Brunswick for about 2 years.  I cant' even bear to describe how I've mistreated it, but it is still kicking.
Experts on the forum would recommend the "scratch test" -- just scratch the bark a little bit with your fingernail.  If you see green just under the bark, everything's still good...
Jim

I didn't see anything I would really call "green" lately, but I feel like at least one of these had to have made it.  One of them got a little shriveled in the stem during the winter, but it was acting like it was trying to bud out below that area a few weeks ago. I know they were both alive. I bought 2 "body bag" roses at Big Lots and didn't take very good care of them, and both of them were showing new growth a few weeks ago. Now, one of them is dead beyond any doubt and the other variety is flourishing. The figs didn't go through nearly as much stress as those roses. I don't think they got too dry while they were inside. I think the only thing I did was let them get too cold after I set them back out, and I don't think I left them outside at all when it was in the 20's and if it was in the low 30's, I covered them with burlap (didn't wrap them up, just gave them what I thought was a little protection. They did NOT have any leaves, only tiny buds. I think they'll be okay, even if they died back to the ground level...we'll see.

Wow, what a difference a week makes! I just went to check on my fig trees in the garage. One of them has a little sprout, just at the soil level with 2 or 3 baby leaves!  It may have died back to soil level, but I guess it is also possible that other dormant buds in the "stump" may start showing new growth. I do wish I hadn't cut it back so far, but I guess it's okay. I think I am going to go ahead and plant it on the south facing wall of my house.  How far away from the house should I plant it?  I have a 5 gallon bucket at the ready to put over it, along with an old comforter, if it should get too cold. I am sure we will get another frost sometime this month, but I get the feeling this plant wants to be outside. I'll take good care of it. Hopefully, the other one will leaf out, too, and these cuttings will take root.

I just had to refer to photos to see which plant this was that is leafing out. I was surprised that it is the one I thought had a harder time during the winter! This is the one I cut back when I first got it. The taller one that I didn't cut back had many more places on it that looked like it was about to bud out than this shorter one did. I'll be shocked if the other one isn't still alive, too. Wonder what it's waiting for....

So, one died, one survived. No sign of figs so far, but some of my English Brown Turkey cuttings I got in April have baby figs on them!