Here is an interesting discussion on a Home Orchard Society forum about winterizing, in a discussion about Negronne figs: "I always tell people to stop watering figs and grapes at the end of July. Make 'em hurt! It is good for their wood. Makes it brown, hard, and cold-resistant." There is other material, also. Link No. 369  http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1132

not especially practical for people growing in the ground (as that poster was doing).  Its not exactly easy to stop the rain from soaking into the ground, even if you could cover the ground near the stem completely (absolutely impractical for me) capillary action alone would bring in lots of water.

Stopping supplemental watering might be worthwhile...

The final bit of advise is pretty useless as well (though it was given in jest)  300 miles south, indeed...

~Chills

It is not practical for me either. We have no rain, essentially till November in most years, and dormancy often doesn't come till January, because of relatively warm weather till then.

However, for anyone growing in pots, or irrigating, and who can adapt the principle to their circumstances, it might be helpful to understand how to increase and/or encourage greater cold tolerance. Even, if that means a potted fig in a shed can survive 28F, and not have to be kept at 32+, that might may a huge di8fference for some people

Maybe you can tarp the area around the tree and significantly decrease the penetration of rain into the root zone of an in-ground tree - enough to make a difference.

We are not in a one-size-fits-all business - rather. a borrow-a-little-here-and-borrow-a-little-there business till we make it work for us.

Concise and to the point! (as usual)


Thanks Dan.

For people like me this can be something interesting