I've been thinking lately about heavily mulching my new in-ground trees in preparation for winter and the growing season next year.  I've done a search on the forum and have been reading for quite a while but haven't seen a thread solely focused on the benefits of mulching figs.  As I understand them, they would be:

I can't speak to mulching figs, because all mine are in pots, and not in ground.  I can speak to mulching in general, both summer and winter.

I mulch my elderberry shrubs, and most of my apple and pear trees.  All the reasons you've given above are true.   And summer mulching helps keep weeds from competing with the trees for nutrients.

I use leaves from all my maple and ash trees, I have many.  It keeps down the weeds, adds nutrients to the soil, and protects in winter against freezing/thawing.  If we have a good amount of snow here, on top of the mulch, that insulates the ground even more.  The problem I see is not the ground freezing, but freezing then thawing, then freezing again and again.

The more mulch you can heap on it, the better it will work.  Just keep a small ring of space right next to the trunk, so the mice won't gnaw on the bark.  Bark will work, or old hay, or leaves.

Moth balls and traps as well- Lots!

Tim,

I mulch my inground fruit trees (figs included) with whatever is available and plentiful. One of the benefits you left out was the attraction of earthworms to the mulched area and the benefits of their castings. Another benefit is that when (if you choose to) you fertilize, you will not disturb the roots as much if you simply pull the mulch away and scatter the fertilizer (safer for birds too). That being said, ants can and do also like to build their homes beneath the mulch too. Another word of caution is that the mold associated with decomposition can infect a young cutting and kill it off (happened to one of mine). So wait until the cutting is larger or keep the mulch from contacting the cutting directly. I have also noticed that when winter-kill occurs, a thick (even thin) layer of mulch can stop it from killing all the way to the ground if the stem/trunk is covered making for faster starts in the Spring and less suckering of new shoots from below the ground. Good luck!

mulching can also contribute to rodents in the winter, and for some trees/plants, having mulch come in contact with the bark can (supposedly) lead to disease/illness.

I double mulch my in ground trees with a top layer or mulch and a rubber mulch mat on top of that.  Every year I pull off the mulch mat and check underneath.  Ants are a major problem, but the ant baits at the base of the tree does wonders.  I also take a 6 inch piece of grey flexible electrical cable tubing (you know the kind that has the slit in it)at the base of the tree to keep rodents from chewing on the tree.

I found the rubber mulch mat does a great job keeping the root warm during winter.  Weed can and will weave their way up to the top so it's a good idea to pull them out monthly.  The mulch mats can be expensive.  I get mine at Wally-world for $10 dollars a piece on sale.  I'm sure other folks have different techniques but this one works great for me.  cheers

Thanks for starting the thread.


Entry #13 from
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?Fig-Orchard-Planning-Advice-5419101
shows a pictures of my set up.

I would think that 5 inches of compost three feet around newly planted trees would do all of the above plus more.

Since putting the trees in the ground, I also planted nitrogen-fixers (beans) in the compost as a living mulch. Under these conditions, if I were a fig I'd be in paradise. I am hoping they appreciate the effort with an abundance of tasty figs.

I'm a big fan of mulching.  This is from the Las Pilitas website, they specialize in California native plants, but the principle would be the same.

Three inches of mulch on top does more than six inches tilled in over a 5 year period to improve the soil's health. On sites with compacted soil the texture, drainage and fertility of the soil was is completely changed after mulching heavily (it took a couple of months for the worms, fungi and microfauna to start working). The great thing about this is it does not limit the root system, and the plants go crazy. Again, a point to make clear, the mulch goes on top, not worked into the soil.
http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/easysoils.htm

I have mulched a few of my in ground trees with good success. Keep in mind that pine mulch is very acidic and when a tree in a pot it is more impacted by ph level changing than the inground trees. I got a tree from a forum member that had a thick layer of mulch on top,  it did not grow at all this summer, and the leaves were pale yellow all summer. I should have added some lime to see how if it really makes a difference.

I appreciate all of the responses.  There seem to be some conflicting thoughts on bark against the trunk vs keeping it away.  I know that with most trees it's a good idea to keep it away but for some reason I seem to remember it being fine to pile it up against a fig's bark.  So far mine seem to be doing fine with mulch against them.

Tim,
Could you share your thoughts since this 2011 post about winter mulching. I'm interested in a simple method like mulch because I have many trees to protect.
What size mulch do you use?
It would seem that large mulch wouldn't hold as much moisture up against the trunk, which I think would be good, but it might not insulate as well.
So I'm thinking one of using a medium grade?
Thanks, Eric

I have rabbits and the waste hay and manure is what I use to feed my trees and plants. I use it on top of the ground only in fall and winter. The spring and summer it gets mixed into the soil around but not too close to the trees and plants to encourage root growth. I don't want to encourage root growth at a time when tender roots would freeze.

I use cyprus blend mulch...works good, but does not last as long as I would like, but for 2 dollars a bag in north FL, it's OK.

Pine as others point out has drawbacks. I would use it as a last resort and for winter only.

Eric,

Sorry for the late reply. Things are still busy here around the farm. As for the size of the mulch, I wouldn't worry so much in terms of moisture. The time of year that you'd spread mulch isn't too conducive to rot happening and the worst that'd happen is that the trunks would start to send roots off into the mulch. I used shredded hardwood bark mulch (most prevalent around here and least expensive) but any mulch would probably work. In our area I spread it around Thanksgiving and pull it back around the end of March. As a rule I'd say to spread it when the night temps dip into the low 20s and pull it back when the night temps are done dipping into the low 20s. It accomplishes several things if you pursue that method: weed suppression, moderating soil temps, and some nutrients for the figs (which don't tend to be heavy feeders anyways).

I'd encourage you to give it a try. The only drawback I've seen with it was one year when we had a really hard winter. The mulch seemed to provide a habitat for voles or mice and they girdled several of the trees. I do notice that it really only truly protects the buried portion of the tree.

Good luck, hope it works well for you!

Tim

Arachyd and Lewi,
Thanks for the info, I don't have access to either of those.

Tim,
No need to apologize, I'm going to try your method with my figs this winter.
I would expect to see a big dieback in really cold years.
I just want an easy method that will give me a little bit of a headstart over complete dieback.
I think I'm going to try adding a piece of foam pipe insulation around the trunk as well before I pile on the mulch.
Eric

Planted 20 in ground fig trees and 12 jujube trees last spring. All I did was to add a bag of Texas Native hardwood mulch from Home Depot to each tree. I just added another bag to each tree.
So with no irrigation the mulch definitely works, but I have a flood land and black soil. This approach might not work everywhere.
After two summers, I lost two jujube trees out of 12 and 8 fig trees out of 20, which I just replaced with new varieties.
If you want to get mulch, get something local natural with no additives or coloring.

http://www.austinwoodrecycling.com/Pictures/Mulches/Mulches_layers.png