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psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Hi everyone,

I'm happy to sign up and be a part of this community.

I'm from Southwestern Ontario in Canada and currently have two trees, soon to be 10 next week. Last year I found a kijiji ad where a guy was selling some fig trees. Being of Portuguese heritage, and recently developing a genetic green thumb, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. One tree is a Lattarula (Italian Honey) and the other tree is labelled "Red Italian Honey", so for now, until this tree is fully mature, I am treating it as unknown.

I have 8 new trees on the way next week which I have ordered from Brugmansia-Quebec and Richters herbs. They are:

2 Hardy Chicago
Lattarula (which I'll explain later)
Peter's Honey
LSU purple
Marseilles Black
Kadota
Brunswick

Now to get into the questions part of this thread. The two trees were stored in a 3 season sunroom which is attached to the home, and the temperature of the sunroom is somewhat moderated by the house. Just like everyone else, we had a brutal winter. The trees were kept in freezing conditions, but never experienced any frost. I kept a water bottle in the sunroom and it did not freeze. It's safe to say my home loses a decent amount of heat to the sunroom.

My Red Italian Honey broke dormancy in the sunroom in April and has been flourishing. My lattarula has still not broken dormancy and was kept in the same conditions as the other tree. The top 12" of the branches appear to have died back, but when performing the scratch and see method on the lower part of the branches, I do see a nice green layer. I'm hoping most of this tree managed to survive. I have attached some pictures for the experts to view, and perhaps you can let me know if this tree has a chance at survival.

Many thanks.

Paul

Attached Images
jpeg Pic_1.JPG (77.44 KB, 57 views)
jpeg Pic_2.JPG (90.41 KB, 58 views)
jpeg Pic_3.JPG (82.24 KB, 59 views)


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hoosierbanana

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
If it never got cold enough to freeze it probably means there is a problem with the roots. Does the trunk wiggle around in the pot or is it firm like the healthy one? 
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Pattee

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Welcome Paul ! Nice start to your collection. Be prepared to have more than 10 trees !! Just saying..

As for your question , give it time yet. I still have about 5 trees that have not broken doramncy yet. I was thrilled to see one just barely breaking this morning- but it is !
You may have roots that are alive and will push new growth from them. I intend to wait until mid summer to make any pronouncements.  
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Seeking :  Italian 376,395 , Galicia Negra, Negretta,UNK Pastilliere ,Pananas Purple,  Malta Blk+purple/red, Italian + Calabrian UNK's , Catanzaro, Malone, Sucrette(Baud)


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psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoosierbanana
If it never got cold enough to freeze it probably means there is a problem with the roots. Does the trunk wiggle around in the pot or is it firm like the healthy one? 


I up potted both trees this spring using the same method. I did not mess with the roots.

The sunroom got cold, but just how cold I'm unsure. Like I said I kept a water bottle in the room but I wasn't checking it daily, and it's entirely possible it was in an area that was radiating heat from the home.
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rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Fertilize it but never let it sit in water.  Don't saturate the soil.  Hopefully it'll recover.
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Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pattee
Welcome Paul ! Nice start to your collection. Be prepared to have more than 10 trees !! Just saying..

As for your question , give it time yet. I still have about 5 trees that have not broken doramncy yet. I was thrilled to see one just barely breaking this morning- but it is !
You may have roots that are alive and will push new growth from them. I intend to wait until mid summer to make any pronouncements.  



Thanks Pattee.

It's funny just how hard this bug can bite. My wife and I are eyeing up a move next spring and have started to look at houses. It seems I'm now more concerned with the size of the property and how much sun exposure it gets, then the house itself.

I don't plan on throwing the tree to the curb, but was wondering if anyone can tell by the look alone whether she's a goner. There are multiple buds on the branches, but they are still in a dormant state.
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sammy

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Welcome to the forum Paul.

From what I can make out in the last picture I would say your tree is alive.
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figgary

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Hi Paul, and welcome from another member of Portuguese descent. Your tree looks alive to me from the photo as well. I hope so. Have you seen Adrianos site yet? Many Portuguese varieties in Canada. You'll need a LARGE yard soon. Happy to have you here.
Gary in Ca
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psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Quote:
Originally Posted by figgary
Hi Paul, and welcome from another member of Portuguese descent. Your tree looks alive to me from the photo as well. I hope so. Have you seen Adrianos site yet? Many Portuguese varieties in Canada. You'll need a LARGE yard soon. Happy to have you here.
Gary in Ca


Thanks Gary. I have spent hours upon hours researching this hobby, and of coarse have landed at Adrianos site multiple times. I've sent him a few e-mails but haven't received responses. I hope in the future to collect as many Portuguese varieties as possible. My family is from the Azores from a little Island named Graciosa of only 4500 inhabitants. I go back as often as possible, and would really like to get some cuttings from my uncles tree, but I understand it's an importation issue and I don't want to break any rules. When we bring back cheese we purchase a license to do so, so perhaps the same can be done for plant products.

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome.
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lampo

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Hello Paul

Welcome to the forum !
I am sure you will get the best support from this community.
Happy figging

Francisco
(Portugal)
jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Hi psilva8,
Welcome to the forum.
It is hard to say if a figtree is alive before the tree shows leaves.
I would water and fertilize the tree just as a normal growing tree and wait for the tree to bounce back.

If that tree is alive and hasn't broke dormancy it is because something is missing: heat, sun, fertilizer or water.

It could be that the tree was over watered during the winter.
As the tree is in a pot, I would take the tree out of the pot and check the roots. Are they healthy ? or Dried  ?
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Climate from -25°C to + 35°C
Only cold hardy figtrees can make it here
psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdsfrance
Hi psilva8,
Welcome to the forum.
It is hard to say if a figtree is alive before the tree shows leaves.
I would water and fertilize the tree just as a normal growing tree and wait for the tree to bounce back.

If that tree is alive and hasn't broke dormancy it is because something is missing: heat, sun, fertilizer or water.

It could be that the tree was over watered during the winter.
As the tree is in a pot, I would take the tree out of the pot and check the roots. Are they healthy ? or Dried  ?


Thanks France. I think that's a good idea to take it out and check the roots. The trees were water following the "1 cup of water as required principal" through the winter. In the 5 months or so they were dormant, I may have watered 3 times.

Heat "could" be an issue although it doesn't explain why the other tree is thriving. This spring has been consistently inconsistent. Daily high fluctuate from 10C to 25C on any day, and as low as 5 or 6C at night. We are supposed to get a good stretch of weather here shortly, so I'm hopefully the tree will bounce back then.

Both trees have been fertilized with a slow release granular made by Miracle Gro. 18-6-12 rings a bell but I'm not at home to check. Would the tree benefit from a shot of liquid fertilizer?
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psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Some good news to report.

No green buds on the tree itself, however, it appears as though a bud, or new shoot, is coming up from the soil near the base of the trunk.

In your experience, when a tree experiences a dieback of this nature, and new shoots emerge from the roots, do they typically grow fast due to the large amount of established roots? Or, is it like starting a new cutting and waiting several years until you get a productive tree again?

Thanks
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Lions_fan88

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
   I had one dormant like that with it's roots in the soil for well over a month before it sent out a sprout. I could see it was drying out from the tip down so I though it was definitely a goner. After somewhere between a month and two months I got several sprouts from the very bottom  of it. Now it's thriving. Maybe yours is just taking its time too? I couldnt tell you about how quickly it grew though, sorry lol. Good luck on your dormant fig!
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Ruuting

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Paul, I missed your introduction.
Welcome to the forum.
Portugal representing!
The red colored wood is a bad sign, but like others have said, don't give up on those branches.

Root suckers seem to grow at a faster pace, probably because of the oversized root supporting them.
By the end of summer that plant will have long forgotten the damage.
Mother Nature's pruning technique, that's all ;)

Could this plant have been in direct sun, or next to a radiator, maybe on top of a heating register?
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psilva8

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruuting
Paul, I missed your introduction. Welcome to the forum. Portugal representing! The red colored wood is a bad sign, but like others have said, don't give up on those branches. Root suckers seem to grow at a faster pace, probably because of the oversized root supporting them. By the end of summer that plant will have long forgotten the damage. Mother Nature's pruning technique, that's all ;) Could this plant have been in direct sun, or next to a radiator, maybe on top of a heating register?


Thanks for the welcome. What part of Portugal are you from? 

The rusty coloured branches were a pretty clear indication to me they were dead, but I still have faith in the rest of the tree.

The trees were stored in unheated sun room. I covered them with a sheet so they would stay dark. The only heat they may have received is

a) when the door was opened to the rest of them home
b) I have a finished insulated basement beneath the sunroom, and heat could have radiated from the floor... however this is unlikely, as the few times I entered this room barefoot in the winter and almost froze my feet off.
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