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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Winter protection for very small in ground fig
 
 


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bgli

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
I rooted a few cuttings of atreano and put in ground during the summer. These atreano fig trees are about a foot tall. I know there is a risk planting one year old trees here in zone 7 but what suggestions would you have for winter protection of these small trees. Should I bury (how far up ??) with compost and wrap in burlap? Similar to trenching I guess I could completely cover with soil or would that smother it? Thanks
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Barry
lifigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Barry,
This is my post from last year showing how I covered my inground trees.  Look  near the end of the post where I show how I protected a smaller inground tree with an upside down garbage can.  It work well last year for me.  The good news is this year the tree has grown to large for the garbage can method and will have to use the method at the start of the post.

Good luck.


http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/tree-wrapping-2014-7785979?pid=1289796431
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Bill Long Island (Nassau) 7a,NY

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pino

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Sounds like way too young a tree to leave in ground in zone 7. 
The 1 yr old wood will not be very cold tolerant and regardless of wrapping will likely not survive the winter.  Also if a rodent finds it they will eat the whole tree.
For small trees  like that I dig them up and put in a container and store in a cool dark place for the winter.  Plant them back in spring.  The little bit of root pruning that this causes does not harm them.

For cool climates I don't suggest leaving trees in ground until they are established and have a 3 or 4 yr old trunk and you have a backup just in case.
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ADelmanto

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
I'd have to agree with Pino. Second choice would be LIFigs garbage can. Definitely not covering with soil or anything right up against the young tree. It would rot.
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1FigMama

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
I've planted several first-year figs at Thanksgiving in Zone 6 and then pinned them to the ground with full bags of compost.  I know that many fig growers will dispute the wisdom of this method, but I've never lost a tree.  The compost "blanket" allows the heat of the earth to protect the young plants from freezing, even in brutal winters like 2013-14 and 2014-15.  I haven't had any problems with rot from condensation on the plastic, I believe, because there is no air space between the plastic and the ground so no condensation forms.  An additional  benefit is that the mass of the compost tempers daytime temperature swings, so trees don't heat up if you get a couple unseasonably warm days in Feb.   When Spring comes (usually mid/late April here), I split the bag and empty the compost around the tree it protected through the winter.  Easy-peasy.  Good luck!
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Mimi    
N.panhandle WV; Zone 6A
KK

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 

I use 1 or 2  tomato cages (they stack)  to cover the bundle. These are the ones I use for tomatoes in the summer and covering figs in the winter http://i.imgur.com/yQT385N.jpg

Then wrap with tar paper and top with a tar paper hat which can be easily removed should I get unusual heat spell. The dirt at the bottom keeps mice from consuming the bark.

Looks like this 

chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KK

I use 1 or 2  tomato cages (they stack)  to cover the bundle. These are the ones I use for tomatoes in the summer and covering figs in the winter http://i.imgur.com/yQT385N.jpg

Then wrap with tar paper and top with a tar paper hat which can be easily removed should I get unusual heat spell. The dirt at the bottom keeps mice from consuming the bark.

Looks like this 

-THANKS-
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Woodville

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lifigs
Barry,
This is my post from last year showing how I covered my inground trees.  Look  near the end of the post where I show how I protected a smaller inground tree with an upside down garbage can.  It work well last year for me.  The good news is this year the tree has grown to large for the garbage can method and will have to use the method at the start of the post.

Good luck.


http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/tree-wrapping-2014-7785979?pid=1289796431
great pics on winterizing our figs.com, great ideas.
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~Steve zone 6b~
Woodville

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KK

I use 1 or 2  tomato cages (they stack)  to cover the bundle. These are the ones I use for tomatoes in the summer and covering figs in the winter http://i.imgur.com/yQT385N.jpg

Then wrap with tar paper and top with a tar paper hat which can be easily removed should I get unusual heat spell. The dirt at the bottom keeps mice from consuming the bark.

Looks like this 

I like the idea with the dirt on the bottom to keep the mice out. Thanks
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chucklikestofish

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodville
I like the idea with the dirt on the bottom to keep the mice out. Thanks
~the dirt on the bottom did not work here in keeping them little -------'- out ~! you need to have deterant in there i put irish spring soap chunks in organzo bags and tie them around on the limbs,i had a tree completely eaten by voles last winter i had to start from ground up again on that tree. so yea, and i had a lot of dirt packed up around the bottom of it so be careful ~! spearmint  plant ,or spear mint oil,or mint will keep them out i grow mint so i pull some and packed it in side also ,mint oil works and moth balls also ,just don't get the moth balls into soil ,it is napthalene a very bad chemical~!
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coop951

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
I've had good luck with moth balls. I put a bunch of moth balls in a couple of 16 oz deli containers and punch a bunch of holes in the lid. No rodent problems with this method yet
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Coop  
Northern NJ Zone 7a
jrdewhirst

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
fwiw, I have used moth balls in the past, both for fig covers and for electrical junction boxes.  These boxes are in the ground, near the surface, controlling irrigation.  Mice love to nest in the boxes. 

I figured the mothballs would help.  But then last spring I found a nest of mice, live with three babies, in a box along with a half-dozen moth balls.  Now I'm skeptical.
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Joe D
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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
I recently read an interesting article on facebook by the Alabama Pomegranate Association. It described the way they protect their Pomegranate trees in a very cold mountain area of Tajikistan.

They plant them at 45 degree angle and cover them with soil then dig them back up in spring. I'm convinced that this might be the best way that a fig tree could also be planted in order to prevent winter damage in cold areas. You could read this article on their front page here:

https://www.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/posts/1110164602362236:0


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Sas from North Austin TX Zone 8B
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snaglpus

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Never plant a young tree (2year or younger) in the ground in zone 7.  There isn't enough root ball mass to support the cold temps below 25 degrees.  Sorry but that rooted cutting will die.
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Dennis
Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a 
Sas

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
I agree with Dennis.
I'm in zone 8b and the only trees that made it so far at my wildlife property were three plus years and over four foot long. Despite dying to the ground in many cases over 2/3 managed to stay alive and with no irrigation, by shoots from the base of tree. This summer, there was some green leaves showing above the soil in most cases. The condition of each individual tree depended on other factors. As an example, there was some wildlife damage in addition to winter damage. Wild boars dug up the soil in some areas.
In one particular case the tree looked like it is getting established on its own, but in its third leaf it is still about two foot long and currently protected with a chicken wire.
In phase one smaller trees planted in winter while dormant, were all gone and by summer there was no sign of any of them.


P.S. Despite Knowing that it's high risk, I just planted a whole bunch of one and two year old trees in a relatively sheltered area.
Remember it rarely freezes in my zone and if it does it always warms up during the day.
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Sas from North Austin TX Zone 8B
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jdsfrance

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Hi,
I rooted clippings in end of July and planted them by October, and 4 of 5 made it through the winter.
I have here on the forum "the 80 liters trashcan technique" just look it up.
It is important for the bottom ( or the top) of the trashcan to have holes or be completely removed. The tree needs some airflow and water-flow.

@chucklelikestofish : Did you have leaves and then dirt, or just 100% dirt around the stems ? Normally rodents get attracted by dry areas (leaves,soft plastic )
Try to plant jonquils around your trees. I have mint too in the garden. I still have rodents... every now and then.

PS: the 5th clipping that did not make it, probably just did not have enough roots  to go dormant...
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Climate from -25°C to + 35°C
Only cold hardy figtrees can make it here
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