Wintering a fig tree

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by jdkeating, Nov 17, 2007.

  1. jdkeating

    jdkeating Member

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    Location:
    Old Saybrook, Connecticut
    I was just given a white fig tree--originally it was a sucker growing at the base of the 'parent tree'. It is planted in a pot and is a single stem. I was told to winter the fig tree in the garage, watering every so often, and to put it outside in the spring. I live in Connecticut on the shore of Long Island Sound. This is my first experience with a fig tree...is there anything else I should do to insure the fig tree will survive the winter? Please advise.

    Thanks

    JDK
     
  2. LI_John

    LI_John Member

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    Location:
    Long Island, NY USA
    Re: Winter care for fig tree

    Hi JDK.....

    I'm going to make a suggestion that may be contrary to the experts but I'll tell you anyway. This is something I'm trying for the first time this year. There is not a lot of 'fig tree' info out there so we're gonna have to try to get by on our own. I, too, cut a sucker off the base of my white fig and potted it. I've decided to bring it indoors for the winter, not leave it in the garage. I did the garage thing a few years ago and it didn't work out for me.

    My new 'houseplant' is doing just fine in front of my sliding door. I cut and planted it around the end of August. It now has at least 8 leaves on it and looks pretty darn good. At this time of the year I figure a real good watering once a week should be fine. In their natural environs they don't get a lot of water anyway so it should be just fine. during the growing season I make sure my trees get a good drink every other day.

    From past experience, it'll probably take a few years to see fruit but once it starts.....you had better LOVE figs or know a few people that do! :-))

    Where about it CT are you in relation to Long Island? I'm just a few miles south of Port Jefferson where the Bridgeport Ferry goes. Are you east or west of Bridgeport?

    If you are real close to the Sound the warmer south wind may be a blessing for your fig. Still, I would keep her indoors for the first go round, at least.

    John
     
  3. ddurksen

    ddurksen Member

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    Location:
    Ashcroft, BC, Canada
    Re: Winter care for fig tree

    Dear JDK and LI John,

    I moved from Victoria BC - mild coastal climate to Ashcroft BC this year. In Victoria my fig tree just sat in a pot on the patio and as we didn't get severe frosts or extended cold spells it did fairly well. It was too cool for the fruit to grow to full size and mature easily but the tree did well.

    This is my first winter with it in a "four season" climate. Our winter starts in mid November and last through late February or early March. They tell me, and I'm not sure how much weight to put on this that we usually have day time highs in the -3 to +5 centegrade range with lows in the -15 to -10 range.

    My fig tree is now four years old and it was a gift from a neighbour. When we moved here in the spring (high desert) the tree loved it we had two full crops of fruit that ripened at a pace of about two a week just about ideal for me.

    As our landscaping isn't completed yet the tree is sitting in my garage in its pot this winter. The garage is insulated but not heated. I have a fridge and a freezer in it and they give off enough heat to keep things above freezing so far.

    I would be interested in some additional instructions regarding "burying" and/or "wrapping" fig trees as I don't have any history with fig trees in my family.

    I accepted the gift of the fig tree to help me understand the "cursing of the fig tree" in the account of the late days of Jesus' ministry. It has certainly helped me to understand the deeper meanings of that story.

    Thanks in advance for your replys either through this discussion board or directly to me at ddurksen@coppervalley.bc.ca.

    David
     
  4. crowldawg

    crowldawg Member

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    Location:
    orient,ny,usa
    Re: Winter care for fig tree

    I live at the extreme eastern end of Long Island .The temp rarely goes below 5F . I have 3 new figs each in 25 gallon containers .I'm going to put them in the garage until the extreme weather hits and then put them in the basement .the problem with the basement is that it around 50 F .I have to see what happens.This is my first attempt at figs
     
  5. ddurksen

    ddurksen Member

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    Location:
    Ashcroft, BC, Canada
    Re: Winter care for fig tree

    Thanks for the post. In moving your figs to the basement the challenge may be hardening them off again in the spring prior to putting them in the yard. Have you considered wrapping both the trees and the containers with insulation and a fabric of some sort? I'm checking my garage now that the weather is getting colder and as my garage is insultated I may put a small heater in to keep the temp just above freezing if the fridge and freezer don't give off enough heat to accomplish this. Let me know how your plan works for you.

    David.
     
  6. evladi7654

    evladi7654 Member

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    Location:
    Bridgeport CT, Fairfield
    Re: Winter care for fig tree

    Hey ! Where do you live ? I live in Bridgeport and have a fig tree too.. evladi7654@aol.com
     
  7. LI_John

    LI_John Member

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    Location:
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    I'm in Centereach, a few miles south of Port Jefferson. Tell me about your fig tree and what you do to help it survive.
     
  8. alanmercieca

    alanmercieca Member

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    so how did the tree do. After all the research I have done I have come to the following conclusions. Indoors is the worst place you can keep your fig tree during the winter unless there is frost. If there is frost then you should only bring it in when their is risk of frost and then bring it out. A tree that is any less than 3 months old should be inside until it's 3 or 4 months old. One thing that worries me is that you made this thread in mid November and it sounds like the tree may be less than 3 months old. I hope you kept it away from dry heat, from the frost, from a garage with car fumes and that if your left it in the garage that you opened the garage door every now and then. And that if you did take it out that you kept it out of direct sunlight
     
  9. nero

    nero Member

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    Location:
    New Haven, CT United States
    I live in New Haven and have dozens of fig trees growing wild in the back yard. They range in height from about 8 feet to 1-foot tall. There was quite a bit of fruit last year but nothing so far this year. Strange. I see the beginnings of fruit now in October, but it feels too late in the fall for these to grow properly. I've lived in Connecticut for five years and I've never done anything to winterize these figs -- yet they seem to thrive. Perhaps a cold-hearty variety has developed right in my back yard.
     
  10. luznjak

    luznjak Member

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    Nero,

    As I have the same problem as you I can tell you straight away the answer. Some figs are more hardy than others, as I'm sure you know. In general if you grow them in an continental climate you need hot summer to be able to get them to bear fruit. Preferably this would be a south facing wall.
    Also if the year is rainy (summer time) or the fall starts early you can forget about the fruit.
    About winterizing. If you have a Brow Turkey tree you are safe down to -10C or even below for shorter periods. Wet winters won't do any harm as wet winters are a feature of it's native Mediteranean.
     

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