My 1st year Celeste died to the ground. I didn’t take major steps to help it, as I thought it would be hardy enough without help.
I think I’m still under the Gurney’s 1 year period, so I could possibly get a replacement. Should I replace it, or hope it grows back from the roots (assuming those didn’t die too)?
Killed to the ground in zone 7b? That’s surprising. I’d get a replacement. Celeste is a pretty common variety so I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find a replacement if Gurney’s doesn’t.
I was surprised too. I bought it specifically because it was one of the most cold hardy types, which is why I didn’t go out of my way to wrap it. I got a VdB too, but that went in a pot and spent the winter in a unheated garage and survived.
If I want to request a replacement from Gurney’s I need to do so soon, though.
You should be fine with another one. I’d say what happened wasn’t the norm. We hit 8 degrees here and all my figs are putting out leaves just fine right now.
Did you checked if some of ground level wood is still green. Most of the time it will grow back from roots.
Mine is dead too. Even main trunk does not scratch green. I haven’t pulled it in case it comes back from roots. We got down to 9 degrees.
It’s dead to the mulch level. I’m not entirely sure how to check to see if the roots lived, and I’m also not sure if I’d be better off replanting or letting it regrow from the roots if they did.
You may have to remove some of the mulch and check it. Also first year tree will not survive you have to provide some protection for few years so it will be hard enough to deal with cold.
I would leave it too you never know when it will grow back.
The roots should be OK it is just a question of is there a bud down low for the tree to grow. Young trees and trees that are pruned heavily grow later into the season and are less cold hardy than a mature tree that stops its growth mid summer.
I’m in 7B too, and my Celeste fig died back to the ground the first two winters after I planted it. But it recovered and grew back to 6 or 7ft both times. I didn’t get any ripe fruit off of it those years, but once we had a more typical winter it produced well. So I would say wait and see. You can get a replacement as a back-up, but don’t dig it up yet. It wasn’t until May that I saw any real signs of life from it after the dieback, so it could take a little while to be sure.
My celeste’s usually die to the ground the first couple years here in Dallas, 7B/8A. After 2-3 years they seem to take the winters better & survive.
It doesn’t grow back from the roots. But there are buds on the stems under ground. They often grow back from below ground. If it were an established tree it would grow back for sure. First yr maybe not.
I just checked mine today and there is a small green bud coming from the roots!
Plants are such strange things. I have a row of Chicago Hardy Figs that were all planted 4 years ago. Bought at same place, planted at same time, pruned/not pruned exactly the same, and this year 3 of them died to the ground and 3 only died at the tips, leaving about 5 feet of healthy “trunks”. So I’m not sure you can really say anything with a great deal of certainty when it comes to winter and hardy figs.
Good to hear @k8tpayaso .
I need to get a thermometer in my backyard. I’m just going by the closest weather station across the street. I guess I’m getting more protection than I thought if y’all are having complete die back at the same or higher temperatures. One thing I did do was clear back the mulch. I was told it’s better to not have them mulched during winter so that the warmed soil can soak up the sun during the day and radiate at night. Maybe that helped? Not sure. Here’s a few of my figs. Note the last picture at the end of the row shows the size of my year old air layers. Maybe 2 feet high or so. I did toss a large plastic pot over each of those.
Those look fantastic and a really nice yard. You’re filling it with some super fruit.
We are very rural and on a hill. I really don’t have a thermometer except in my car so mostly I’m guessing a lot. My 16 year old fig died back a lot this year. We just gave it a burr haircut today. It’s sprouting but it’s starting over time for it. It really got cold this last winter!
It may or may not grow back from the ground. Many figs sold as Celeste are really Brown Turkey or something similar. There seems to be a lot of confusion with figs, especially at the big box stores.
It was a Gurney’s purchase, which I hope knows how to propagate and label plants.
It died down low enough that there is only an inch or two of trunk left above ground level but under the mulch. No idea if it might bud back or not.
Moved my figs this weekend… they’ve been sitting, on top of the ground, in 3-5 gallon pots, up against the east wall of the sunroom… for about 10 years. All have been rooted into the ground beneath them, for a long time. All pretty much killed back to the crown every winter(except for last year) and re-grow. I’ve moved them to ‘permanent’ locations out in the orchard now… cut them back to their crown and whacked roots back to what would have been contained within their (now-demolished) pots so that they would fit in the holes I dug for them. I’m betting all re-sprout once spring actually arrives.
