Cold hardy figs

General Fruit Growing
#641

Does pinching growth tips help figs harden off for winter?

#642

I am not sure about figs harden off with pinching. I usually stop pinching in the end of July because the new figs usually take about 3 plus months to ripen and any new figs forming after August are not going to ripen in time before the first frost in my Z5.

Tony

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#643

As far as branch ramification goes it will help slow growth down, the tree might just grow suckers and waterspouts in response though.

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#644

No.
What you want to do for hardening off slow the growth by not applying fertilizer and less water.

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#645

Containers are much easier to get into dormancy, the cold weather helps out as well for them since the roots are above ground. But my inground trees never get water of fertilizer from me so the structure is about the only way I can control growth.

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#646

I planted a couple fig plants at a local community garden, then didn’t protect them at all during the winter,figured they’d be dead as door nails after a winter low of -30F…amazingly, one of them survived and is regrow in from the soil line. Variety is Emerald Strawberry.

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#647

wow，survived in -30,I want this hardy fig

#648

If you want fruit to ripen in a timely manner you are better of with another type, Most all of my Mt Enta-type plants survived well with protection, 2-4’ branches are now leafed out and should bear. Emerald Strawberry seems to ripen later, and I prefer the flavor of dark figs anyway…

#649

We don’t have long enough season to ripen the fig. I grow most of my figs in pot to get headstart, but still have casualties everything winter in garage.

#650

Florea, Teramo, Ronde de Bordeaux, Improved Celest,Abington unk are my earliest main crop figs to, ripen, and the ones I would recommend for,short season locations

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#651

Wow that Emerald Strawberry survival is incredible and I think just what I’m looking for, who did you get it from?

Have you heard of any other figs that can survive your winters without protection and still survive?

#652

Hi Jesse,

I wondered how early Abington Unk. is for you compared with other Mt Etna type figs?
And Teramo, I keep hearing about it as well - how early does it ripen compared to the IC and Florea and RdB?

Thanks,
Ed

#653

Teramo seems to be a lot less cold hardy than its reputation says. It suffered more die-back that most of my other figs in recent winters.

#654

The place where Teramo was found (in the U.S.) is Easton, Md where I live. The tree is sandwiched between two houses and has almost no wind exposure; a very protected location here in Zone 7.

#655

Dan Foster was y source for ES, honestly I think there are better choices…though I haven’t tested them with out protection.

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#656

I think it was at least a week ahead of all the other ME types, and by the development ofmthe figletsmthis season it seems ahead again. If so, this would make it a real winner for me and set it apart for the rest od that type. It also has a breba on it. I will be setting an airlayer on it for sure. Thanks for that one!
Teramo ripened a nice breba crop for me last season, and the main crop were right in there with the earliest varieties I grow-Florea, IC, RDB all start coming in within a week and a half of each other.
All my plants started off at the same time this spring, so I should get a good idea of how they come in this season…and I did very little up-potting, most were pruned, so pretty even treatment with the exception of sun exposure in my yard.

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#657

Mine is behind a couple of others this year but I root pruned it in early April before it woke up and I think that delayed it slightly

#658

Here I had so much damage that I lost 2 trees. Most were damaged. One that was not at all was Teramo, why anecdotal observations don’t tell the whole story. RdB was damaged a lot. B. Green was not at all either. I think location for the summer, and the winter must come into play too.

#659

Is yours in ground?

#660

All in containers, all damaged except for a few. In my case damage was caused from plants not being hardened off enough. In containers, so roots are not kept warm by the ground so come into play too. We had an early fall freeze. I lost 3 peach trees seedlings. and 3 mulberry plants that were first leaf. One was 6 foot. A one inch tall honeyberry plant made it, Those things can be very hardy it appears.