AI Overview
Potted fig tree roots can be killed by prolonged temperatures
below 15°F (-9°C), though some varieties are more cold-hardy, and root damage can occur at slightly higher temperatures with certain pot types like fabric pots. To protect potted figs, it’s best to overwinter them in a dark, cool location like a garage or unheated basement, ensuring temperatures stay above 15°F and below 50°F to keep them dormant.
It’s around there if fully dormant. 20-25 would be safer
I’ve had Desert King figs in 1-gal pots that felt frozen solid at 15F outside and they came back fine in the spring, but it was never that cold for long… maybe down to 15F or slightly colder at night, but back up in the mid/low 20’s for the day, and never more than a few days like this, max a week. Still - I was impressed. The dirt in the pots felt frozen solid and I was sure the plants were dead but they leafed out in the spring.
No I don’t, because sheltered from the wind they handle a colder temperature, because it also depends on how long the cold lasts. They can handle more cold if there is a heat source competing with the cold, and the cold hardiness varies from variety to variety. It also depends on how cold the roots get, not just how cold the above ground part gets. Ground gets too cold, that damages the tree. If the tree is not dormant then it’s way more sensitive to cold. There is too many different things that could cause cold damage to have a simple answer like that.
Lots of variables posted by growers on here.
I appreciate the info in this thread. I figured an in ground fig would be an exercise in futility here in 5b Colorado (and I have enough of those already), so I have a Chicago Hardy in a pot. I will store it with my potted blueberries in a shed, and provide heat to keep temps above 20 when we get our “real cold” periods. Read about fig shuffle in other threads, so it’s a mid sized pot that isn’t too heavy to move back and forth in the spring. We shall see…