I am in Chicago zone 5, I have hardy chicago grow in ground. I bent it down and put some shredded paper on top and cove it with a tarp in winter. Most years I harvest breber fruits , newly grown fruit is not fully ripe when it starts frost. Last year is the only year that it killed to the ground and regrow stronger and taller. I guess it is not bad idea to have it killed and regrow from ground level. It kind naturally rejuvenized the tree/bush .
Tony, I am fascinated by your practice of bury the tree deeper. I remember you have mentioned that you planted a persimmon tree 2 feet deep. I love to have a persimmon tree in the yard. I was going to ask you when I saw that post years ago. But I am asking now. Would you elaborate this practice a little more? I can’t understand that a tree planted this deep can grow out of ground. Will the bark rot? root breath? All the trees come with instruction says plant at original soil level. Is any specific type of tree that can be done this way?
I got good crop with Chicago Hardy and they taste pretty good. What I do is to pinch the growing tip of the branch on every 3rd leaf to stimulate breba fig fruit. This will get the fig fruits to develop and to mature as soon as I can before winter.
IL
I have a Rossyanka Hybrid persimmon in the ground for 6 years now and planted at soil line and it has endured the temp of -18F with no issue. The Nikita’s Gift is less hardy than the Rossyanka. It had been in the ground for about 5 years. I planted this one about a foot deeper then the soil line and made a dirt mound around the base another foot higher up the trunk to ensuret re-growth above the graft if the top die from harsh Winter. I do protect the NG if the temp drops below -9F. I just cover it with a painter cloth sheet and hang a 150 watts light bulb in the center of the tree for the heat source. I turn the light on at night when the temp drop to -9F or below. I had no problem with roots or trunk rot. I like the NG fruits a lot. Nice firm fruit when fully ripen and super sweet and good for drying. I got about 10 varieties of Kaki on trial here and some are potted and some are in the ground.
Tony
Tony, Thanks for sharing the method of grow the persimmon in zone 5. I have tried to grow persimmons in the past but all ended up a dead tree. I will look into the Rossyanka and NG, I think either One green world or Raintree carries it. Do you think, besides the persimmons, I can plant jujubee, pomegranate, camelia, and some other borderline tree deeper too?
FYI, I have Chicago Hardy, celeste, and Brown Turkey. I find CH to be most hardy of the 3 but I’ve heard other have different experience. I’m right on border of zone 7a/6b. Last year I went to extremes to wrap mine up really, really well- using insulation, tarps, and 50 gallon drums over all of that. THey still died to the ground. The year before I did no insulating at all and none died-though it was a milder winter. This past winter I did nothing, and about 2/3 of my figs were killed to the ground and 1/3 are doing great. All varieties affected about the same. We got to -4 here but only got below 0 three times all winter. The one other thing I’d want you to know is that-in my experience which I cannot explain- the figs are much sweeter and better tasting if the plant is not recovering from a freeze to the ground. I’m not comparing berba to regular. I mean even full season figs…for whatever reason, if the plant they are on lived through winter and then produces on upper branches, the figs are much better than if the fig grows back from the ground up and then produces figs.
Every Lowes and Home Depot and Tractor Supply in my area carries some figs, so you might want to check again if you want any more.
Also…everyone is right- it really is super easy to root cuttings. I’ve just sat them in a bucket of water and ended up with rooted cuttings. In fact, I find figs to be the easiest fruit to grow by far…never saw a single bit of bug damage and I don’t even spray them. Explanation I’ve read is that bugs here haven’t yet evolved or developed to recognize them as a food source-but who knows. I can just say they don’t get hit at all.
IL
My younger brother lives in Roscoe Illinois and he had 6 trees going on the 4th leaf. They can handle the cold to -20F. I have tried Russian Pomegranate and fruited once but they died to the ground and re grow. Good luck.
Tony
Small world!! My family calls Roscoe home, well a farm with Roscoe address. Some have moved off but that’s my mothers address.
Steve
Beautiful town with lots of trees. We go to visit him every other summer and have a mini vacation at the Wisconsin Dell.
Tony
I prune my fig trees so that they are a bowl-shaped tree, with branches starting at 3 or 4 foot. Once the branches grow, I pinch the growth back to about 4 to 6 leaves, which stimulates fig production.
This is typical for my fig trees. This one is about 14 years old. The branching starts at about 3 foot.
As for cuttings, when I have extra prunings sometimes I just stick them into the ground in the vegetable garden. I get extra fig trees that way. If I’m being obsessive about it, I root them in plastic bags, with moist paper towel wrapped around the cutting.
Awesome tree! Thanks for the pruning tips!
I think that tree looks great. If I could get my Hardy Chicago to grow like that I’d be thrilled.
I’m not really understanding when I hear everyone say that fig trees die back. What would happen to the 14 year old tree in Bear’s picture if temps got down to -20F? A tree like that is going to die and grow back the next spring?
I’m still on the fence as to whether I should pot my fig or plant it in the ground. I’d like to get crops each year. I don’t necessarily need hundreds of figs but I’d at least like to get enough to satisfy my fig cravings.
If I decide to pot what size pot is best and what is the best potting medium? Would the typical 5:1:1 work well for fig?
Speed
Bear lived in a warmer zone so the fig tree never die back. In the cold climate or lower zone like 5. The fig tree will die to the ground around 15F. The roots below the soil line will re-grow next season and it is going to take a while to get back to that tree form. My fig trees will re-grow to about 4 -5 feet the next season and it will die again when winter low to about 15F or below. If your zone like Bear then you should be OK to grow them in the ground to get the tree that big and if you are in zone 5 and the answer is a big no.
Tony
Okay thanks. I’m in 6A but we had temps down to -10F this winter so I’ll just put it in a pot. Any thoughts on size and soil?
I used to pot mine up in a 10 gallons pot with Miracle gro potting mix.
Tony
The bigger the pot the better. But if you bury it a little or even to the rim, you can go with a smaller pot. let the roots escape below, Cut them off each fall when you bring in. I myself am just using a big pot. I will keep upgrading pots till I get to 30 gallons. That may take 5 years. I don’t plan to put them in the ground, but leave in the pot. As any place where I could, I would rather put a permanent tree. Still I would like to have one outside even if it dies back, as long as it could possibly produce a few. I’m looking at Florea to try in ground. it fruits early. Also is quite hardy and can survive here with protection. I will grow in a pot till of decent size, maybe a season in a pot then next spring putting it in the ground.Also the fact I can get a cutting free. That is always nice! Chicago Hardy is another option too. Chills a member here also has an unknown cultivar that can survive here too. I will try one of the three in ground. I have one good spot three feet from the house on the south side. The house will warm the soil there. Plus the area is set in from the east side, so the only way wind can hit it is from the west.or south. The north winds are blacked by the house.
Thanks for all the info guys.
Not trying to go too far off topic but I went to Lowes to purchase a pot and did not see any pots that were labeled by gallons. All of their large pots were labeled by inches. Is there an generalized conversion from pot inches to gallon size? I was thinking of a 14 inch pot to start with but have no idea what that relates to in gallons.
Good question, I am always wondering that too. wait someone to enlight me
I found this generic list online and of course it can vary depending on pot shape. So if I want to start in a 10 gallon pot I’ll look for something around 16".
Pot sizes – centimetres to inches to gallons conversion to liters
10cm pot = 4 inch pot= pint (0.5 quart) = 0.5L
13-15cm pot = 5-6 inch pot = quart (0.25 gal) = 1L
18-20cm pot = 7-8 inch pot= 1 gal = 4L
22cm pot = 8.5 inch pot = 2 gal = 7.5L
25cm pot = 10 inch pot = 3 gal = 11L
30cm pot = 12 inch pot = 5 gal = 19L
36cm pot = 14 inch pot= 7 gal = 26L
41cm pot = 16 inch pot= 10 gal = 38L
46cm pot = 18 inch pot = 15 gal = 57L
61cm pot = 24 inch pot = 25 gal = 95L
76cm pot = 30 inch pot= 30 gal = 114L
Thanks Speedster1. Useful info.