To me it’s way too much work in our Zone 7, and I think that they look awesome in bush form, more tropical looking that way. Based upon what I have read it does sound like some fig trees by nature are more tree like in cold weather than most fig trees are. If there was a variety that grows more tree like, and that was usually cold resistant then it would be so much less work, yet I don’t know of anything that is like that for sure, I do know of an unknown fig variety that grows unusually like a tree, it’s figs are very Celeste like, yet I have no idea how cold hardy it is.
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You can prune them to any shape you want. But the trees grow fast, so maintaining a size and shape requires a little work once or twice a year (late spring and autumn). To maintain a tree form, it is essential to remove any suckers, which usually start out few in number and close to the trunk. But if a tree is killed to the soil line by cold, dozens off suckers will sprout. Then it becomes more work to prevent the development of a bush. The more a bush form is permitted to grow – ever – the tougher it becomes to establish / maintain a tree form.
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Yes, that last part is the hard work, and in zone 7a, which can go under 0 degrees Fahrenheit some years, it’s even harder than here which can go down to 3 degrees Fahrenheit some years. An April or May frost forces a fig tree in to a bush, not just a too cold temperature.
Yes, all true if the tree is unprotected. I keep my trees covered here (Z6B) until the end of April. That’s very effective. There can be a frost in the 1st 2 weeks of May (as in 2020), but the trees are still barely breaking bud so there’s ni damage. Even on potted trees that are 2 weeks further along, it’s not bad enough to kill to kill more than a few leaves.
But I agree that a hard freeze (e.g., 25-28 F) in spring would kill a growing tree just as dead as a -5 F in winter.
Here protecting a fig tree helps it to wake up even faster. they already start waking up in about March here many years, without protection.
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If the protection creates a mini-greenhouse, that’s what happens. If there is an outer, reflective layer such as mylar or foil, then not.
It’s counterintuitive but the fig tree is better off if solar heat is excluded. Sunlight produces hot-cold cycling, which is deadly. If the cover excludes sunlight but is open to the ground, the temperature stays fairly steady and well above fatal cold temperatures.
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