If you are planting cold hardy figs in ground and expect to heavily prune for winterization or have die back to the ground…how close can you plant them?
I see online they say plant fig trees 10 - 15 feet apart, but that is for warm climates.
I’m no expert. So before doing anything wait for some of the experts on figs to reply.
But my experience in zone 7 with figs is, that planting distance is mostly up to you. Most figs that can handle zone 7 fruit at almost any size.
I like a pruning method that’s similar to UFO (cherry page 50+ https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/cherry_training_systems_(e3247).pdf )
I’m basically pruning/bending to get 2 horizontals low on the trunk. Those are “permanent” wood, close to ground. From this i grow vertical offshoots that are temporary. And get pruned away in a staggered (year by year) fashion.
If it ever gets really cold. (like once every 10 years we get -20C =-4 F) i can mulch/cover the permanent horizontal branches, to protect from frost.
Bigger plants have larger root systems though. And generally can handle a bit more/recover faster. But i would not be afraid to space them 4 foot for example. But my figs are still young. So maybe those 4 foot spacings would be problematic in the future and i have yet to experience that.
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japanese espalier or low cordon is the best way imo for doing it in cold climates. It allows to put a structure over them during winter.
This coming season will be year 3 for my oldest figs. (I did put them in the ground too young though, so it’s really year two)
They need to be a minimum of 5 gallon sized roots and planted when frost is clear in early spring. They stall otherwise unless given irrigation and weed control.
I have mine 6 feet apart so each lateral is 3 feet. I planted mine closer to test them against eachother with the goal of removing every other in the future. The low branches can and do root easily.
If you have more room I think 8 feet apart would be a good starting point.
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If killed back to the ground each year then 5 feet will do fine
If you want fruit, you should protect them. I used cylindrical covers 3’ wide and 4’ high. Trees were planted 8’ apart. That worked fine.
Yes, I pruned heavily so the trees would fit inside the covers.
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Where did you get these covers. any pictures?
15 feet is referring to large trees that aren’t really pruned and a hardy variety
But zone 7 you can grow for fruit in tree form with pruning for half that distance easy
Even less
[quote=“poncirusguy, post:6, topic:70814, full:true”]
Where did you get these covers. any pictures?
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I’ve written extensively about my efforts on the OurFigs forum. Others have pitched in too. Start here:
https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/figs-home/499254-winter-covers-the-elements-of-a-successful-design