I put a super-large tomato cage over the fig, pruned down to about 4 feet tall. I hammered in 3 6 foot metal stakes for support. I first wrapped the cage (2 foot diameter) with vinyl plastic (from a new bed we had purchased). I put a full yard waste bag into the top of the cage and then wrapped the whole thing with burlap.
I included no other materials within the cage (I’ve had problems with rotting/mold before when packing such cages and then wrapping them).
All in all, it took about 15 minutes to wrap it in the fall and less time to unwrap this week.
Main stem of the fig is about an inch and a quarter to half in diameter. It is the variety Florea.
I got back into figs from last year and planted a dozen 2nd year trees in ground. I used various methods to experiment winter protection.
My only mature/large fig is about 3-4 tall. I wrapped it with carpet pad and tarp. Almost no damage, except maybe some tips.
For the rest, I buried half of them. The issue with burying fig plant is the water. I did cover them with plastic bags. But when I dug them out, I see the holes were pretty wet and some were had standing water from the rain and snow. Besides, it is a lot of work to bury plants. So I would not bury them any more.
The others, I used cardboard boxes and fill them with dried grass or hays/straws, then covered with large recycle plastic bins. The results were mixed. Some have started to push out buds. Some are doing nothing. Those branches are not dry, but some look more brownish, not green. I do not know if this were cold or moisture damage.
Since almost all my trees (except one) have new wood, I was expecting some degree of winter damage. This is going to be second year growing in ground. I plan to wrap some of them, then leave the others with mulch. I think water, wind and moisture are bigger challenges than cold. I think maybe the large recycle bins have no air circulation…
Thanks for the info. If I protect mine again it will probably something along these lines instead of simply burying them in leaves with no other materials or protection.
You are off to a good early start there. That fig is called a breba, they grow on last year’s wood, basically buds that form in the summer and fall that stay dormant and wait to develop. They will mostly be near the tips of the branches, so pruning removes most of them. They tend to drop here, cool spring weather seems to cause it. They can be really good, but not very often for me unfortunately.
With potted fig plants, the branches are better protected. So you can expect some good breba figs get developed and could ripen. Since potted fig plants have longer growing season, breba probably won’t delay main crop much.
But for in-ground fig plants, some of the last year growth could get various damages. Breba crop is not very reliable. Since you get a shorter season than potted trees, we normally sacrifice breba to get to the heavy main crop instead.
At least this is what I plan to do. Some of the brebas are reported to be really good. Some reported not impressed.
Here’s my second year Chicago Hardy in ground against a south wall. It died to the ground over winter and grew huge this summer. I don’t think the figs will ripen in time this year, though. I gave them no winter protection. Southern Michigan zone 5/6
When mine goes dormant and drops leaves… i whack it back to short stumps (18-24 inch) and surround it with hay bales. I fill the center with pine bark mulch… cover with a tarp and it makes it fine thru the winter.
I uncover it in spring and it is budding and shooting early April.
In my first year i did not protect it and it died to the ground… and it was early May before any shoots came up from the roots
If you protect some of the wood thru winter… it will get a month or so earlier start the next spring.
