Yes, thanks for the info, and why I decided to leave them in containers. I can put them in 30 gallon, and go for the smaller dwarf like cultivars too. At least I’m going to try and see if it can be done. I will report results. I just have to move them 10 feet from out of the garage to the driveway, it could not be easier.
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My poms here in Cali actually leafed out back in the first week of Feb, but for some reason only one flower on the whole tree. Bizarre. And this is the 3rd year in the ground. Thinking of yanking it out if it doesn’t fruit again this year. 
My figs are finally putting out buds, so far only near the bottom of last year’s stems so I’m not sure how bad dieback was–I’m still seeing some green further up so hoping for new growth there.
My figs in the garage I put out last weekend. They are green but have dry buds. Usually they have leaves. I wonder if I didn’t give them enough water, or the water I gave them ran right by because it was too dry? The roots might have died back too. They didn’t make it into the garage till after a 20 deg night, oops! My in grounds I planted last year by the garden look dead on most, but two
Verte look green, so maybe. I uncovered them Monday. The ones I planted out back by my romance cherries I uncovered yesterday. They have some green at the tips so will see with the rain in the forecast what pops. I planted a potted peach from a 15 gallon grow bag and I was surprised how dry the dirt and bark was in the pot. It flagged out to the tips. Hoping it pops more buds soon too. The figs that were in the garage are in 30 gal grow bags I think anyway. They are just like Drew’s big brown ones. I forget but they look twice the size of the 15 gallon bags.
I lift the bags to see if they are dry, it’s the best way to tell. My mix is only 1/5 Pro-mix, which has the only peat I use. So the water seems well distributed. It rained tonight and heavy rains wet them very well. I let them get rather dry so glad it rained. I also collected 200 gallons of rainwater. i was getting low.
My figs are leafing out. I did have a few that i started late in the year that had dieback, may have lost a couple too. I’m not starting or buying figs late in the year anymore.
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A serious test winter here in Maine has revealed some variation in the hardiness of my in ground figs. All were protected by laying branches to the ground and burying/covering with woodchips 12" deep. Most all of my Mt Etna types (Hardy Chicago, Marsailles Black VS, Sal’s, Gino’s, Dark Portuguese, Malta Black, Keddie, etc) did fine, with branches up to 3 feet long looking good. All other varieties are dead to the ground- Improved Celeste, Stella, Niagara Black, Ronde DE Bordeausx. Of course my potted plants did fine in the cellar and are now out enjoying the fresh air.
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I am collecting water too. I have three 55 gal drums hooked to watering systems that are off right now and buckets to catch more. I was just running out this dry spell. Lots of rain coming though. My figs from my garage are outside catching runoff water from the garage gutter. I have gutter protectors that only let a little bit of water in the gutters and the rest flows over to the ground.
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Jesse,
When did you uncover your in ground figs? I did it too soon. After removing the mulch, the temp got down to 30-32 F a few times. Now, every branch has
turned brown almost to the ground. Oh, well.
I might even done the same, I got excited by warm Temps in early April and couldn’t help myself…then we had low teen a couple times. I think the worst damage had already been done however. Now if any can ripen fruit I will be impressed! I plan to limit each plant to no more than 6 shoots and thin the rest, hope that helps concentrate the energy.
My 2 inground HC don’t look good, all browns on the side branches but the trunk looks green, waiting to see I when they will lead out. All potted figs from garage are leafing out, and some have leaves and breba on them while they were in garage (no lights given)…a nice surprise!
Often figs look good when you uncover only to go downhill, even if you waited till no chance of freeze.
The ones that I had in the garage are fine. They are sprouting out now that we had all the rain and also little figs have formed. Yes, some of the uncovered ones that were green are turning yellowish green. A few will probably make it from two foot and down, we’ll see. Chicago Hardy might have some good tips. This rain is just what they need after uncovering them.
When I uncovered my fig tree (about the same time you did, maybe), all the trunk/branches from the ground up was green up to 2+ ft. After a few cold nights (nothing lower than 29-30 F), now all those branches turned brown almost to the ground.
Like you said, if it sprout from the ground, the fruit may not ripen in time.
One year mine did the same thing as you, but we didn’t have anymore cold temps. They were green when uncovered, but just went downhill. I removed them all except one.
I underestimate Mother Nature. Last year, I left it cover a couple of weeks longer than this year and the damage was less.
This year, I got fooled by warmer weather in April and Mother Nature has won again.
Just for the record, when temps are at around 30 F I put my potted figs outside so they don’t start growing early. This year I put them out March 15th. My figs handle 20-25 F in the garage all winter with no protection at all. This year I think I lost 2 that I obtained in September. They never hardened off properly. But my 2nd and 3rd leaf potted plants had zero damage. Mine handle much colder temps with no protection. Maybe you’re warmer so the figs are less hardened off? You know the purpose of covering figs is to avoid the freeze-thaw cycle, and large swings in temps… This is what damages plants. You cover them to keep them at a steady temp all winter. So I guess you need to keep them covered till freezing temps are over. I do not do that myself though. I put them out bare and the sun does hit them.
Yes the ground helps keep them warmer as once you go below 0, you could get damage. But like strawberries which you cover after they freeze for best results, to keep them frozen, and avoid large swings in temps from the sun warming them up.
It’s possible that keeping them covered too long was the problem? They got too warm being covered when temps were mild. Lost a lot of hardiness, as the 30 temp don’t seem to do anything to hurt my potted plants outside and uncovered.
The dynamics of figs in ground seems a lot different from potted plants. I think they would be OK to uncover weeks and weeks ago like my potted plants.I don’t think you can rule out that the damage occurred in the dead of winter, and they stayed green till they tried to grow, then turned brown as they run out of stored energy.
I was chopping out the dead fig wood yesterday and its good I waited as my Celeste has a few live branches. 95% dead but random bits alive… also a few other small bits alive, likely on Maryland Brown Turkey. “Hardy” Chicago right next to Celeste is dead 100%.
Branches of my in ground CH is mostly dead. I saw a tiny green stuff coming up through the soil. So the roots are not dead and sending up new life. Don’t know if it will ever grow or set fruit in time.
Some of my potted figs esp. those left in our attached garage look dead. I have not counted the bodies. I am disenchanted with figs. Will get rid of some (if they are not dead already). I have much better luck with in ground fruit trees that can handle my zone.
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My figs did horribly this winter as far as I can tell. I’m beginning to think they are not worth the effort. My in-ground CH has died back again despite wrapping it this winter. And my potted figs that I stored in the garage aren’t showing much signs of life either.
Here’s the fig body counts: Improved Celeste (2), Brunswick, White Genoa, San Peitro, an Unknown (all dead) and Altreano (half dead). These were in pots in our garage. We were away when temp was down to -9, -4 and -5 F in a seven day span. We think, in pot, lack of sufficient water/moisture and freezing cold weather for an extended period of time did them in.
I kept a few in our unheated basement (temp was mostly in the 40’s). They all have survived- Violette de Bordeaux, Ronde de Bordeaux, Paradiso.
The following have survivee, too, but I can’t remember if they were kept in the garage or the basement: Chicago Hardy, Sal El and Drop Of Gold.