I was at local party celebrating pawpaws when I ran into a local that protects his figs by wrapping them up and placing Christmas lights in the wrap. For what ever reason I wasn’t able to get all of the details from him about his technique before I left the party. In the past the only success I have had with in-ground figs is by burying them. This guy originally buried his figs too until his trees got too big so he had to try something different. I want to know if anybody has any experience with this?
Basically he wraps them in insulation etc. like anyone else does but adds a string or two of incandescent Christmas lights into the bundle. The lights are on a timer so that they only go on at night when the temps really dip. My main concern is do I place some layers between the tree and the lights or do I place the lights right against the tree? I am worried about the light burning the tree or causing it to come out of dormancy. FWIW a standard string of lights putts off about 40 watts. Also I could have a loop stick out of the bundle so I could see at night if the lights are still turning on. Any thoughts or ideas would be helpful. Last I live in zone 6B with the problem being large temps swings between night and day temps.
If you search through the archives at ourfigs.com you’ll find several detailed examples of how some members in zone 6-7 protect their fig trees for the winter. I believe the biggest issue does not involve burning the tree with the heat source of bringing it out of dormancy early… it’s keeping it dry inside all the insulation so mold doesn’t form.
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