My Results with In-Ground Fig Trees Over the Last Decade

[Tiger garden]

I'm actually quite optimistic. All my trees survived this winter in ground and died to the ground or lower trunk despite not recieving appropriate winter protection. Out of the +70 fig trees I have in ground or potted only 1 potted fig tree called Catalan died in my unheated garage. I will probaby keep both potted and in ground trees after this winter just to get the best of both worlds.

From my in ground White Ischia and Yellow Long Neck have recovered the fastest despite not being known for the most cold hardy. I think it may be because they are tissue cultured trees so they have more vigor. About 2 weeks later LSU Purple, Brooklyn White, Green Michurinska, Marsilles Black VS were the slowest to recover and have now developed some leaves.

My potted figs are at least 3 weeks ahead of my in ground trees. My potted figs were in a detached garage with a small space heater that was mainly used to stop my pipes from freezing. I think Tena bounced back the fastest and put on the most height. Only my potted figs are putting out figs right now and are sometimes producing figs before producing foilage. I'm in Maryland zone 7a/b outside of Baltimore county in a suburb.

 

[Charlie Dodgson]

I think it may be because they are tissue cultured trees so they have more vigor

This is not generally true. In addition, practices in the tissue-culture industry are known to produce specimens that are not entirely true-to-type. Sometimes they are an improvement (not necessarily in vigor) and sometimes a degradation. Further, plant names used in the tissue-culture industry are prone to plant source errors. For example, Abruzzi propagated as Chicago Hardy and Namwa (banana) propagated as Misi Luki.

I will probaby keep both potted and in ground trees

This is a good idea for plant trials. Figs are sensitive to their over-winter environments and in the long run exhibit different characteristics.

 

[bushdoctor82]

Interesting observation I had today.

I was over at my brothers house and pruned his fig tree. The lowest temperature at his house was 6F this past Winter.

Most of the damage to his tree were the branches +/- 6” from the house. The main branches and trunks further away only had minor tip damage. The only explanation I can think of is that the warmth from his house ultimately caused the closest branches to freeze and die once the cold arrived.

I had the same experience a few years back when my AJH planted against the house failed to lignify before the cold arrived.

Observations I had in my yard this afternoon. Temperatures hit 0F this past Winter.

Trees that do not receive morning sun died to ground (RdB, Ciccio Nero, Family Unknown). Trees that do receive morning sun fared much better, still some dieback, but not as severe.

Trees that were wrapped and survived Winter experienced some dieback when temperatures hit mid-20s in April.

Two small fig trees/branches also survived Winter with only an accordion type gutter downspout placed over top.

 

[TorontoJoe]

In a static environment, many fruit producing trees can deplete available nutrients in their soil domain over a 7 year period. Reductions of N and particularly K will result in a reduction of fruit production.

This is an interesting topic that could probably warrant a separate discussion. We talk a great deal about nutrition in potted culture but I’ve never thought much about nutrients for my in ground trees. I’m grateful to have very good soil where I am but I really don’t think about it, and perhaps I should.

 

[Italian4u]

I'm also in Chicagoland area. I would appreciate any advice to establish in-ground fig trees.

This past winter i was able to over winter first year trees in ground. They were rooted cuttings in tree pots and placed directly in ground. Was anlw to over winter ondata, green michurinska, white Madeira #1, moro da caneva, and campaniere. I filmed covering them just have not had the tip to upload them to the YT page. I did a Japanese espalier for each of them nice and low to the ground. So far rodents is the biggest issue others have faced with over wintering fig trees out here.

 

[zone5b-foodforest]

I’m surprised anything made it through the winter we just went through

I’d really like to know how the new wood out-survived the old wood. That’s weird!

It has happened to me too. 1st year wood seems to survive for me better than the older wood. So I leave at least few 1 year old branches every year as insurance.

 

[Woodlot]

I

This past winter at one property a White Madeira # 1 was placed in ground and grown to a single whip then bent down and covered. At the second location 4 trees were placed in ground and grown via Japanese espalier style. Each tree from left to right was 4 feet across. They were Campaniere, Moro da Caneva, Green Michurinska, and Ondata. They all made it through the winter. We had temps in the Chicagoland area zone 6A formerly 5B that hit -11F to -15F and with windchill the feels like temps were at -30F. It was cold. So in my zone I was hit with a hail storm and 3 frosts. Beginning of all we gad temps in the 80’s F and so trees that were potted were taken out April 14th. Not to long after that we got hit with a hail storm and then temps dipped into the 30’s F at night. The results were 3 light frosts but frosts non the less. Trees are alive but sadly set back for the year. I will upload video to YT later on their current condition. They will bounce back. Ironically my Black Madeira UCD was unscaved by the hail and multiple frosts. I’m still scratching my head on how that happened but I’ll take it.

I envy all of you who know the names of the fig varieties you are growing.

I did purchase a Celeste from Tractor Supply two years ago, so I have one tree I know by name.

But the reason I do not know the name of the other 14 fig trees I am growing is that I took an entirely different approach to selecting which fig trees to grow.

Even though I am in zone 8a, having been raised in Pennsylvania and experiencing some severely cold snaps over the last 30 years in a colder microclimate in North Georgia, I am well acquainted with the frustration of the destruction of plants by severe winters and late Spring frosts.

Therefore, about 5 years ago when I set out to add fig trees to my orchard, I started making a list of trees that were supposed to be very cold hardy, reading a lot of claims, accounts, and experiences of other fig growers in my hardiness zone, And just when I had a short list, I read accounts from other growers who lost the same fig trees during the winter that were supposed to be the most cold hardy.

So I gave up on selecting a named variety and went scouring the surrounding farms and homesteads in search of very old, large and neglected fig trees that had no or very few dead branches and which made a lot of figs, both breba and main crop.

The cuttings from these neglected but long lived, healthy and productive trees is what I grow. And so far, it appears I didn't go wrong.

But I must admit, I still regret not knowing the name of the fig trees I am growing as do most of you. And by your descriptions, it seems I will miss out on a lot of better tasting figs.

 

[TorontoJoe]

I

I envy all of you who know the names of the fig varieties you are growing.

I did purchase a Celeste from Tractor Supply two years ago, so I have one tree I know by name.

But the reason I do not know the name of the other 14 fig trees I am growing is that I took an entirely different approach to selecting which fig trees to grow.

Even though I am in zone 8a, having been raised in Pennsylvania and experiencing some severely cold snaps over the last 30 years in a colder microclimate in North Georgia, I am well acquainted with the frustration of the destruction of plants by severe winters and late Spring frosts.

Therefore, about 5 years ago when I set out to add fig trees to my orchard, I started making a list of trees that were supposed to be very cold hardy, reading a lot of claims, accounts, and experiences of other fig growers in my hardiness zone, And just when I had a short list, I read accounts from other growers who lost the same fig trees during the winter that were supposed to be the most cold hardy.

So I gave up on selecting a named variety and went scouring the surrounding farms and homesteads in search of very old, large and neglected fig trees that had no or very few dead branches and which made a lot of figs, both breba and main crop.

The cuttings from these neglected but long lived, healthy and productive trees is what I grow. And so far, it appears I didn't go wrong.

But I must admit, I still regret not knowing the name of the fig trees I am growing as do most of you. And by your descriptions, it seems I will miss out on a lot of better tasting figs.

Some of the best "now named" trees we're backyard discoveries that were brought by immigrants. and kept for generations because, THEY ARE VERY GOOD.

What is now known as Vince #3 was not too long something that's been growing in a Peasano's back yard for 50 years in Toronto. U. Prosciutto was one of many back yard treasures found by Aaron @njfigfarm who knocks on doors wherever he seeds a nice fig growing in his part of NJ.

You're doing great! And I'd be willing to bet your figs are awesome.... because they grow well, where you are!

 

[Italian4u]

I

I envy all of you who know the names of the fig varieties you are growing.

I did purchase a Celeste from Tractor Supply two years ago, so I have one tree I know by name.

But the reason I do not know the name of the other 14 fig trees I am growing is that I took an entirely different approach to selecting which fig trees to grow.

Even though I am in zone 8a, having been raised in Pennsylvania and experiencing some severely cold snaps over the last 30 years in a colder microclimate in North Georgia, I am well acquainted with the frustration of the destruction of plants by severe winters and late Spring frosts.

Therefore, about 5 years ago when I set out to add fig trees to my orchard, I started making a list of trees that were supposed to be very cold hardy, reading a lot of claims, accounts, and experiences of other fig growers in my hardiness zone, And just when I had a short list, I read accounts from other growers who lost the same fig trees during the winter that were supposed to be the most cold hardy.

So I gave up on selecting a named variety and went scouring the surrounding farms and homesteads in search of very old, large and neglected fig trees that had no or very few dead branches and which made a lot of figs, both breba and main crop.

The cuttings from these neglected but long lived, healthy and productive trees is what I grow. And so far, it appears I didn't go wrong.

But I must admit, I still regret not knowing the name of the fig trees I am growing as do most of you. And by your descriptions, it seems I will miss out on a lot of better tasting figs.

Grow what you can and does well for you. Maybe give them a name based off where you found them. So you can associate that fig variety to that location. This one came off this farm and this one came from over there.

 

[Woodlot]

Some of the best "now named" trees we're backyard discoveries that were brought by immigrants. and kept for generations because, THEY ARE VERY GOOD.

What is now known as Vince #3 was not too long something that's been growing in a Peasano's back yard for 50 years in Toronto. U. Prosciutto was one of many back yard treasures found by Aaron @njfigfarm who knocks on doors wherever he seeds a nice fig growing in his part of NJ.

You're doing great! And I'd be willing to bet your figs are awesome.... because they grow well, where you are!

Thank you for the encouraging thoughts!

In a year or two, once the trees are mature and the true subtle nature of the figs are revealed, I'll be trying to identify them by name. But from what I've read so far, any identification I fall upon will be quite a speculation.

 

[Dave The Fig Guy]

Our most productive trees came from a single tree I helped prune when I lived in Lake Havasu, Az, 16 years ago. I got it from Nick, an Italian/Canadian who wintered in Arizona, an older fellah, who lived nearby. He called it "Good Fig From Kooba" (Cuba). It appears to be a Brown Turkey, but whatever variety it is, it produces a lot of great fruit for us every year here. When we moved to our present location in the Verde Vally Arizona a year later I brought two newly propagated ones with me. The majority of our trees come from that single source, along with another unknown I traded for, a Col de dam Blanc, a Desert King, and a newly planted Black Mission. I am able to grow all my trees outside inground, which is fortunate because of my extremely high failure rate when propagating.

 

[SnoopyFiggy]

I

I envy all of you who know the names of the fig varieties you are growing.

I did purchase a Celeste from Tractor Supply two years ago, so I have one tree I know by name.

But the reason I do not know the name of the other 14 fig trees I am growing is that I took an entirely different approach to selecting which fig trees to grow.

Even though I am in zone 8a, having been raised in Pennsylvania and experiencing some severely cold snaps over the last 30 years in a colder microclimate in North Georgia, I am well acquainted with the frustration of the destruction of plants by severe winters and late Spring frosts.

Therefore, about 5 years ago when I set out to add fig trees to my orchard, I started making a list of trees that were supposed to be very cold hardy, reading a lot of claims, accounts, and experiences of other fig growers in my hardiness zone, And just when I had a short list, I read accounts from other growers who lost the same fig trees during the winter that were supposed to be the most cold hardy.

So I gave up on selecting a named variety and went scouring the surrounding farms and homesteads in search of very old, large and neglected fig trees that had no or very few dead branches and which made a lot of figs, both breba and main crop.

The cuttings from these neglected but long lived, healthy and productive trees is what I grow. And so far, it appears I didn't go wrong.

But I must admit, I still regret not knowing the name of the fig trees I am growing as do most of you. And by your descriptions, it seems I will miss out on a lot of better tasting figs.

Were the cuttings taken from trees on private property? Did the land owners have any back stories to share?

 

[Woodlot]

Grow what you can and does well for you. Maybe give them a name based off where you found them. So you can associate that fig variety to that location. This one came off this farm and this one came from over

All 4 fig trees were on the properties before the current owners acquired them. The one I am most interested in was just sold and in danger of being cleared because of its huge sprawling size. It has been there for well over 40 years. The others are all more than 30 years old.

None of the owners know anything about their history, nor have they maintained them. Only one owner regularly eats the figs and she thinks it is a "honey fig".

Now that you mention it, I'm going to have to dig a little deeper into the history of property ownership at the courthouse to see if I might dig something up. The more time that goes by, the more likely any traces of their origins that remain will be lost.