Over wintering rooted cuttings

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Woodlot

Member
Hello everyone!

I'm posting to your forum for the first time.

I live in Northeast Georgia on the line between hardiness zone 7B and 8A.

This is the first year I rooted more than one or two fig cuttings and I do not have a sheltered area like a garage or shed to protect them during their first winter. Most are only about two feet tall because I was away for a month this Summer I when i should have been maximizing their development.

I'm thinking about leaving them in the pots but cutting the tops off them all the way down to ground level, then covering the pots with a heavy layer of hardwood leaves I rake up this Autumn.

Do you think that treatment may be too harsh for newly rooted cuttings?

Thank you for any alternative ideas!
 
Oh, I would just move them inside on the extreme cold days near the door or windows to keep them cool since you have only 2 cuttings/trees.
 
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How many trees/cuttings total?

If only a few, either method mentioned above will work. If we’re talking about a dozen or so, you may be better off digging a trench, if able, partially bury and cover. I believe @Tinyfish has a “coffin” style burial for his trees and possibly @Uncle Jessup did/does something similar. It’ll depend on total number of trees and your future plans.
 
For just 1 or 2 put the under your bed or in a closet for a few months. Once dormant they'll be asleep and won't know better. For 2 plants at 2' tall it's an easy chore to store. In your climate under a deck or tucked up along the house on their sides will do fine. Feel free to be creative, too: Scrap carpets are gold, coffee bean burlap sacks from roasters work well to wrap, under a bag of mulch/soil, next to compost pile where it's warm, near dryer vent lol
 
I have more than 20 recently rooted fig trees along with numerous other plants.

Providing some kind of protection outdoors is my only option.

The stems probably won't be "lignified" so they would probably be lost. Plus, bending them down might cause the soft green stems to break.

Protecting the root seems to be the most important consideration, especially since even large branches of more mature figs are damaged in low temperatures.

But I am concerned about the ability of an imature root system to "push" up sprouts after removing all branches in the early winter.

Do you think they will come back in Spring?
 
The recommendation I've heard, and which I'm trying to follow, is that rooted cuttings are best not planted in ground until the second year.

Maybe I would be better off to ignore the recommendation and plant them in ground now.
 
I am in N Ga as well, we do see temps here that can be detrimental to young trees in pots...or in ground for that matter.
I wouldn't cut them down to the soil line though.
Storing them outside is always risky but if you have to, put them up against your house where they may stay just a little warmer.

Can I ask where area you are in?
 
I'm trying to create a fig orchard, and quantity of production is of primary importance.

I've planted 6 trees in ground between 2 and 4 years ago and am completely disappointed with production, so much so that I've considered cutting down the tree I planted first. It is 8 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 4 inches, gets 8 hours full sun a day, and I'm still waiting for the first edible fig.

This Spring, I located a completely neglected huge fig tree wedged in between a three story old wood frame house and a 4 foot diameter water oak tree, towering above and covering up the fig tree with intermingling branches. The oak tree and building completely block out all direct sun and the oak tree which is only 4 feet from the base of the fig tree is most certainly sucking up all the water and nutrients that may occur naturally in the ground. The area is so dark and dry that there isn't a weed or blade of grass growing in the area under the trees. It's just bare dirt.

But that fig tree was covered up with delicious breba fruit that ripened in June and is now providing a constant supply of ripe main crop figs.

This is the tree from which I got 20 cuttings.

If the cuttings do half as well as the parent tree, I'll have all the figs I need.
 
I live between Carnesville and Homer, in an area that is consistantly 2 to 4 degrees colder than both those towns when we have late frosts.
 
ktrain said:
I am in N Ga as well, we do see temps here that can be detrimental to young trees in pots...or in ground for that matter.
I wouldn't cut them down to the soil line though.
Storing them outside is always risky but if you have to, put them up against your house where they may stay just a little warmer.

Can I ask where area you are in?
Click to expand...
I had about 30 rooted cuttings potted anywhere from 3 gallon to some 4*9’s. Stored most of them against the south side of my house… I put some leaves and straw on them after the first frost. Only lost 2 … I live in Middle Georgia … I think they are more durable than people think… I’ve killed more cuttings by overwatering them … we’ve had some cold vertex’s … something to ponder.
 
Woodlot said:
The recommendation I've heard, and which I'm trying to follow, is that rooted cuttings are best not planted in ground until the second year.

Maybe I would be better off to ignore the recommendation and plant them in ground now.
Click to expand...
Most of my trees that were rooted in Winter were planted inground that Spring. Never noticed any difference in production or hardiness compared to trees that were planted inground after a year or two. I’ve read some growers use the Summer solstice as the last planting date for the year, where others plant well into the Fall.
 
Woodlot said:
I live between Carnesville and Homer, in an area that is consistantly 2 to 4 degrees colder than both those towns when we have late frosts.
Click to expand...
Okay...you are a good 2 hrs or so East of me, I'm outside Cedartown.
I will say if you every want to put a Mt. Etna type in ground you can do so without worry of major die back.
I do not protect my trees in ground....little to no die back at all.
2 Etnas and a Green Michurinska and a Celeste.
They were all over 2 yrs old when they went in ground....at least had a 10g root ball.
I put them in ground during early spring (after chance of late freeze)((late April)) so they had a chance to root in all season.

Do you know about the fig frolic in Chattanooga every year?
It's a good time for us fig nerds. :)

https://www.2angelsfarm.com/southeastfigfrolic
 
Tim58 said:
I had about 30 rooted cuttings potted anywhere from 3 gallon to some 4*9’s. Stored most of them against the south side of my house… I put some leaves and straw on them after the first frost. Only lost 2 … I live in Middle Georgia … I think they are more durable than people think… I’ve killed more cuttings by overwatering them … we’ve had some cold vertex’s … something to ponder.
Click to expand...
Yeah I have left some out in the middle of my yard unprotected and they survived, but my intention was to get rid of them.
It's risky, but like said...up against the house gives them a little more protection and out of the wind.
You around the Macon area?
 
Put them up against the house, lay them on their side on the ground and cover with the leaves you'll be raking. No rush let them go dormant. A couple light frosts and all the leaves should fall off and they should be dormant. Uncover when night time temperatures are above freezing. Don't leave them covered too long.
 
Thanks for the ideas!

It seems I'm not getting much support for the idea of cutting them to ground level and covering with leaves. I think I'll abandon that idea.

Putting them beside the house sounds like a good plan, one I use each winter for other potted plants. Since there isn't a suitable place on the south side, and because the north side will be crowded, it will be impossible to get the pots near enough to the wall to make a difference, I may build a simple temporary shelter, one of the walls being the exterior wall of the house.

For winter protection of new blueberry and chestnut trees which are more cold hardy than figs, I bury the pots in the ground to minimize repeated freezing and thawing. That's what I did in the past when having only one or two fig trees too, but the root systems of those fig trees were more developed.

To increase my chances of success for at least some rooted cuttings, I may over winter a few using each method, including putting one or two trees in the ground within a week, then mulching over the top with leaves raked this fall when the fig leaves drop.

Not only did I lose a month of growing season to travel when I could have optimized their root development, but I also didn't get the cuttings until May. That sure has made this process a lot more work and worry than it should have been.

Thanks again for all your ideas!
 
Woodlot said:
Thanks for the ideas!

It seems I'm not getting much support for the idea of cutting them to ground level and covering with leaves. I think I'll abandon that idea.

Putting them beside the house sounds like a good plan, one I use each winter for other potted plants. Since there isn't a suitable place on the south side, and because the north side will be crowded, it will be impossible to get the pots near enough to the wall to make a difference, I may build a simple temporary shelter, one of the walls being the exterior wall of the house.

For winter protection of new blueberry and chestnut trees which are more cold hardy than figs, I bury the pots in the ground to minimize repeated freezing and thawing. That's what I did in the past when having only one or two fig trees too, but the root systems of those fig trees were more developed.

To increase my chances of success for at least some rooted cuttings, I may over winter a few using each method, including putting one or two trees in the ground within a week, then mulching over the top with leaves raked this fall when the fig leaves drop.

Not only did I lose a month of growing season to travel when I could have optimized their root development, but I also didn't get the cuttings until May. That sure has made this process a lot more work and worry than it should have been.

Thanks again for all your ideas!
Click to expand...
I will add that if you are planning to put any in ground soon, maybe cover them with a shade cloth for a few weeks, August will be a brutal month for planting in ground.
 
If left outside be sure they're hugging the ground and covered. The ground is warm when air is cold - imagine a cow laying on the warm ground to stay toasty on an icy day. Ground = warm, air = frigid moist icy hostile environment.

What I do is train them to grow low so they survive winter. Figs are alot like grapes - look up Low Cordon technique. Preserve that low growth every year with some protection and you'll be blessed with fruit. Prune fruiting branches with nodes left behind for renewal growth every season on that permanent low cordon hugging the ground.

Def prune a branch or 2 for rooting into new plants or backups in case the poop hits the fan.
 
After looking at these plants today and considering the options and constraints, I think I'm going back to my original plan with one modification; that is to bury the pots in the ground, then mulching them heavily with leaves raked this autumn, the exceptiom being that instead of cutting the tops even with the ground, cutting them back to about 8 inches tall, then completely covering the stems with the leaf mulch, laying a few tree branches on top of the piles to prevent them from blowing away.

As much as I would like to plant a few in the ground, I just think it's too early to disturb the immature root systems in the pots without setting them back.
 
@Woodlot Our friend @Tinyfish I think is in zone 4 or 5. He employees the Sarcophagus Method for his winter tree protection. It's basically a raised bed and can be as simple as building the frame with something like a 2x12. The key is to cover the whole lot with something insulating like leaves or blankets and prevent them from getting wet. From there, heat from the earth will keep your trees cozy all winter long.

Important: If you have any concerns about voles or groundhogs or anything that could come up from underneath and chew on your trees, I would strongly recommend lining the bottom with some sort of hardware cloth or at least chicken wire. Many have lost a lot of trees from this. Even if you decide to bury them and you have digging critters you really need to protect them with metal caging of some kind

Come spring you can just stand the trees up and keep them growing right there, or if you wish disassemble it for storage.

This is one of his setups

sarcophagus.jpg
 
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