Update to a previous thread: Winterization

MFJFIGS

MFJFIGS

Well-known member
Last night, temperature dropped to 14° F, while Govee thermometers registered a low of 32° F.
Note that the sensors are placed outside the pink insulation & burlap. I am not sure how much of a difference or warmer it is in there, but even a couple of degrees count…
Winter is still ahead, I think as long as it doesn’t drop much below 0° F, trees should survive (on two of the past 6 years, temperatures dropped to -10° and -13°… 🥴🤔, hopefully it will not happen this winter… next year I am doing it differently).

MFJFIGS

Thread 'Winterization: Some of the in-ground trees are wrapped'

1- RDB & Hollier
2- Takoma Violet & RLBV

I wrap in ground trees around Thanksgiving, but this year I have a lot to do so I had to cover some early.

Materials used & sequencing: Surrounded the base with rocks/boulders and filled in a base of 12” deep composted manure all around the trees. Wire mesh around the base of the trees, and sprinkled rodent repellent and ground cayenne pepper. Multi layers of burlap, 7-watt per foot heat cable with built-in thermostat, R-15 fiberglass pink insulation. Paper bags filled with leaves, roofing felt, and 3 layers of tarps. Also used bags of composted...
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You should be fine - please provide an update come Spring though.

I’ve attached a graph from a personal weather station about a mile from my house when temperatures got to 7F the third week of December 2022. I had planted 5 trees inground that season and the only ones that were damaged and died within a few inches of ground were the ones that I had pruned heavy - all were unprotected and some out in the open away from structures.

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This is great information for those who just wanna insulate and protect. But on the other hand if your already hooking up power to Bluetooth your govee. I wish you would have at least wrapped your tree with the coil just to be safe but I get what your doing using minimul tech as possible. I hope it works out. Last two few nights we hit way below -10 and my box stayed cozy between 3 -10 degrees Celsius.
I’m my zone I’ve tried it all insulation and protection never works but it did survive. The other method that worked for me was to make an isulated box at height of tree then pour in light dry soil to the very top and then cap the box. I do this method for my father because he’s not very tech savvy. His tree is on its second year it’s still young.
 
Heat cables are in place but I would rather not switch them on, and hopefully I will not be forced to (by sub -10° F).
Photos in the original thread show the black heat cable wrapped around the trees. Thing is I have dry leaves inside the enclosure, hence I am hesitant to switch the power on.
 
@Vitooch1 Just making sure I understand correctly. Are you saying that using your "coffin method" and filling the box with dry soil (potting soil or from the ground or either?) instead of having a heating coil has protected fig trees in zone 5? If so, it's low tech but it saves the trouble of having to do anything over the winter.
 
MFJFIGS said:
Heat cables are in place but I would rather not switch them on, and hopefully I will not be forced to (by sub -10° F).
Photos in the original thread show the black heat cable wrapped around the trees. Thing is I have dry leaves inside the enclosure, hence I am hesitant to switch the power on.
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Great idea. Now this analysis will be interesting. Great topic. Thanks man
 
Saw-whet said:
@Vitooch1 Just making sure I understand correctly. Are you saying that using your "coffin method" and filling the box with dry soil (potting soil or from the ground or either?) instead of having a heating coil has protected fig trees in zone 5? If so, it's low tech but it saves the trouble of having to do anything over the winter.
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Yup I’ve done it last season on a very young tree, the tree was fresh as it was and of coarse I covered the box with tarp to protect the box.
 
bushdoctor82 said:
You should be fine - please provide an update come Spring though.

I’ve attached a graph from a personal weather station about a mile from my house when temperatures got to 7F the third week of December 2022. I had planted 5 trees inground that season and the only ones that were damaged and died within a few inches of ground were the ones that I had pruned heavy - all were unprotected and some out in the open away from structures.

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That’s an interesting observation. I wonder why unpruned ones were more frost hardy.
 
MFJFIGS said:
Heat cables are in place but I would rather not switch them on, and hopefully I will not be forced to (by sub -10° F).
Photos in the original thread show the black heat cable wrapped around the trees. Thing is I have dry leaves inside the enclosure, hence I am hesitant to switch the power on.
Click to expand...

MFJFIGS said:
Heat cables are in place but I would rather not switch them on, and hopefully I will not be forced to (by sub -10° F).
Photos in the original thread show the black heat cable wrapped around the trees. Thing is I have dry leaves inside the enclosure, hence I am hesitant to switch the power on.
Click to expand...
 

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I just leave them in.... Do keep an eye on the receptacles if you have ground fault. They have a habit of tripping when you need them most.
 
Saw-whet said:
@Vitooch1 Just making sure I understand correctly. Are you saying that using your "coffin method" and filling the box with dry soil (potting soil or from the ground or either?) instead of having a heating coil has protected fig trees in zone 5? If so, it's low tech but it saves the trouble of having to do anything over the winter.
Click to expand...
Yes completely dry soil. Remember if its damp or wet it can freeze and obviously that’s not what you want. Did this for my dad last season on a young tree and it worked like a charm. So same concept make a box then apply foam insulation on the walls , tie up your tree tight and load it with dry soil then cap the top with plywood.
 
SpiritFarmVa said:
We have thought a lot about this. And one supposition we have is that since figs never fully stop sap flow, pruning interrupts this flow. Sap is the trees antifreeze. And we suspect this is a cause of reduced hardiness on pruned trees.
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That’s very interesting. So put off pruning until spring….. hmmmm 🤔
 
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