Is it possible to grow fig tree in the ground in Zone 5?
olympia_gardener
12 years ago
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fespo
12 years agoolympia_gardener
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Planting Figs in ground zone 5 Ohio
Comments (13)Joe, Just read some of your questions. A five gallon bucket might be a little too small. Sooner or later it will hold your trees back. Better to convert a 18-gallon storage tub by adding drainage holes along the bottom SIDES of the tub, and fill it with a quick draining mix. Plant your tree in this, and you will be good for 4-5 years. Containerized trees MUST have there roots pruned every 3-5 years, and potted back up with new growing mix. You can still use the original, 18 gallon container indefinitely, as long as it is in good condition. Home Depot sells these storage tubs for less than $10.00. They are also straight-sided, so, take up less room when storing. If you group four containers together into a square, a fifth container can be stacked on top where all four corners come together. Saves space. (Use a dolly to roll the trees around. Dollies prevent hernias). An unheated garage will probably be warmer than outside, and the killing, drying, winds will not be a problem. Try to do whatever it takes to avoid the deep, hard freezing around containerized roots. Maybe a thermostatically controlled heater can come on just to keep the trees above freezing....heating cables around the tubs...small light bulbs under each tub...large cardboard boxes, inverted over each tub will hold/trap residual warmth from the cement floor...etc. It depends on how many trees you will plant to store. Even very low-wattage Christmas lights woven around the tubs will help with the warmth, and only costs a few cents a month to use. When growing season arrives, you can place the containerized trees into a shallow hole, container and all, and pile mulch up the sides of the containers. Roots will eventually grow out of the SIDE HOLES of your tubs, then into the ground. Your trees will love the extra, root room in the cool soil. You can run a sharp spade down and along the sides of your tubs when it turns cooler, and time to store the figs in the garage once again. If you drill drainage holes into the flat, bottom section of the tub, wandering roots will be impossible to sever with a spade without a lot of back-breaking digging. Growing your fig trees will be easy. Keeping them alive, and undamaged, from year to year, not so much. You will be able to do it without any problems if you plan for the harsh winters. Your unheated garage will be an asset, and will save your trees. Grow in containers and do the "fig shuffle". Bring trees into, and out of, storage like many other fig fanatics. Like I said....Zone-5 Ohio ain't sunny, Greece. Good luck. Frank...See Morewhen fig tree start to grow in zone 6
Comments (4)I live in zone 6 in RI. I am only now just starting to see the tiniest buds on my in-ground fig tree. I uncovered it on April 1. There was a little bit of freeze damage on some of the tips, but there are multiple buds near the tips and on other areas of the branches that are just starting to show themselves....See MoreFigs:does anyone in southern N.E. grow figs in the ground?
Comments (21)Vladimir, all depends on the size of the tree. Rick, Claire is right. planting it now would encourage the tree to put on some new growth which most likely will not harden off by the time the cold weather arrives. i would store your trees this winter just like you have in the past and then get them in the ground once they break dormancy in the spring as long as there is no longer a threat of frost. All my trees are in 20 gallon pots with maybe 1 or 2 going into the ground possibly next year. all my trees are 4yrs old started from cuttings. as for fertilizer, i give them spring application right around the time they are starting to wake up using Joe Morles recipe. then roughly a month after that i start feeding them every other week with a liquid fish fertilizer called Organic Gem. I stop feeding them mid august just so that they don't put on much new growth. i also sprinkle a handful of garden lime 1-2 times during the season into each pot. once frost hits and all the fig leaves fall off i usually leave the tree outside to get a couple more light frosts to help harden off the new wood. once majority of the new green wood has turned brown, i bring them into my detached garage where they will stay all winter. i dont cover them nor do i provide any heat for them. matter of fact every time it snows its my sons job to place 2-3 grapefruit sized snowballs on each pot to assure that the soil never goes dry. it typically take up to a week for the snowballs to completely melt. sorry for the rambling.......See MoreI'm done growing in ground Fig trees
Comments (13)I just bought 2 figs off an older Italian gentleman... the guy is a guru on figs.. we are in Z5a (north of toronto) and he insisted that it is pointless to plant figs in ground in cold climates... he has absolutely gorgeous fruit-laden figs of all kinds growing in pots, some very large... he keeps his pruned low (no more that 6' or so) and shared a wealth of info for keeping them going... he puts them in a greenhouse in winter where temps are kept just above freezing. One thing he shared that was very interesting is that potted figs produce more fruit that in ground figs. In fact, he sends pics "back home" to his relatives in southern Italy and they cannot believe how many figs his potted plants produce....See Morebronxfigs: New York City/7b
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