hello

other will chime in but in my opinion you have too much green and tender growth to survive a winter in your area, if it was my fig I would pinch all branches immediately to slow down growth and try to harden them off a little more.

I don't see any lignified portions of any branch there. The tree must have been very small when planted. Apparently your ground is well drained, the lawn well fertilized and the downspout is in the right place. That looks like a south wall, but I would have planted the tree a bit nore to the West, away from the corner. I'll bet you have a window just out of the picture.

If I plant anything on the corner here the Winter winds just dry it out like popcorn. Corners are where you hang wind chimes.
Ox

Allenwrench, on a personal note i would think about moving tree in the future so its not in direct path of downspout you can always direct water to it when weather permits (flexible spout) Mind you i dont have any inground by me just in containers. But the freeze thaw cycle and sometimes back to freeze might one day hurt the tree i would think as that spout dumps water right on the root system could possibly damage it 1 bad year of that type of season if you get a real cold spell just after a thaw and water is able to penatrate down. Just an observation. To your question noting the rocks you have on 1 side i would tie branches together and do the cage method, like above poster i dont see any brown branches , you might want to take some cuttings just in case.

RE the down spout. It drains into a pipe, so does not affect the ground near the tree

This was the only sheltered area I could use.

And yes the tree was just a small thing.

What should I do with the cuttings? Should I try to grow them inside for the winter? Do you just stick them in moist soil to sprout the cuttings?

I will trim the tips of the CH today to stop it from growing. How long does it take to make winter hardy growth?

Oh ok on the downspout, as for green cuttings im not sure i have only sprouted part green and part wooded cuttings from same branch and there are different ways if you do a search here . As for how long does it take to make winter hardy growth im not sure i bring my in garage.

I put up a cage around my fig leaving 6-12 inches of space around the fig on all sides. (this will be difficult this year as it is now almost 10 feet tall). Into the cage I put dry leaves/straw. I don't pack tightly, but try to fill the cage loosely. I wrap the outside of the cage with burlap followed by a tarp stapled and duct-taped shut. Last year I also packed bags of mulch around it (as I had bought 10 bags at $1 each from a box store clearing out their stuff)

I have also bent a couple branches to the ground and covered them first with mulch and then with bags of mulch (see above) with success each time.

Its still very early here to be doing such preparations, and I'm in Michigan (I don't worry about it until after leaves have all fallen and nights are consistantly in the 30's, usually just around Thanksgiving I get around to it)

~Chills

Chills and others,
This is my first winter with a fig. It's about 10' tall...is the goal to have a waterproof wrap? Is the goal to keep it from drying out or to keep the temperature fluctuations minimal? What exactly hurts the figs in winter? Is something like "WiltPruf" (ex sp---something you spray on to minimize drying) worthwhile? I adore my new fig tree and will do whatever is best for it.
Is there already a post somewhere in this forum that has the "ideal" recommendations outlined?
(Where's a good place to buy a bolt of burlap?)
Thanks,
Ann in Maryland

alanwrench,

I made the same observation as Ox ... I don't see any lignified wood ... and you are running out of time for it to happen. This growth resembles spring not fall growth --- looks to have had too much fertilizer late in the season. IMHO this tree's above ground growth is at risk for this winter. Do a few things ... (1) DO NOT fertilize it any more ... you don't want any further growth (2) after the tree drops its leaves, give it a good coat of WiltPruf (prob a waste of time ... but worth a try ... I use it for my lignified wood and it works great ... but yours are green) and (3) after you wrap it don't be afraid of burying as much as you can; I would wrap it in burlap with the branches drawn together making a cordon; wrap the cordon with WHITE plastic; string a wire fence around tree with a good 18" of free space between the tree and fence; pack the fence tight with leaves; cover the top of the fence with a plastic cap to keep the leaves somewhat dry.

More than likely the green branches will not make it ... your next risk is that you lose the young roots and thus the tree. The more you protect the base of the tree the better.

-Steve

Sorry allenwrench,

One more thing ... don't forget to put a few moth-balls at the base of the tree. The cozy environment you have created for the base of the tree will allow it to survive the winter ... but ... it also serves as a great den for mice and other critters (complete with fresh fig branches to eat all winter.) You want to dissuade them from checking in for the winter.

-Steve