jimcarp, After reading your other post, it seems that your trees are mature trees. Their dying back to the roots doesn't change that - it doesn't hurt them much. So you don't have to worry as much about them dying. If they were newly planted one and two year old cuttings, they would be less able to cope with cold weather. But unprotected, mature, hardened fig trees will take 20 degree F (about -7 degrees Celsius) without damage.
I like to let my trees go dormant on their own, drop their leaves and get ready for winter. You might ask your mother-in-law or wife when they were wrapped in your area. But I would not wrap with the leaves still on them. A couple of hard frosts won't hurt them, but an unseasonable dip below 20 F would call for overnight protection.
You don't say what your zone is, but unprotected mature trees will come back from the roots after temperatures below zero degrees F (about - 18 degrees Celsius). You seem to have provided enough protection for them to do that, so, you only have to worry about protecting them well enough to produce fruit for you next year. It seems as if moisture was your biggest problem.
There is a longstanding post just below "Looking for some Wrapping Advice" below that has a number of techniques. I like using bagged leaves (easy cleanup in the spring, and built in vapor barrier at ground level), stacked around the fig tree which has been wrapped with an old blanket (burlap, quilt, carpet, etc. - NO plastic touching the tree). This whole pile is covered by reflective material (silver bubble wrap, silver tarp) that keeps it warmer in the winter and cooler in the spring. If you don't prune before wrapping, a wire fence around the fabric wrapped tree will allow you to stack the leaves higher without collapsing onto the fig tree.
Most of the rotting problems come in the spring when the sun heats the covering and the moisture trapped inside encourages mold. Spraying before wrapping with a fungicide might help a little, but blocking moisture and unwrapping early enough are the best controls.
Good luck, and don't worry too much - figs are tough.

I agree with Fignut. My father and I do the same thing he says he does! We are here in Detroit Michigan. My father has been growing his for about 40 years and had figs all his life. Mine is from his and is about 12 years old. You dont say what you do to protect yours

konjacking,
Just plain 'curious george' here!
But what variety is your fig in the above (nice) picture?
George (NJ).

Geroge,
We really dont know. My father got this tree from the widdow of an Italian man that says he brought it to Detroit from Italy in his coat sleave as a stem cutting. The tree was over 10 years old when he got it. My father has been growing it sense about 1966. We call it Black Italian Fig!

We bought a Black Mission Fig tree last June that looks exactally like Konjacking's, it had 21 unripe figs on it when we bought it,they all ripened, some of them when they got ripe were as big as tennis balls, They were ho hum as far as taste, but the tree is just a juvinile!

Cecil

Most of the rotting problems come in the spring when the sun heats the covering and the moisture trapped inside encourages mold. Spraying before wrapping with a fungicide might help a little, but blocking moisture and unwrapping early enough are the best controls.
This is what we usually do wrong.
Need to unwrapp earlier than was done before,in your case.
Very good explanation by Fignut.
Best regards

Konjacking

Your dad wouldn't happen to live in SCS would he? If so I think we've met.

~Chills

jimcarp, do not wrap until the leaves have fallen. My favorite method is to tie each tree into a bundle with some sort of light cord, surround the tree with a circular cage made of 42" fence, fill the cage with DRY leaves. The cage should be about 8" larger in diameter than the tree bundle. If the leaves are dry you will have no trouble with fungus or rotting, even with rain they will remain dry on the inside. Also, this way there is no plastic to come in contact with any part of the tree like there could be if you used plastic bags full of leaves. There will be no overheating because of sunlight. Remove the cage when the weather is dependably warm, being careful of late frosts.

konjacking, Sent you an e-mail Saturday. The Fig Forum system has been erratic - let me know if you didn't get it.

I do have the same fig from the picture.Mine was given to me 5 years ago from a friend that brougt it from Sicily.Ciao,
Giuseppe

Giuseppe, Konjacking, Is the above fig the same as Leon's fig (Robin's Scicilian Black) in the below link?
I had posted pictures of my Robin's Scicilian Black tree and leaf shape, but my pictures aren't loading from photobucket (Leon's are). Do they only allow them to load for a limited time?
If they don't load on your computer I'll try to re-post them (or fix the problem if someone will tell me how).

Here is a link that might be useful: Scicilian Black Fig

Fignut.
Thanks,yust looked at Leon Icilian Black.Ciao,
Giuseppe

fignut,
looks to be the closses I have seen. Cant see the leaf well in the picture though!

might be the same

konjacking, If you scroll down the Scicilian Black thread past Leon's pictures, there should be three more pictures that I took of the same fig (Robin's Scicilian Black) that show the leaves. (This morning my pictures weren't showing up, but they appear to be there now - computer fit, I guess.)

I do not believe this is the same fig as Robin's Sicilian Black. The one and only fig that grew on my very young tree
was flat in shape and the leaves are one to three lobes. Having said that, I guess only time will tell what Robin's SB will evolve into. Konjacking's photo is beautiful. What's heirloom about his fig is that it has been around in the family for so many years.

Good eye, Leon! I can see now where this fig is more pear shaped, and a leaf above has a vein for another lobe. Thanks.
It's great that this fig has been prized and passed down - so many of them disappear.

Hi Konjacking,

What are the chances of obtaining some cuttings from your fig?
I might have a few cuttings of hardy chicago or celeste to trade.

Scott

Re: wrapping, I have been using nothing but a tent of aluminum bubble wrap insulation for the last couple of years and have had zero dieback even with 0F being reached. I used to also use leaves, blankets, etc but with the aluminum wrap secured well to the ground I don't think any of that is needed. I now have "tents" pre-built for my figs so every fall I prune them down to fit under the tent, pop the tents on, tie a rope or two around the low waist to keep the wind from blowing them off, and ground staple them to the ground and/or put bricks or stones on the edges. Based on the wear and tear I am getting so far I think the tents are durable enough to last for 5-10 years. Oh, I used simple staples to make the tent out of sheets of the bubble wrap. I tried tape but it kept coming off in the winter (not good).

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: Aluminum bubble wrap insulation

Scott. Help me better picture what these tents look like. How much material does each tent require and how tall are your figs within?

~Chills

Scott, Thanks for the update. It's nice to know that the bubble wrap holds up, will have a reasonable life, and works so well without other types of insulation to at least 0 degrees.
Home Depot used to sell very wide bubble wrap (6-8ft). It was on a spool and you could buy it by the foot. I went looking for it last year, and the widest they had was 48in. - and that was bundled into rolls. I don't know if HD changed suppliers or if the wider one is no longer manufactured. I checked Lowe's, too, and the widest they had was 48".

This looks like the same stuff - I guess some places will handle the wider widths. It's probably pricey, but if it can be reused for a good while and simplfies protection...
I've learned my lesson, I'm never going to bury a fig again, LOL.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wide Bubble Wrap

Hi Fignut:Tell Me what went wrong when you buried,the fig.
I also had mixed results but am trying to improve and find a way to avoid Fungus problems.
I got a tip from someone that i have to place a plywood under the fig branches and one in top .Over the plywood i can place plastic,or tar paper,and in top of plastic,or tar paper i can mound soil.
This should take care of Mold problems,and the only problem that can arise is rodents,wich is almost unavoidable.
But i did not have any rodents munch on the fig trunks in my Backyard.
Best Regards

Herman, I should have said: I'm never going to TRY to bury a fig again.
I never got it down - it was a disaster. It was a mature tree that was over 12 feet tall with roots as wide as my arm and several thick trunks. It had never been buried and I wasn't able to do it.
I'm sure starting with a younger tree would be much easier, but I'm not likely to try again.

OK ALL! I guess I have to make more cuttings! I have four or five now but Illget more!

O Yes Fignut,i realise that in the case of a very large tree forget about it.
A very large fig needs a group of people to pull it down.
And the roots have to be completelly cut off on one side.
It is very hard indeed.
Stay well.

Scott. Help me better picture what these tents look like. How much material does each tent require and how tall are your figs within?

Chills, I will post some pictures when I pop the cover on in a few weeks. The covers are made of 2 4' wide rolls stapled together, for 8' of height. When it bends out into a tent shape I get a tent around 6' tall. My figs are in two rows, one 20' the other 10'. So the covers are 10' and 20' long respectively and around 6' high. Maybe 5' wide at the base as well.

fignut, that material you found looks identical to what I used.

One added benefit of this cover material is it looks like a Cristo art installation in your yard so you can impress all your neighbors.

Scott

Scott, I think it's exactly the same, but available in wider widths. So that would eliminate stapling - but it's double the price.
You used approx. 60 feet of material for two rows? How many feet do you think would be needed for individually planted figs?
There is also double bubble foil wrap available - increased protection for more extreme climates.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rolls of Foil Bubble Wrap

I found this stuff at H. Depot. 48" roll x 10ft.= $22.00 and 25 ft roll @ $42.00. Provided you tie your fig tree branches pretty tight, you probably could get away with wrapping them with a small piece. I'm assuming that Scott is making envelopes of a one-ply layer of this stuff and not overlapping the material much. Scott, could you verify this. If what you say, is true about the amount of protection you're getting by using this material alone, that's pretty impressive. Thanks for the tip.

Leon, you are right that I am making an envelope out of it just one layer thick. I think it is important to have a wide contact area on the ground, to get as much heat out of the ground. Remember that a couple feet down there is a 55-degree heat radiator which is downright toasty when its 0F in the air! So I would not make it too narrow. I don't tie down my branches at all, I just prune them.

Fignut, I must have used around 120' for my two rows: 30' of row length, two sides, and double height. To figure out how much to use on a tree just go run a string around it at the widest spot and measure the length. I built the covers in-place: I just wrapped the stuff around the trees.

If anyone is going to try this, here are a couple more tips. I found the best attachment technique to build the envelope is to staple every couple of inches. The staple seam I use is an "outsie", with the two sheets put back to back and stapled an inch or so from the edges. I originally used somewhat more widely spaced staples but it ripped apart there so I went to 2" spacing. You need to have the cover low enough that it touches the ground on all sides. If it is not touching everywhere the wind will come in and ruin your effort. It is also very important to have some way to firmly attach the bottoms and to "cinch" a rope around it. Before I figured out how to attach it well I had the covers blowing all over my yard. Running ropes over the top does some good but the cover can still slide all over if it is not attached to the ground. To attach to the ground I mainly use ground staples (6"-long tine staples). If you hammer them all the way in and use enough of them, say one per foot, that cover is not coming up. If you don't use enough ground staples the cover may come up and rip a hole where the staple was.

One other thing I do is when I get them on there may be a few branches keeping the cover from getting on all the way. I then get under the cover and prune back the offending limbs. I do prune before putting the covers on but there always seems to be a couple limbs that are keeping the cover from coming down all the way.

Scott

Here are the pictures I promised.

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The rope is very helpful to keep the cover from coming loose in the wind. It is tied just below the widest point to help "cinch" the cover on. I shot a close-up of the seam. Every time I put them up I need to redo some of the seams from the damage from the previous year (add more staples where the seams poped), but I have yet to do that so you can see how well they held up. I meant to shoot a close-up of the ground staples holding the cover down. When the leaves fall I will pile some around the edges to add to the seal there.

The covers will get some holes in them. There is some aluminum tape sold with this bubble wrap which can be used to patch holes, or you can staple them. Originally I tried to use this alu tape for the seams but they popped. If you want the ironclad seam you can first tape with this tape and then staple over it all.

Scott

Here'e My Metehod:
I HAVE 8 FIG TREES GROWING IN MY BACK YARD.

I always wait until late October or early November to wrap my fig trees. If the leaves and/or figs are still contained to the branches, I remove them and use for mulch. Also, the wrapping procedure is always done on dry days. Do not let moister/water enter the enclosed fig trees......

1- Cut back each fig tree to 5 feet high.
2- Mulch the base rooting system with one foot of mulch to prevent freezing of the roots. I make my mulch by composting dry tree leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps throughout the summer months.
3- Tie up and tighten each of the branches to form a closed umbrella.
4- Wrap roofing tar paper around each fig tree leaving an openning on top.
5- Wrap and tie roping around each fig tree and secure to a inground peg, i.e; a 2 foot stick banged into the ground next to each fig tree.
6- Completely fill to the top, through the top openning - in each fig tree, with dry tree leaves.
7- Top off each fig tree with used heavy weight paper to finalized the insulation.
8- Covering the remaining top openning with tar paper and secure with roping.

I have been doing this for the last 5 years with great success.

Your fellow fig lover ----- Tony From Staten Island, NY

Konjacking, my fig tree resembles yours. Mine was a gift, a sprout, from a tree brought over from Italy. My tree, is never wrapped. Back in 2001 when I got the sprout, I read that it is not necessary to wrap the tree. I planted it, and mulched it to a depth of 12 inches in an 18-inch radius around the sprout -- no mulch touching the sprout. Each year I add to the mulch. The tree started producing heavily in late September 2004 and we enjoy a repeat performance annually. Each spring I thorough cut back the tree to about one meter in height. The ripe figs are creamy and I do tend to pig out on them. My neighbors wrap their trees, including the parent tree, and do have occasional problems that look like a fungus. This works well here in 6B, Brooklyn, New York. Enjoy.

Paulallen, That sounds like a very interesting tree. What do the figs look like? Do you get any dieback at all? Do you know where in Italy it originated?

Pheewph!
Just got ALL the rest of my big potted figs inside my
garage yesterday, just in time before our first local snow!
Amongst the huffing and puffing, I salvaged about 4 figs
from a leaf-less specimen. The Ventura fig, green skin,
blood red guts, not so sweet this late, but quite edible!
A surprise plus bonus for my still aching back/knees...
George (NJ).