Fig tree in the garage over winter. Mouse problems?

4 years ago

I was thinking to get a fig tree (probably Chicago Hardy Fig), put it in a container, keep it outside at the front of my house (south-facing), and then, once it gets frosty (zone 5b), toss a bag over it and haul it into the attached garage for the winter. However, I read that sometimes mice get at the tree in the garage? I certainly don't want to attract any vermin. Is this an issue you have had, and how did you deal with it/prevent it? Is a plastic bag over the tree good enough? I'm sure mice could just chew through, but maybe it's enough to deter their interest?

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

4 years ago

Some people like to make comments on topics they have no experience with :-) A great many people in zone 5 grow figs. And the Chicago Hardy is a highly rated one for colder climates....even surviving being planted in the ground in many areas (although acting then as a die-back perennial rather than a tree or shrub).

I agree that mice in the garage should be of minimal concern with the fig. Any nascent fruit should be removed of course and if no fruit, nothing to interest small rodents ;-)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
4 years ago
I have not had this problem. Does your garage typically get mice?
Elana
Original Author
4 years ago
Knock on wood, not so far! And I certainly don't want that to change. But if you Google search "mouse fig tree garage" (no quotation marks) you will find a couple of worrying stories. And this article in particular: https://awaytogarden.com/how-to-overwinter-a-potted-fig/
Related Discussions
Fig Tree Problem
Q
Comments (1)
Try posting this in the Fig Forums. People there will know exactly what the issue is.
...See More
Over wintering figs on balcony
Q
Comments (5)
Lizza, It sounds like the one tree has been sitting inside for most of the fall/winter? If that is true, you are going to have to be careful putting it outside at this point. Normally they are left outside in the fall until they naturally lose their leaves and go dormant over a period of weeks. This prevents tissue damange. If you go straight from 70 degrees indoor to 30 or 40 degrees outside, you may have a problem. If you decide to do it, if possible wait until the weather will be relatively warm (50s) for a week or so when you put it out so it will have a chance to go dormant. If you don't want to risk it, then you can just leave indoors in a sunny location until spring. For the other one, I'd say you are probably OK leaving it on the balcony, but there are really two concerns: 1. Not cold enough: If the temperatures are not cold enough, or if it gets warm and stays warm, then your trees will try to put out leaves. These will be killed the next time the temperature drops. Each time this happens it weakens the tree, and reduces stored energy and next years crop, even if it doesn't kill the tree. It should be fairly easy to tell if this is happening by looking to see if the buds on your trees are trying to open and send out leaves and/or fruit. For this concern, sun exposure is a bad thing, because it warms them further, so I would try to keep them shaded. But it's not the sunlight that's the problem directly, rather it's the heat injected by the sun. 2. Too cold: If you're in Arlington in a fairly urban area, you probably are zone 7, but possibly with the heat island effect you're closer to 8. So that should be OK for figs. However, the fact that the trees are in a pot could be a problem. You don't want the roots to freeze. In your 20 inch pot, it's got 9 gallons of soil, so I don't think it will freeze solid in your climate. But the outer inch or two might freeze, which will kill some roots. This probably wouldn't kill the tree but could weaken it a bit. If you are expecting a hard freeze (teens or low twenties), you could wrap it up in a blanket, or put a cardboard box over it. This will help a bit. If you put a cardboard box over it, with a lightbulb inside, this should protect it enough during a hard overnight freeze. But with how this winter is going, it may be that none of that is necessary. Good luck Rob
...See More
How to save fig wood over the winter???
Q
Comments (10)
Ottawan, I would do such a thing IF it wouldn't create a vole paradise. Unfortunately, about 15 years ago, an old orchard and field across from me was bulldozed for a subdivision, and I was overun with THOUSANDS of voles in the course of a few days -- reminded me of the footage a few years back on the news of the mice exploding in population in Australia. Since then, vole populations have declined, but they've been a persistent problem, and I have yet to figure out how to get rid of them. All I can do with my best efforts at trapping and poisoning them is to keep them at a dull roar. I've given up deep mulching and covering anything for the winter, since it just ends up being chewed to bits by voles. Figs, I've found, are one of their favorite foods, anyway. I buried two large 'Peter's Honey' trees a few years back, and literally had NOTHING but a handfull of fig sawdust in the spring, the voles had even excavated and eaten all of the root system. Chills, my figs got really tall this year, despite the cool temps, must have been all of the rain. Some of the shoots are about 8 feet tall. After many years fo dying back to stubs and resprouting, they are quite prolific with branches, each one having probably 20 to 25 stems coming from the ground. I tried overwintering cuttings in the fridge before, that did work, but right now, ALL available extra fridge space is spoken for storing pears and apples for winter use. Well, I'm pretty sure they'll be dormant enough to cut and bury this weekend, since I drove home from work through a whole lot of snow and sleet through Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills tonight, looked JUST like winter, oh, yeah! Good news is, in 4 months, it'll be time to start peppers and artichokes, and in about 4 1/2 to 5 months, time to tap the maple tree for syrup again. Spring's just around the corner, really! Dennis SE Michigan (W. Bloomfield)
...See More
Winterizing fig trees
Q
Comments (51)
Final update: the fig held over in the garage is now outside permanently (will pull it back in if we get a late freeze), leafing out and has several breba figs already! I had unwrapped it March 31, but I didn't bring it outside, just gave it some water now and again, and left the garage door open for short periods a few times a week. I started bringing it out fully into sun about 10 days ago, and left it out permanently about 6 days ago. The younger smaller fig that was held in my basement started leafing out in February, so I brought it upstairs and gave it some water. It rapidly put on about a foot of growth with 4-5 leaves, then stalled. I figured that it wasn't getting enough light (even with the south facing window, as the sun gets higher less direct light gets in) so started with the inside-outside dance, the plan being putting it out in the shade for short periods at first, then lengthening its time outside, then giving it more exposure to sun gradually. It hasn't been happy; it lost a couple of the lower leaves and others were sunburned even in the shade! The new growth remains weak and spindly. It has pushed out another leaf on each stem, but those are developing much more slowly. The in-ground fig had some green buds when I unwrapped it, but by the time we got those two overnight freezes two weeks ago, those had turned brown and dried. Despite that, I did cover it for the freeze nights. I do still see a tiny bit of green color low down on a couple of young stems that had the buds but most of the stems look dead. I'm hoping that it will start to push out some new growth from those few. I'll be watching for a sale on DCarch's panels.
...See More
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years ago
Mice would be very low down on the risks to your fig tree. Not a reason to worry or to give up on growing one. There are plenty of ways to protect from these hypothetical mice but a plastic bag isn't one of them.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
and in z5 the plastic bag will serve no other reason along the lines of winter protection ...

on a zero degree day in jan/feb in z5 .... if you open that garage door .... once or twice a day ..... your fig is going to have a hard time surviving ... and the plastic will add nothing ....

i might think that mice are the least of your concerns growing a fig in z5 ...

but of course.. you have to try to do it... its the only way we learn ... and keep us posted ...

ken

ps: are figs deciduous??.. i dont have time to look it up ...
Elana
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
In case it wasn't clear, the bag is primarily to make sure it is consistently dark for the tree, not to provide insulation. Yes, plenty of fig growers around here, and I even have some relatives who go to the trouble to bury the tree underground in the winter time. I don't have the patience for that, so in the garage it will go. Happy to hear these trees are generally not mice magnets!
Kevin Reilly
4 years ago
The problem isn’t rodents taking fruit but girdling the trunks of the trees in storage by knawing on them
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years ago
A dormant deciduous tree doesn't need to be kept in the dark. After all it wouldn't be kept dark if it was out in the garden. All it needs is a temperature low enough to keep it dormant.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
Some people like to make comments on topics they have no experience with :-)

==>> and some people are just down right rude ... and i dont care about your colon smiley face .... why cant you just respond without attacking someone???? .. you could have easily made your point without such ....

this link states: Zones6-10, may survive as low as zone 5

https://www.epicgardening.com/chicago-hardy-fig/

so it all depends on HER z5 ... her garage.. and her pot.. media.. how often the door is opened .....etc ... i was just explaining it still a roll of the dice in z5 .. and a plastic bag wont change any of that ...

whatever.. im so tired of being denigrated by certain responders .. and then you all wonder why GW isnt the happy palce it used to be ..

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=denigrated&ia=definition

Fig tree in the garage over winter. Mouse problems?

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Comments (9)

Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis

Elana
Original Author

Related Discussions

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Elana
Original Author

Kevin Reilly

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Fig tree in the garage over winter. Mouse problems?

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Comments (9)

Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis

ElanaOriginal Author

Related Discussions

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

ElanaOriginal Author

Kevin Reilly

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Elana
Original Author

Elana
Original Author