i have a fig tree that is 12 years old and we lost it this winter. It was huge and beared many many figs twice a year. I cried. We cut it back to the ground. It was south facing and 1 1/2 stories tall and very wide. Some of the stems I planted in our flower garden to see if they would take. I am thrilled that there are shoots coming from the base of the the fig tree we left. Seven that I have counted so far. They are little but growing. The fig tree was dead, Really, really dead. The branches just broke off and were black and the huge stumps were not producing any sap. This is the first time we cut the fig tree. The fig tree was given to us by people who are gone now and we can not replace them. This winter we had ice storms and it was so cold. We live in Maryland and we are not the only people who lost our fig trees. Our fig tree produced so many figs that I was giving them away. I will be more diligent in covering them with garden cover and leaves this winter even though they are true south facing and next to our house by our sun room. It will take many years to get to where they were.

Yes, any one can grow figs in ground in a zone 5, in the north. We have been able to grow them. We have been growing and testing for figs that can be grown in our zone 5b/6a location, for around ten years. We have in test plots or pots around 26 different figs, that are suppose to be cold hardy and or rare. After ten years of testing we found 3 figs that do very well in our zone 5b/6a Connecticut location, grown outside, in ground. In order to grow figs in a cold climate, you need more then just a fig that is cold hardy. You also need a fig that is rain resistant, when the fig is ripening. If not you will end up with all the ripening fruit exploding, just before they are ready to be picked A fig that is late winter/early spring, sun resistant. Your cold hardy fig might make it through the winter, only to be killed by late winter sun. A fig that will ripen early enough to beat your first frost. If it does not, you will end up with a lot of green figs, that never ripen. A fig that produces more then just a hand full of figs. That is if you want enough figs for fresh eating, fig wine, preserves, and so many you can share with your friends. A fig that is FMV resistant. Or at least a fig that can over come the disease if and when it is infected. If not the fig will never be cold hardy. A fig that can produce sweet figs even in cold northern soils. I can send to any one who request it, a list of northern climate, cold hardy figs we are testing, and the results of our testing. Along with the names of the only three figs that we recommend for main crop figs, for northern gardeners. We are still working on the best breba crop figs for the north. We have several that are showing a lot of promise. These three main crop figs, make growing figs in ground easy, and enjoyable in cold climates. We feel these three figs are more cold hardy then Hardy Chicago. If interested, send request for list to robertcharper@gmail.com Bob Harper zone 5b/6a - Conneticut

ToC, That's a really nice fig in that pot! You're no slouch, you are serious. Here is my advice for you. Always put off as long as possible unwrapping your fig tree. It's better to be a little late in doing so than early. Figs are very sensitive to even mild spring frosts, especially newly emerging growth. I estimate no earlier than mid-April...three freeze nights predicted for next week! After your fig tree is unwrapped, go through and only cut out all last year's growths to the point on each stem just above 4-5 nodes from where the last year's stems emerged from an old branch. Cut nothing else yet, wait. You can easily distinguish last year's growth from older wood by: 1.) the stem diameter (narrowest on the tree); 2.) color- brown, tan, or greenish, as compared to old wood that is graying, and turning lighter gray the older it gets; 3.) Clearly visible leaf scars from last year's leaves that fell off in the fall, up and down the stem at each node; and 4.) the presence of apical buds-chunky, cone shaped buds at the tips of each last year's growth. You may have trimmed some away last fall to accommodate your winterization. Having pruned each and every last year's growth back, leaving 4 to 5 node sections of those last year's growths still attached to the tree, stand back and look at your fig tree. The usual diseased looking, damaged, crossed, and dead branches are removed now. It's easier to get at to them now with all the initial pruning out of the way. The tree should look as balanced and symmetrical as possible. Now visualize what it will look like come August if every node of those last year's growths sections you left on the tree, each sends a new growth this year. Each new growth this year is expected to produce 5 figs on average. That's 20-25 figs per each last year's growth, 4-5 node section that is on the tree. You probably have far too much potential growth for the tree to support easily. Over working a tree is no good. Go through the fig tree and thin out the superfluous last year's growth, 4-5 node sections to the point where your judgement tells you to stop. Crowded areas are prime for thinning. The height you keep your tree is important so that you do not have to drag out a ladder to pick figs, since you pick figs daily during harvest time. If I had to do that I would definitely have a major 'fall of the ladder,' injury before long. When your tree is done being pruned this spring what is left should be no higher than app. 4', IMHO. As you already know fig trees are extremely prunable, and very forgiving of heavy pruning and blunder jobs. They also are a snap to propagate from cuttings or sections from multiple trunked trees, as you have done. Why prune last year's growth to be the primary location for this year's growth to emerge and make figs? The newest growth has the freshest, most vigorous and quickest to break forth dormant buds at their leaf scars. Old growth has sleepy, lazy dormant buds that will wake-up and grow if pressed into action, but are slow to do so, delaying figlet set by a week or two...too much wasted time for us here. The youngest growth has been exposed to disease for the shortest period of time, and has the best chance of thriving. Older dormant buds have to "push" their way through stiff, rigid bark. New buds have no such opposition. Time is of the essence in our short growing season. Figlets that form the earliest come from early breaking dormant buds....the ones on last year's growth, not older dormant buds on older wood. I've got one more important, easiest to do, pruning technique to share with you that forces earlier, more abundant figs, but please digest my suggestions above for now. Moses

raee - When I did my sister's previous fig the final year that I got chance to wrap it (2007), I actually ended up using an old full-sized comforter to form a tube (needed a step ladder because by then, it was about 6ft tall) and covered that with a heavy tarp... and that time, I remembered to use a stake and bungee it to that in order to hold it up because the previous winter, the wrapped "tube" ended up being bent over with snow and from the prevailing winds that winter. The one thing to note with figs though is that because their trunk/branches contain latex, they are very bendy and can take quite a bit of movement before a branch might break. I was going through some older photos and found one for my sister's original fig the spring after its first year in the ground, not long after unwrapping - (sprouts from the bottom of trunk - top part had died back - 5/29/05) (a couple weeks after the above - can see the original size/shape when first planted and the expanded shoots coming from the trunk bottom vs from the roots - the original was about 3ft tall) 2ManyDiversions - I wish I had thought about using that hot water heater jacket 14 years ago as it is nice and stiff when rolled around a tied-up fig and makes it easier to form a tube without trying to do it with a wire cage (another method people use). The cage method is when people will create the tube around the tied fig and then fill it with leaves and then put something around the outside (tar paper or carpet and/or a tarp, etc). The thing with the leaf fill however, is that over the winter, they will eventually settle and then compact down, often leaving an exposed gap at the top of the tree/bush, so that method seemed to be a bit of a no-go for me in that spot - mainly because of the wind exposure where the tree was situated, with not that much blocking of the westerly and northwesterly winter winds (based on how the neighboring houses were staggered). Often the thing that kills a tree to the ground outside of severe cold, is branch desiccation from dry cold winds (which is why I also used anti-desiccants). Folks just have to try a method and see how it works and then tweak it (although realizing that winters can vary from year to year). And regarding the bungees - I must have bought containers and containers of them. lol I use them all over, including in my car's cargo area, but mostly for some of my container shrubs and perennials as well as container tropicals so they don't tip or blow over. Home Depot has all kinds pretty cheap, including containers of assorted sizes of them (different lengths and thicknesses)! Love my bungees!! :-D