Survivng below freezing temps with little protection

[RegencyLass]

As an experiment to see how cold hardy certain figs are for my area, I took some of duplicate cuttings from those I received last year and put them pots in a boxed frame directly outside last autumn. I nestled the pots in a bit of straw, with only an old bed sheet over the pots and a frosted shower door on top of the frame to protect them from the elements. The temps got down to at least -5°F this winter (not counting the wind chill) with not a bit of snow to help provide insulation, so I fully expected none of the cuttings to survive. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out otherwise. Whilst some I'm sure did not make it, there are a couple that "appear" to still be alive, and some I know for sure have survived. Those showing new leaves are the Lattarula, the Olympia, the Brown Turkey and the Dottato, and they are all going to be transplanted directly into the garden within the next a couple of weeks.

[TorontoJoe]

Interesting. Which would you say was the most vigorous of the lot following the winter? Next, how do I get a twig or two from that tree?

[jrdewhirst]

And please let us know which ones didn't make it . Great info.

[Vladimir]

Can you post a pic of the boxed frame? What are the approximate dimensions?

[RegencyLass]

Interesting. Which would you say was the most vigorous of the lot following the winter? Next, how do I get a twig or two from that tree?

The Lattarula, hands down. It leafed out the earliest, and with the most green foliage. It's growth is well advanced over the others, most of which are just starting to leaf out. Remind me this fall and I'll send you some cuttings.

[TorontoJoe]

You are in my calendar. Thank you!

[RegencyLass]

Can you post a pic of the boxed frame? What are the approximate dimensions?

The cold frame is 5' long across the front (east to west) x 30" wide from front to back, 20" high in the front, and 28" high in the back, and the boards are 2" thick. There is a lighter wooden "picture frame" added around the top with attached welded mesh wire (not yet attached in this photo) and hinged in the back for easy lift up access, done in order to keep the squirrels away from the seedlings when hardening them off. The odd measurements are because that's just what scrap lumber that was on hand at the moment. There is about a 2" depth of partially composted wood mulch in the bottom of the cold frame, directly on top of the earth, to help conserve moisture when the bottoms of the pots are nestled in so they don't dry out as quickly as they would otherwise. And the back of the cold frame is to the north, with it sloping toward the south to help capture some of the winter sun.

I had plans on tacking on rigid foam board insulation along all four sides inside the frame for extra protection, but I just never got around to it, though I've no doubt they would have fared even better had I done so; made myself a note on the calendar to do that this coming Autumn. Hope this helps.

[Atlatl]

thank you

[RegencyLass]

And please let us know which ones didn't make it . Great info.

The White Adriatic, Franciscana, Red Eye unknown, and Texas Everbearing were all a complete loss.

I must mention that I did lose one of the Dottato, with three surviving out of the four I put out. I haven't given up on the Scott's Black, LSU Purple Common, Hardy Chicago, Celeste, Violette du Bordeaux, and White Marseilles. Whilst they have no leaf buds yet, they are firm in their pots, and when I scraped just a tiny bit of bark, there was green underneath.

As these were all bare cuttings, not rooted plants, when I plunked them into pots and set them in the cold frame last Autumn, I'm chuffed not to have lost the lot.

[jrdewhirst]

Thanks!!

[angelad]

Wow. That is amazing. I didn't realize until post #7 that they were just cuttings in the pots!

[RegencyLass]

Wow. That is amazing. I didn't realize until post #7 that they were just cuttings in the pots!

I used a mixture of peat moss from Lowe's and my organic compost in the pots, in about a 70/30 ratio. I found that mixture works for most of my cuttings such as the quince, blueberries and other soft fruit, domestic honeysuckle bush cultivars, barberry, etc.,

[Cguitar]

That's awesome! Very Promising for us colder zone fig growers!

[RegencyLass]

Here are two tiny cuttings that I had put in 4" pots and placed in the cold frame last fall with the others. In my first post I didn't think they had made it, but I was still reluctant to empty the pots, just in case. I'm glad I waited! And yes, they are still in those same 4" pots.

[Cguitar]

Wow! That's Awesome! When you add the rigid foam board insulation along the insides of the frame you will have a great safe haven for figs during winter!

[Cguitar]

Hi RegencyLass. Any update on how you are using the cold frame this winter or any additions you made to improve your success?

[SteveT]

Thanks for the info. I realize this is an old thread but the results are interesting.

If anyone is looking for a similar resource I found this the other day: http://www.fruitiers-rares.info/arti...us-carica.html

He experimented with cold-hardy varieties from 2004 to 2013 in Sweden. On a side note, he's got some interesting Javascript going on when you right click the page, lol.