How early to move potted figs outside

9 years ago

I have some 3 year old Hardy Chicago and some Brown Turkey that were started from cuttings in 2013. Where I live, the last frost date is listed as being in the first week of June. I keep the potted figs in an unheated in-house garage with the temperature set at 5c for the winter. This year they started to break dormancy in March (we still had 5 feet of snow on the ground!!!) so I moved them into the light, where they leafed out and started to put on new growth (temperature in that room was 16c). Our spring was very cold and wet (like most people had this year), so I did not get the figs moved outside until almost the end of June. When I moved them out first, all of them lost all of their leaves, as if going dormant again. Since that time they have begun to leaf out again. I am wondering what is the minimum night time low temperature that would be safe to move the plants outside, and is there a way to move them out without them losing their leaves. My trees have not produced any figs since I have acquired them and I losing hope of ever being able to sample a fresh fig right off the tree. What can I do?

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Comments (3)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years ago
Losing all leaves means the change in light and heat was too big too fast. You probably need to move them outside earlier, in May I'd think. If necessary protect from those late freezes by moving back inside overnight or covering.

You need to provide as much heat as possible as soon as possible but make the changes gradual, like over a week or two. You know what was too big a change this yr so try to improve on that.

They can be outside anytime in spring so long as they don't freeze. A good location would be protected from cold winds, as warm as possible, and as much light as possible.
Tony Smith
7 years ago
Easier said that done isn't it? Every Spring and Fall, I move my potted trees back and forth, sometimes a couple of times per week. After it looks like it's becoming a futile waste of time, I finally stop until next season. But what makes this do-able is these two hand trucks from Nursery Enterprises for moving large potted plants. The bigger one has allowed me alone to do the work of a team of men--all without damaging my expensive pots. I come home from work, quickly move the potted trees before dark, and I'm done.

http://www.nurseryenterprises.com/15-gallon-tree-dolly.html

http://www.nurseryenterprises.com/large-pot-dolly.html
User
4 years ago
It is possible to take a cutting from a fig tree that will never produce fruit. Just a thought.