Winter Damage

[Rudy]

I have been repotting trees this week and noticed a lot of cold damage from December's cold spell.  I have more damage from that time period than I did  the previous March which was considered the polar vortex.  In December, my trees probably were not completely dormant, but in March my trees had already broken dormancy and had minimum damage.  I really don't understand because I protected  them the same as in the past.

Many branches are shriveled up.  I am wondering if the lack of water played a part in whatever happened.  I don't remember doing a deep watering before putting them away for the winter because I worry about root rot.  I try to put my trees away before the frost hits which is typically mid December.

Any ideas?

[opiem10]

Denise,
     Shriveled bark seems to be more of a water (or lack thereof) issue than a winter cold issue.  Do you check moisture levels and add water throughout winter storage?   Even in NJ, where winters are likely colder and longer than GA winters, I water my figs every 4-6 weeks, when I see the soil in the pots looking dry. 

      If you did not add water for 3 months or so, I hope you did not kill the trees.  If you scratch the branches closer to the soil and see green cambium, they should be OK.  You might just have to prune back to healthy, live tissue. 

[Rudy]

John, When my trees are within a PVC frame covered with a tarp, there is no way of getting in there unless you remove all the strings holding the tarps in place.  Every now and then I would check on one side which was not so tight and stick my finger in some of the pots.  Still damp. When I removed the majority of the trees from the frame this week, many of the trees were still damp.  When I pulled a few out of their white 5 gallon containers, there was algae on the inside of the pots so the soil was still wet after 3 months.   I use 5-1-1 which is mainly bark so I don't worry as much about root rot  if I used a peat based potting mixture, then I would be really worried.

The good news is that the majority of trees are showing some life below the shriveled up branches.  I'll trim them after I know there are no more frosts which would be the beginning of May even though our last frost date is March 15.  I have experienced frosts in the past toward the ends of April, so I'll  just have to wait.

[opiem10]

Denise, if there is life below the shriveled branches, that is great news and a sign the trees will likely be fine when the weather warms up.  I often get some tip die back. But the branches under the dead tips take off and produce.

[AtlantaFig]

Rudy because of climate change don't expect the same weather every year. Normally I start rooting my cuttings outside from 9th of March but this year I can't because this new week weather forecast says the lows will be in the 30s. So I am rooting them inside. As for your trees just keep your fingers cross hopefully more trees will wake up. I have only five trees that have woken up out of 200+ fig trees. Most of them have dead branches even the ones in the ground.

[Hillhunter4]

I can unequivocally say Smith is the least cold hardy tree I have. South Mississippi got down to 20deg in December. I put 8 to 10" of straw around the bases of in ground trees. Smith is the oldest and was 8' tall with 2 trunks as large as a shovel handle. Trunks were killed down to level so straw. Brown Turkey lost about 6" of tips. Hollier, JH Adriatic and Nero 600 received no damage.

[LaFigGwr2019]

I left some pots out to see if they could take the cold that we got.  I only did it cause I had a spare that I could afford to lose.  I did lose them but lesson learned.

[Andrea]

I can unequivocally say Smith is the least cold hardy tree I have. South Mississippi got down to 20deg in December. I put 8 to 10" of straw around the bases of in ground trees. Smith is the oldest and was 8' tall with 2 trunks as large as a shovel handle. Trunks were killed down to level so straw. Brown Turkey lost about 6" of tips. Hollier, JH Adriatic and Nero 600 received no damage.

Norman, can you let us know if the Smith comes back from the roots?  I included a Smith fig in our Fig Study up here in zone 6b and I'm really disappointed to hear that it isn't living up to it's reputed cold hardiness.  I don't expect all the limbs to survive the winter, but I want to know if the variety will grow back from the roots and ripen fruit before frost.  Please share your experience with it this spring/summer after winter dieback.

[Hillhunter4]

Andrea,
My Smith is a 3-year-old tree. Year 1 it grew to about 6' but no figs. Last spring it got ambrosia beetles and I had to cut it back severely. It grew back to about 8' but no figs. This winter we had a cold snap of 20deg in December that killed most of the tree. No other tree was affected. I waited until buds started swelling to tell what was alive. I was left with about 8" stubble. The stump has profusely sprouted and grown about 6". It remains to be seen if it will bear figs on this year's growth. I will let you know.

[Andrea]

Thank you for the age and history of your tree.  That sure puts a damper on my expectations for my tree.  Sounds like Smith doesn't fruit when it's young as well as not being very cold hardy.  Bummer. 

[Rudy]

After reading about the Smith here and on the internet, I went and made notes indicating it's not cold hardy and to protect it over the winter. What a bummer to have a diva on one's hands. lol

[AtlantaFig]

My Nero 600m got winter damage but there is new growth from the root now. I am so happy to see that.