Annie,
you write

i am beyond covering because of the labor. does anyone know if i were to develop a method to keep the ground from freezing in a fair radius from the trees whether that would provide cold protection for the limbs?

another way to maybe look at it, say a person was to have a heat source at there feet with the upper body limbs exposed in those conditions you mentioned i would think the upper body would get frost bite at least, i look at the fig tree doing this as well i dont think it would work. They might come back from the ground up in the spring though. Hope this helps in a good way.
Martin

I dont know of a way to keep the ground from freezing but what I do, at least with young trees, is pile about 2-3 feet high (tall) of tied newspaper around and up against the main trunk of the tree to protect the roots. My climate seems to be close to yours and I havent lost a tree in many years.

Annie,

One way that several people have had success with is to use duct insulation to make a "tent" over the fig tree. Its basically bubble wrap with foil on both sides (purchasable in rolls at home depot) which goes over the entire tree and occupies the area around the base of the tree with minimum contact to the tree itself. The bottom portion (the "skirt" as I call it) of this insulation is then stapled to the ground.

The result is that the ground under the tent is kept from freezing, and acts as a heat source while the reflective coating on the exterior of the material keeps the "tent" from getting too hot. The original poster here said he had no die back with 0 degree temps using this method.

Try doing a search on this forum it had some good pictures.

Hello,
There was a mention in either tree or shrub forum some months ago about a spray that would protect from ice and freeze. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of it or who posted but the thread was long and very interesting. You might check for it.
Kat

I tried the bubble wrap method for the first time this past winter with good results. The problem I had was wrapping this insulation too close (in contact) to the tree itself (stapled all edges together like a large envelope)which resulted in too much moisture and mold developing on the dormant wood inside the wrap.
One gentleman suggested threading a piece of hose (you could use a piece of the black plastic 1/2 inch drip hose) tubing)through the top of the wrap to allow some ventilation down into the interior of the insulated tree.
I think this is a great idea and will try it this winter.
Having said all this, our local temperatures rarely get into the single digits. I wrapped my trees with only one layer of this material. If your region is colder like Chicago or New York, and the fig tree is tied pretty compact, with all branches close to the main trunk, you can easily wrap several more layers of this material around the tree with better results.
This aluminum bubble wrap can be purchased at any home improvement store and comes in multiple sizes and lengths.
Although it isn't cheap by no means, it can be rolled up and re-used for a number of years. Speaking for myself, it is a very quick and clean method for insulating the tree without the hassle of chicken wire, leaves, roofing paper, the bucket on top, light bulb, etc... you know, the way we do it back east.
I should add that I leave several inches of excess material at the base of the tree so that I can shovel soil or gravel over this lip. It seals and secures the lower skirt of the wrap nicely.

Another way to prevent moisture is to put down a vapor barrier on the ground around the tree. I can be very thin. Cheap plastic drop cloths (about $2) or plastic garbage bags slit down the sides.
I had used garbage bags filled with leaves stacked around the tree (not touching it) years ago. The bottom of the bags were very wet when I removed them in the spring - it stopped most of the moisture from condensing under the tarp.

You are doomed; give up.

Wow a troll on the fig forum. Haven't seen one before. Ok that novelty is over. Shoo shoo. go away.