It doesn't matter how much light carica receives when it's dormant/quiescent in the garage. The primary trigger for dormancy is photo-period, which is basically day length, not photo-intensity, which is how bright the light is. More specifically, it is increasing periods of darkness that trigger the dormant response. Deciduous trees actually begin their preparations for dormancy around Father's Day - the summer solstice.

Al

Al
I hope you answer this follow up question which is of practical importance to me (& to get some ripe figs). I am now in the process of storing my fig plants in a concrete cold storage rooms that will stay around 43F~48F over the period from now until the end of March. The room will be pitch dark.
To get an early start, can I light up the cold storage room by the end of March and some amount of heat to raise temperature to above 50F to wake up the plants. This will continue for more than a month until the first week of May to avoid frost damage outside. I know the problem will be to acclimatise the plants to the sun later but I may get some early start. Is there some drawback in this idea?
If no expected problem what will be a good low temperature to sustain for this wake-up and sustaining period.

The plants will wake up fine on their own. If you have a problem, it may be in that the cold storage area is too warm and the plants will be pushing etiolated growth that saps energy. Stick a thermometer in the soil with the plants on the floor, and then again with them on a wire rack. Keep them in whichever place is colder.

The drawback in an early start, from an energy management perspective is that the plants will likely be using energy and producing none. Foliage doesn't give a net return on the energy outlay it takes to push it until the leaves are about 75% mature, and in good light. That just isn't going to happen indoors w/o a very good light set-up.

Years ago, used to try to bring various deciduous trees indoors and force them, partly because I was just excited to see them spring back to life, practically in front of my eyes (very gratifying), and partly because I thought I would be doing them a favor by extending the growth period. Those trees never did as well as those I just left in the cold garage. Even those trees leafed out several weeks before I would have preferred, so in order to ensure they weren't starved for light, I shuttled them in and out from under cover as temperatures allowed.

Let us know about the temperature difference between floor & the rack, and try to keep some sort of record on how the temperatures range in your storage room, and of course whether or not your trees are stimulated to growth.

Al

Al,

I live in Michigan and over the last couple of years I've stored my fig trees in my unheated backyard shed.
I did everything I can to protect them from freezing with no success.

This year I am storing them in my attached garage.
I've kept several of my large potted figs there with no problem.

But I can't understand as to why the young plants don't survive in the shed.
I used straw, burlap and plastic to protect them and again with no success.

Do you live far from Sterling Heights?

Rafed

What kind of floor does the shed have?

Al

Al,

The shed has a concrete floor. But last year I purchased two bails of hay and placed about 6 inches thick beneath the pots and around them.

Only the top was covered with burlap and plastic.

Rafed

By placing the hay on the floor and under the pots, you blocked the heat that would normally have both come through the floor, radiating into the shed, and been conducted into the pots through the bottom. Everything would have been much warmer w/o the hay.

Your garage also has a common wall with the house through which a considerable amount of heat passes and ends up in the garage.

Al

Thanks Al for the info,

I tried that method a couple of years ago without the hay and failed. Maybe it also has to do with the last couple of winters been harsh in Michigan.

What I will do this year is keep the rare and hard to find fig plants in the garage and those that were purchased from Willis Orchard ( All looked the same ) in the back using Adrianos method.

I will build a box and insulate it and put maybe 15 or 20 small pots in laying flat and place it with the open bottom over the soil.

I will make notes and take pictures of the project.

I guess that's all we can do is keep trying till we get it right, In too deep to back down now.

Rafed

If you can cover each of your fig trees with an over-turned cardboard box, with the intent of trapping the heat coming through the floor, it would help. Test that approach by checking the temperature early in the AM (before the sun is up) on a cold night both inside & outside the box. You'll see a considerable difference in temps, and the box will still breath enough to prevent things fungal. Hopefully, your trees aren't too big to tuck in under a box. ;o)

Al

Thanks Al,

I will try that.

Rafed