hi espo,

all i can say is madonna! we've come a long way
from tar paper.
does it take long to construct?
and can you reuse the materials?
i have a tree here i'd like to try that with
i only get figs during very warm years one year i did
get a few brebas they were very large and delicious
as are the normal ones i'd like to send you a plant
in spring . i have no idea of the variety just that it
came from near benevento.
well best of luck and happy new year.

marcantonio

Madonna all right...

What fig nuts go through to have their figs.
That should doit! It may be OK if one has a big
fig tree or two (effort wise), but if the fig collection
gets out of hands, I think that it is a lot of work.

I winter my fig collection (a large number of
different small trees) in my garage...

George (NJ).

Forgot to mention that I admire the huge amount of figs on
the tree (actually I am somewhat jealous)!
Is that your King?

marcantonio, i reuse all the material. the 2x4 walls are left almost together in sections so when i reasemble it,it really is not that bad.But George is right this method is only worth it on a couple of favorite trees. however this method is essential to have a successful Breba crop.
P.S. George do you cover your fig trees in the garage with heavy blankets?

espo

No, I do not cover the figs in the garage, but I do have a
thermostat set just above freezing to kick in a small
ceramic electric heater. Originally I intended to set
it just below freezing (and keep them figs just frozen).
This was based upon the assumption that above 20*F is
OK for figs. But considering than I am in a zone 6, subject
to a more damaging freeze/thaw situation, I opted to go
just above the infamous 32*F.

You did not answer my question... is that your King fig?
I happen to be experimenting with two 'BREBA ONLY' fig
cultivars, King (UCD/Burnt Ridge) and Dauphine (UCD)...
I do understand that this kind of figs require special
summer pruning and wintering.

If it is the King, I am very interested in cuttings to go
along with my other two...

George (NJ).

no george this is that unidentified fig i posted last week.our fellow fig lovers think it is Long of August. i will take good pictures this summer and post it to make sure that is what it is. however my desert king produces many breba figs with this overwintering method.that's why it's important to share this experience. if you or herman want to put king in the ground then you have to protect the tree this well or close to it.George this spring i will dig a piece of king with the roots and give it to you. i will also show you how to protect it in a step by step fashion.It really is worth it.
espo

Espo,

Is the pipe (upside down "J") in the middle picture part of your set up? If so, what does it accomplish?

thanks,
~james

Good observation James!
I bet that it is a 'water proof bottom air vent'.
Are there any top ones?

Yes that pipe is part of it,this helps in the ventilation. It's upside down to prevent water from entering and also to slow down the passage of air. espo

George, the reason i don't put any top vents is that it is hard for me to attach it to the box and i dont want to start putting holes in the styrofoam. I've been reusing the same styrofoam for 10 years now. The pipe is actually under the ground from the outside of the box to the inside of the box. The pipe inside the box is extended upward towards the top of the box. Thanks, hope to meet you soon.
Espo

So the inverted 'J' bottom air vent is more like an 'S'.
As far as the top air vent, one can do it with just a
straight up 'hole-pipe' covered with a plain bucket/cup/etc,
or another inverted 'J' plumbing thing. For proper air
circulation, I would think that both top and bottom
vents are NECESSARY. The traditional fig covering thing
calls for just wrapping/insulating, leaving a top hole
and covering it with a bucket to prevent rain going in.
But as far as what you have been doing, it works for you.
Guess that you have some top air 'leaks' too...

>>> George this spring i will dig a piece of king with the
>>> roots and give it to you.
Thanks for the offer, I'll take it! Reason being, that
the King has long been touted as a good (breba) fig for
'up-north', into Canada. And I want a good one.
I have a 2005 UCD specimen that was rather very hard to
root and more so, to make it grow big
(probably because of MFV that comes with all UCD twigs
- them stupid/smart people graft new specimen cuttings
onto (infected) mature fig trees to speed up the evaluation
process, thereby infecting any new CLEAN specimen!)
In mid Oct I got 2 cuttings from a poster in this forum
(good old Peppino) originally from Burnt Ridge nursery.
I set them going right away. Recently I saw a roots coming
from the bottom of both the 20 oz cups they are planted in
(also they are leafing out!).
One of them had five (5) strong fat white roots shooting
vertically ~1 inch in the air (NO KIDDING)! That tells me
that the two King cultivars are may not be the same.
Since you got yours from Raintree, I will consider it as
an other source.

>>>Thanks, hope to meet you soon.
I am sure we will...

George (NJ).

There are several types of inexpensive vents that could be attached to the foam to allow for ventilation. The home improvement stores carry wall registers, soffit vents and dryer vents, etc. One could be placed at the bottom of one side and at the top of the wall on the opposing side to allow for ventilation. A plastic wall register with a damper will allow you to control air flow.

If there is a NJ meeting of crazy fig people (my daughter's term), let me know. I'll probably need a lot of advice, especially since it looks like I will only be here part-time.

Happy New Year,
~james