Wow, everyone. I guess we all feel the same pain together when it comes to our figs((

Bkyln, you are right, I was lucky to get so many ripe ones. I still picked a few up to two days ago before this miserable very cold rain and drizzle moved in for days on end. NO sun for days and yet not enough rain to saturate the ground. Just enough to wet the surface and no dent into our drought((

I will snap pics tomorrow of what is left before the howling winds at 25 degrees on Friday night toasts it. Poor thing. I think once the leaves fall off and it looks dormant I will tie the branches together at 5 feet and wrap them in insulation, the pink one then stick a plastic bag down and around it like last year. Then I will pile a foot foot pile of mulch up to the trunk and say my goodnights untll next March.

Hello. Here is a few pics of my fig tree today and then tomorrow I’ll take more. I hope it doesn’t flop that fast. Winds will blow over 30 miles an hour tomorrow night win the high 20's(( with snow to greet us in the a.m. tomorrow morning. Well, it was a good run while it lasted until next year.

Nice pics to help you remember the good times with when the wind blows and the mercury drops ;)

Travis, thank you. Hope things are ok with you and family. We should get in touch soon. I'll bet you are happy the cooler citrus loving weather has finally arrived too)

All is well here, thanks Mike. Yes, excited to see what happens to my trees for the next month or two as the weather is much more tolerable. Still crossing my fingers my Meyer will bloom before it gets cool, but at this point I'm starting to think there is something interfering (not enough sun, too much nitrogen, ?). Honestly, I'm just thrilled that all my trees survived the brutal summer. Winter should be a cinch after that, right?

Travis, that's good to hear.

By the way, your Meyer will surprise you when it does bloom. It can bloom at any time like mines. I have several trees and they all bloom at different times of the year. I saw 20 of them at the local nursery and only one tree was in bloom not the others. Mine I have two blooming but the others nothing. They will probably bloom in winter. Some even bloom with consistent temps in the 50's on my porch)

Can't wait for it Mike! It's reassuring to hear there is personality in the blooming. This will be my first winter with healthy trees so I'm curious to see what happens. I know citrus prefer 65-85 degrees, and root functioning really slows down by 50 degrees. I don't know what to expect when overnight lows are in upper 30s-40s and daytime highs are 60-70s. Does the tree have daytime wakefulness and nocturnal "dormancy," or will it just completely slow down to match the night time temps?

Just remembered this was your fig thread, sorry! Feel free to respond elsewhere.

No thread I ever start has to stick with the one topic Travis, no worries. I like variety in a conversation)

My trees just slow but never ever stop growing completely, even at temps consistently that cold.

Here is a funny story. I went to my local nursery last winter and they had cut plucked ALL the leaves on all their citrus to keep them from getting bugs and had all bare branches. They even kept the house just above 38 degrees to encourage them to grow very slowly if at all, and yet they all flushed out with a ton of new growth and blooms. It was then I knew I could keep mine that cold all winter without any fear of cold and that they would still do well and be safe. I have many of mine bloom at temps as lows as the forties for weeks at a time. I'll take pics when mines do. They are all on my very cold porch now along with succulents and orchids that need cold temps to bud. I will take some later)) Before blooms then after they start.

Somehow you promote growth in even the most hostile conditions Mike! You have a gift!

Do those winter blossoms turn into fruit or are they primarily decorative/aromatic?

Oh no, they turn into full fruit Travis. Tons of fruit. Especially the Ponderosa. You should see the fruit I have on mine from that OLD porch that started last March. I will take shots of those too. In fact, I took a couple yesterday. They are getting huge. Yes, bloomed in the middle of winter on that very cold porch and fruit are developing as we speak). I will find the pics.

Travis. The ponderosa lemons from winter on a cold just sunlight porch of winter. Maybe 5 hours of just light at best

Would love to see the pics Mike! I'm full of hope once again ;)

Wow, those look amazing! You must be so excited/proud!

Travis, thanks)

I don't even give it a thought but I suppose I should. Might make me smile more these days))I will take more pics. Stayed tuned my friend.

Damn, Got a bunch of my plants in and they do not fit in the space anymore. How do you fit yours Mike. I have to chop/prune a whole bunch of good looking plants now. And not make any more cuttings.

Nice fig. After a few years that stalk will be an animal.

I gave 3 of mine away so hey would fit.

Not Mike but Steve

Steve I may have to end up giving some away. Pruned a bunch yesterday to fit better. But still short of space. But I amazed how Mike fits so many plants and they seem quite large too.

Mike has been doing this a lot longer than us. That is why.

Steve

Travis. The ponderosa lemons from winter on a cold just sunlight porch of winter. Maybe 5 hours of just light at best

Hey everyone. Here today. Lol. Gotta laugh. 20’s tonight. 2 months early

It's a lovely winter wonderland for you Mike!

Travis. I love how you look at the glass as half full inside of half empty when it comes to the weather my friend. I could use a sit down with you.lol Lets' see what the poor tree looks like after tonight. I had no time to wrap it up since this is very unusual... Wish me luck. Wind howling and 21 tonight, well below freezing and too windy to cover it.

Thought you'd like the snow. ha. Let me post a pic of before and after for you. I took these pics yesterday before the snow today of my perennials..

I tried posting pics but Houzz wouldn't let me at times. Their site has issues again but you get the drift.

Before

Before after

Oh no, I'm sorry you didn't get the tree covered in time, that takes the joy out of things, doesn't it?!
As an aside though, what a lovely garden you have! I put a few things in the ground last spring next to the house (first time) and at least 75% of it was dead within 6 months. I love the variety and how happy it all looks (minutes the snow covering).

All gone. Lol. Sun melting the snow away as the leaves fall off. Anyone want frozen figs ?

Talk about being forced into dormancy. I smell dead leaves now.

Frost destroys fig fruits. Snow does not. Check them . They may be fine. Temps dropped to 32F last night and left me with no signs of frost damage.

Steve

Hey Steve. Looking nice there. I could use you. )
Yeah. It was 21 last night the the hot sun. Fried buddy. Everything I own outside is toasted. All the new growth on everything is dead

Got down to 29 last night on long island with a lot of frost. Everything outdoors looks to be done in my backyard.

Urban heat island effect here, still got figs, asters blooming, roses, tomatoes. It is autumn

Wow. Bklyn, what is the pink on the bottom pic? I love it. Perennials ? What is that. Yes. Even Boston is warmer than me by ten degrees usually. Strange even they got snow. Awful. None of the snow even melted today as it should of. They said 40’ today and it never got past 30!!so discouraging. Then 70 next week. Crazy weather.
Ken. Sorry to hear you lost everything too. I guess we will have to wait for everything to wake up in a few months buddy

Goodness mike!!! Your trees are amazing looking!!! They look better than mine in an all glass greenhouse :) great growing! I too

had to pack mine in two weeks ago due to the freezing weekend we had!

I’ll try to get a picture in when I can but it’s just a sea of green and the first xie shan fruit I had were juicy but sooo sour!

We were supposed to go to 29F but never did . In fact, it stayed just above freezing - after effects of the remnants of the hurricane. It rained all day though. So the figs still seem OK for now. I forgot to bring in my potted lemon grass and it seems it survived too. Plus a bit of urban micro-climate helps I guess. All seem to have had a close call but doing OK.

Mike sorry for your loss but it all looks so pretty though.

Quickly carved a pumpkin today.

Those pink flowers are double blooming azaleas. Long lived blooms in spring and fall

Jan, there you are !! How have been? Thank you. It’s been crazy around here. Everyone’s getting sick and I’m tired mentally and physically of trying to avoid it. Hope you are safe. I nice pic of your trees is due on my December 2020 thread. Miss you and others.

Tropico, too funny. Love it. Thanks. Hope you are well too.

Mine are in their winter mode already. Figs that don’t ripen properly, I don’t care about.

Bob, I'll bet that part of your garage stays very cold! Cold enough to keep them all dormant?

Is that geraniums in there too? I keep mines in with my dormant figs on a very cold porch and they hold on until I can put them out again since they just don't do much. If I warm them up, they needs lots of sun. So better off cold)

What is in that pot closest to the floor right side of back of that car?

What a difference that room looks in comparison to the one with all your citrus trees.

All my wife,s deck plants are in the top garage. Bottom workshop/ growroom are for citrus and other tender tree’s/plants.(72*) Garage very seldom gets below 32(well insulated).

Ill bet you save lots of money not having to buy the same plants for summer over and over again. Lots of people don't realize they can hold everything over as long as they are kept on the cold side just to not grow but survive. Good job

So that is a rose bush in that pot and you over winter it. Nice)

No, that rose is now planted in the ground, in a spot deer can’t get to it. Mike, wondering about that plant?

You know this guy? I have seen him around.

Bob, what's your secret getting bougs to bloom?

Triple phosphorus only.

Bob, nice!

That is a Clivia and not easy to flower unless you are a good grower) How about 'garden in the sky'? What a view.

The older a clivia is, the more likely it will bloom for you. I set mine outdoors in summer. They usually bloom in winter, but it varies. I find them of incredibly easy culture.