Outside in the garden or would you prefer it in a pot, with winter protection or even without? These are the questions that many fig tree owners ask themselves. How should you overwinter the fig tree so that it survives the cold season?
While these trees were once unsuitable for our latitudes, today there are not only varieties that are more robust. The winters are also becoming increasingly milder, making it possible to cultivate them in your own garden. But should the tree be in a pot or can it stay in the garden with the right protection?
Is the fig better in a container or garden?
The right variety can be planted directly in the garden. There are actually breeds that are hardy enough to survive winters outside. Nevertheless, they also need some frost protection. How you properly overwinter the fig tree depends on the type of cultivation. Because outdoors, different protection is necessary than for potted plants. And does the time at which wintering begins actually differ?
When do you have to overwinter the fig tree?
Despite weather reports, it is usually difficult to estimate when it will be too cold for too long and this is important not only for the potted plant, but also for the specimens that have been planted in the garden. The trees are frost tolerant to a certain extent, but this will damage them in the long term. For this reason, it is advisable to use the foliage as a guide. You can start preparing at the latest when this has fallen off.
In general, these fruit trees prefer fresh air, so you should delay the winter quarters for the potted plants for as long as possible. This means the plants can stay outdoors until late autumn. It's best to choose a time between the end of November or the beginning of December. Here you can orientate yourself again on the temperatures.
Your tree had no fruit this year?That could be the reason.
What you should consider for winter protection of the fig
The fig needs different protection outside than in the pot. And there are also a few preparatory measures that you should take before overwintering the fig tree.
Do you have to cut the fig tree before wintering?
You are allowed to make cuts, but it is not advisable to be too radical. Since the fruits only ever form on two-year-old wood or the wood from the year before, you risk losing the harvest for the coming year if you cut it back. It is therefore best not to do this before cutting back the fig tree before overwintering.
What is allowed, however, are maintenance cuts. Dried or diseased branches, for example, are unnecessary and can be removed. Before winter is also the right time to thin out the crown if you feel this is necessary. Branches and twigs that heavily cross them are removed for this purpose. You should also cut the fig tree in the container in this way. The same rules apply to potted and outdoor plants.
More tips for cuttingyou can get it here.
When is the best time to prune the fig tree?
Care and shaping pruning can be carried out as soon as you have harvested all the fruit and the leaves, or at least most of them, have fallen off.
Have you harvested large quantities of fruit? How about you do that?Dry figs?
Properly protect trees in the garden
Since you have hopefully chosen a robust and frost-hardy variety for your garden, we can reassure you: No complex frost protection is necessary in the garden, but it can't do any harm either. The exception is young trees that are not yet hardy. If you overwinter a fig tree in the garden, do the following:
- You can overwinter a small fig tree in a similar way to a potted plant, namely by insulating the root area. Please read more about this below.
- For larger trees, you also protect the root area. To do this, spread a generous layer of mulch.
- If longer periods of frost have been forecast and you fear damage to the tree, you can place special fleece over your tree to protect the above-ground parts of the plant from frost.
Overwinter the fig tree in a pot
Fig trees overwinter indoors
A winter quarters would be the best option to get the bucket fig through the winter. This also requires less preparation than aOutdoor protection. A winter garden is well suited, but also a greenhouse, which is ideally unheated. You can also overwinter a fig tree in the basement, but only if it is bright and cool enough there.
Overwinter the fig tree in a pot outside (e.g. balcony, terrace, veranda, carport)
- First of all, protection for the container is necessary. A cover can be made from boards, but fencing is also suitable. Leave a space between the external protection and the pot.
- Fill the gap with any mulching material that acts as an insulating layer. Suitable are: leaves (necessarily dry), wood chips, pine needles
- Distribute the same (or preferably different material) around the trunk, i.e. above the roots. The shoot base should also be covered.
- Especially if the plant is not covered, a layer of foil should be placed over the pot. The purpose of this is to prevent moisture from soaking the insulating material, as this would sooner or later lead to mold formation and make the plant sick.
Also read:Lantana overwinter in the garage or in the apartment: How you should care for your plant in winter!
Overwinter the fig tree and care for it properly
If you have found the right location with enough light and the right temperature or have provided winter protection, you have already done pretty much everything that is necessary for successful wintering. Nevertheless, you still need to properly care for the fig in the pot. The good news is that winter care is significantly easier:
- You don't need to fertilize at all because the fig tree is in the dormant phase.
- Watering is also rarely necessary. In any case, it is important that the soil should never dry out completely, because then the roots will also dry out. You should keep it moderately moist.
- If the tree is overwintered in a closed room, do not forget to ventilate it regularly. As already mentioned, the plant attaches great importance to fresh air.
The fig tree may have yellow leavesfor these reasons.
