Burying Fig Trees?

My aunt was telling me that people "bury" their fig trees in winter in Michigan. Can anyone tell me more?

Burying Fig Trees?
Dig a trench about two feet deep and as long as your fig tree is tall (and about 2-3 feet wide). Dig up your fig tree and lay it down horizontally in the trench. cover with soil, then mulch. Dig it out in spring and replant it.





You could also dig the trench to one side of the tree where it's growing, and dig it out on one side, then bend it over, leaving the roots on the far side intact and in the ground. Either way, try to cut as few of the roots as is practical.





Or, you can grow them in a big pot, and move the whole shebang into an unheated, attached garage for the winter. Someplace cool or cold, but not freezing.
Reply:Fig trees are not frost or freeze tolerant. The fig grows best and produces the best quality fruit in Mediterranean and dryer warm-temperate climates. Frost Protection: In borderline climates, ......For further protection, erect a frame over the plant, covering and surrounding it with heavy carpet in winter. Keep the roots as dry as possible during winter, raising a berm to exclude melting snows during thaws. In northern climates, the fig is best grown as a tub or pot plant that can be brought into a warm location in winter and taken out again in spring. Dormant buds are more susceptible to freezing than wood. Freezing may also create a trunk without live buds; regrowth is possible only from roots.





See: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/...