Re: [gardeners] Still no frost!
pennyx1@juno.com (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 25 Nov 2002 22:44:43 -0500
Ron, s-i-l Gino reports that his two fig trees have lost most of their
leaves, but ---- he counted 20 ripening figs on one tree, and four
on the other - and both trees are sprouting new buds...! Also, lots
of brand new stems are coming thru on the ground, around the main
trunk. Gino keeps saying that those fig trees are mighty confused!
They have had 30 degree weather, and a bit of snow already. Sunday
happened to be about 59 degrees, but by 4:00 o'clock a huge wind
came up and chilled everything down. While it was still warm, Gino
managed to wrap both trees for the winter - a tough job for one
individual. He says that the branches were rather rigid, not wanting
to allow themselves to be tied upwards and tightly. Strange.
Last winter he did not wrap these two trees (which are very young),
and one of them died all the way back to the ground, but when spring
came, it rejuvenated and grew back! There was no first crop as
one might expect, but the so-called 2nd crop ripened in October!
Crazy stuff, isn't it? The hope here is that by winter wrapping them
now, and not unwrapping them too early in spring (in case of sudden
chill), he will get 2 crops next year. We shall see.
On Wednesday they are coming to cut down the 70 ft English oak which
was killed by lightning last year. It will lie there until a specialist
arrives to saw the trunk up into boards which he will store along the
side of the house for aging purposes. Gino is a skilled woodworker,
and whatever special tree this actually is contains some extremely
valuable wood. He would like to make a 20 foot table out of it in the
future, something like what they used to use in King Arthur's Day --
and it so happens that such a table would fit right into the
Great Room which came with the house. I'll bet he does it.
Penny, NY
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