A horizontal cordon is the ideal way to form figs when grown in high-risk areas
Fig is one of the most thermophilic plants. When growing crops in open ground, it is not always possible to get a positive result, especially with regard to climatic zones with a cold winter period. It is known that figs can withstand only a slight cooling, and at air temperatures below 20 degrees below zero, the entire aboveground part of the plant dies. Although figs have a good property of self-healing from roots, lower temperatures can even lead to the complete death of the root system.
However, this does not mean at all that you need to immediately give up the desire to have an exotic plant in your garden. Through trial and error, experienced gardeners have invented the best way to plant and form a fig bush, which allows it to survive the winter well and without loss - a horizontal cordon.
To use such a shaping of a bush, it is important to initially plant the cuttings correctly.
How to plant seedlings correctly?
It is very difficult to make a horizontal cordon from an adult plant growing as an erect bush. Old shoots are rather rough and it is almost impossible to bend them to the ground without damage.
Therefore, even at the stage of planting young figs you need to arrange them correctly. The most optimal planting method, which allows horizontal formation, looks like this: a seedling must be placed in the planting hole so that it is at an angle of 45 degrees.
As the fig grows, select the four main shoots, separate them in pairs in opposite directions and bend them to the ground, fixing with brackets until the branches get used to this arrangement. You can use a small weight in the form of a stone. From these four arms, fruitful shoots will develop over time, which will rise vertically upward. When the branches reach a height of 1 m, they will need to be tied to a trellis.
To avoid thickening the bush, you can break out the inner shoots, leaving only the external neoplasms.
Pros and cons of horizontal cordon
As the name implies, the horizontal cordon assumes a special bush formation, in which the fig shoots are laid horizontally on the soil surface.
Benefits of using a horizontal cordon:
- it is convenient to look after such a bush;
- harvesting will also not cause problems;
- it is easy to install a winter shelter on "lying" figs.
Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting that in most cases, gardeners are deprived of the first harvest of figs. But since it is not very strong anyway, you can sacrifice the first fruits for the sake of obtaining a "convenient" bush in all cases, which hibernates without problems.
How to cover a bush for the winter?
In late autumn (November) it is necessary to start preparing the figs for wintering. For this:
- Cut off vertical shoots almost to the very base, leaving no more than 3 buds. Of these, new branches will appear next year.
- Remove the unripe tops of the horizontal main branches.
- Cover with breathable film or cloth.
- Sprinkle a little earth.