New to Fig trees

[LIandy]

Hi. I'm new to fig trees and these forums. I live in Long Island, NY (zone 5 I think?). This past weekend I planted 2 new fig trees in my yard. They are Brown Turkey Fig trees. They both have 2 stems shooting out from the ground about 5 feet tall (max). The stems are between about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick (roughly).

My question is will these stems/trunks grow to be thicker and more tree like? What I mean is, I have relatives in Italy with fig trees and these trees are real "trees". I mean you have to climb these trees if you want to get the fruit from the top. I have never seen a fig tree grow like that here in Long Island. Is that because the climate does not allo the tree to grow like that or is it because Turkey Fig trees don't grow like that (they are more like bushes)? How thick can the trunk of a Turkey Fig Tree get?

Thanks in advance!

[damethod]

Different varieties grow to different sizes. I've read that all figs can attain tree size if provided an optimal climate. However, I also have never seen large trees here in Florida.

[LIandy]

What about wrapping a fig tree during the winter months? Does anyone have any advice as to how they wrap their fig trees (materials used), when they wrap them, and when they open them up for the spring?

[The Helpful Gardener]

Many different ways to do that...

An old Italian nuseryman showed me the traditional way to get them through the winter; he called it the (insert derogitive Italian American reference here) tip...

You dig a trench two feet longer than the plant is tall, right up to and even clearing the root ball. Starting at the base of the crown you tie the branches up tight, working towards the tip (you can simply prune off all lateral branches and skip this step). Then tip the tree into the trench, and cover with the soil you reserved. Honest he showed me atree he had been keeping this way for decades...

I have seen the same trick with roses called the Michigan tip...

HG