Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

How Cold for Ficus microcarpa?


rsproule

Recommended Posts

I would like to how hardy a Ficus microcarpa really is

(AKA: Ficus retusa, Ficus nitida).

Common Names are: Indian Luarel, Cuban Laurel, Green Gem Fig, etc

I've  found conflicting info on the web so I was hoping to get real life input from persons who went through the California freeze this year.

For a healthy, mature tree, I was hoping to find out:

1. Min temp with out damage

2. Min temp with out death

I liver near Sacramento in Zone 9B.

Thanks

Ryan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RLRs book The Tropical Look says that it is among the most hardiest tree ficus. It can survive in the warmest parts of zone 9b. So, if you are....then I would guess you can.

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only reliably hardy here in northern California within sight of salt water, in my opinion.  In the 1990 freeze, trees along the Embarcadero of San Francisco were badly singed at perhaps 27 or 28F, and were killed back to the trunks at about 24/25F here in Berkeley.  The ones in downtown Berkeley were all removed, and the ones in San Francisco made a complete recovery.  I would hazard a guess that sustained cold below 22F is likely to be fatal, and almost everywhere in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Valleys gets this cold on an occasional basis.  This is not a tree that one should expect is a useful evergreen landscape subject in inland northern California, it is just too cold on the occasional bad winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been growing Ficus macrophylla columnaris  ( Lord Howe Island Banyan ) here in Modesto for sometime.

I had to remove one tree in my front yard after 3 winters due to its rapid growth. It even sent out aerial roots... just like in the tropics. It never had frost damage.

My guess is that it is one of the hardiest Ficus'... mine saw no damage at 26f to 27f... which is our normal coldest temp of the year.

This winter one in a pot lost all leaves at 23f.... but no wood damage... it is growing new growth like crazy right now.

I would say that a large tree would be hardy for ever here in the valley... with some damage in those once every 25 year freezes.

I will have some small ones for sale this summer... though they are a bit expensive due to the rarity here in the US.

Jeff

here is a pic after 2 winters in the ground.

lhi.JPG

Modesto, CA USDA 9b

July/August average 95f/63f

Dec/Jan average 55f/39f

Average lowest winter temp 27f

Record low temp 18f

Record high temp 113f

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder how the Ficus microcarpa's did all over San Francisco. I had to give my ficus columnaris away since I moved to Florida, I still need one for my yard in California. I know all the ones in Tucson were defoliated this winter at 20 F.

Jeff,

You should ask the city if you can plant one in a public park or give one to a friend with a big yard so you can see the growth shape in the valley to its full potential.

I'm always up for learning new things!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just saw some of the Ficus columnaris down at the Huntington Botanic Garden this weekend, they sure are impressive trees, and it is good to know that they are not as tender as F. microcarpus.  The F. retusa/microcarpus were generally fine here by the San Francisco Bay this January, as we did not get as cold as parts of Southern California did.  The various species of Ficus at the LA Botanic Garden were some of the most freeze affected plants there...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

All the referrence books I have say Ficus microcarpa is a zone 9b tree, as opposed to zone 10a for F. elastica, bengahlensis, altissima et al.

The above rating is probably true, but it's a very high zone 9b, not at the bottom end by any means.

I have a F. microcarpa that saw 27 degrees and frost on February 14, 2006 and 29 degrees this past February 16th (2007). Both frosts produced some leaf burn here and there, but it was far more prominent on the former date and very little on the latter date. The two degrees difference made a big difference. The durations of the cold were about the same, maybe a few hours at most.

For my money and empirical observation, Ficus microcarpa is not that much more cold hardy than most ficus species, and certainly not five degrees more cold hardy.

Here' s an interesting Ficus microcarpa growing in the town of Sebring, Florida in a zone 10a/10b location (lake front property).

f.jpg

Mad about palms

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DSCF1177.jpg

I discovered this species over at my local botanic gardens.

DSCF1176.jpg

Philip Wright

Sydney southern suburbs

Frost-free within 20 km of coast

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ryan

Walt is about right, they can usually take about 28 without serious injury but below that watch out. F. rubigonosa and its close relative macrophylla are the hardiest in the trade and should be able to take the mid-20s without major injury. Rubigonosa is an especially nice tree, it doesn't (usually) get out of hand like many figs.

Walt, that Ficus in Sebring looks like it was cut back to its main trunk sometime in the past (the '80s?). I remember at Selby the large nitidas there were frozen back to about 4-5 inch wood in the 1980s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(richtrav @ Jul. 15 2007,13:45)

QUOTE
Ryan

Walt is about right, they can usually take about 28 without serious injury but below that watch out. F. rubigonosa and its close relative macrophylla are the hardiest in the trade and should be able to take the mid-20s without major injury. Rubigonosa is an especially nice tree, it doesn't (usually) get out of hand like many figs.

Walt, that Ficus in Sebring looks like it was cut back to its main trunk sometime in the past (the '80s?). I remember at Selby the large nitidas there were frozen back to about 4-5 inch wood in the 1980s.

Richtrav: It's well possible that Sebring F. microcarpa was cut back or frozen back years ago, based on all those branches growing like they are.

I one day hope to talk to the owner of that tree and try to get some history on it.

I've only lived here in Highlands County, Florida for ten years, and I can say during this time there were no freezes that affected that tree as it's just to close (150 feet away) to Lake Jackson, which is a 3,400 acre lake. The lake definitely influences the climate on the historical part of Sebring that lies on its east bank. The biggest mango tree I've ever seen in my life is just a few doors down from this F. microcarpa, planted as a pit in 1937 (there was a write up in the paper about it and the man that planted it as a kid).

I was at Selby about five years ago and recall those hugh F. microcarpa. I'm surprised to hear they were frozen back like you said. They sure made a nice recovery.

Here's a photo of the same F. microcarpa taken from across the street.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1358349092042496162CGUVSq

Mad about palms

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought I'd show you these two big ones from Sydney Botanic Gardens: F. watkinsiana (top) and F. macrophylla

DSCF0638.jpg

DSCF0637.jpg

Philip Wright

Sydney southern suburbs

Frost-free within 20 km of coast

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...