Mulching the Fig

The fig, pomegranate and grapefruit trees are all out in the open in full sun on a South facing slope. They get plenty of sun in this location, but they are also out in the cold winter winds. In order to better protect them I used the same mulching process on all three, shown here on the fig. I mulched the fruit trees back in the food forest similarly, but with less mulch. I'm hoping that since they are more sheltered they should be OK with less. If I get worried about it later this year I can always add more pine straw from the surrounding woods.

As you can see from the top picture in the top collage the yard has slowly been creeping in on the fig. I had mulched it similarly last year but the grass has made its way back in to the trunk of the tree. In order to reduce competition for resources I hoed a circle around the fig, giving it about two feet in all directions free from grass and weeds.

After I cleared out the competition I layered garden soil, cardboard and pine straw as mulch. Each tree up in the front received 4 cubic feet of soil as mulch, the trees in the back only received two cubic feet each. I put down about one cubic foot of soil to level out the ground and get some good soil contacting the majority clay soil underneath before I put down the layer of cardboard. The cardboard will eventually break down into soil as well, but should suppress the grass enough to keep it from breaking through this year. Also, most of the grass roots were removed with the hoe.

As shown in the top right picture of the bottom collage, I layered the other three cubic feet of garden soil on top of the cardboard making sure to leave some space right around the trunk of the tree. I put a layer of pine straw on top of the soil to retain moisture and hopefully prevent erosion. Then I placed a couple of pieces of slate under the fig to block any grass or weeds from sneaking up through the area directly under the fig that didn't receive any mulch. They should hold some heat from the sun on those long winter nights as well.

Finally, I put the sheet plastic back up around the base of the fig. It isn't entirely opaque but will block a lot of the sunlight from hitting the trunk directly, preventing possible sunburn. It will also block out the worst of the wind. I put the cute little puppy dog statue back on top and voila! The fig is ready for winter.