"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:P1VJb.729829$HS4.5465310@attbi_s01...

"Brandon" wrote in message
news:_LQJb.24492$ti2.11820@lakeread03...
I am in Gilbert Arizona( metro phoenix). Last week we experienced sub
freezing ( 22-24 degrees)temperatures for several nights. Anything
potted
was brought in the house.
4 Giant Hibiscus and 3 monster Bougainvilleas and a very large Castor
bean
"tree" wilted( foliage appears "burned") and have started to drop all
there
leaves.
Not a big deal , I think the bougainvilleas will come back as they are
so
hard to kill : /

BUT my concern is a 15+ foot Ficus Nitida with a trunk diameter of 10+
inches...
The leaves turned purple, and then in the last day or so, they have
started
to drop in profusion. My neighbor has three like this doing the same
thing.

I am wondering if this tree has been killed. Will my homeowners
insurance
cover it if it has? I have seen trees half this size at local nurseries
for
$3000.00.

Will it come back? ( will this be a good time to prune it?


They prefer temps to remain above 40F but they can tolerate light freezes.
Leaf drop is very common at this point.and is to be expected. I'd wait
until
all danger of cold temperatures have passed to assess how much damage was
done and do remedial pruning at that time. How long it tolerated these
conditions will have a bearing on how well it comes back.

You need to read your policy well, but I doubt you can claim this on your
homeowners insurance. Most policies will not cover landscaping damaged due
to "acts of God". If that were the case, more northern homeowners would
have
HUGE claims for all the plants that are unable to make it through their
often brutal winters. The good news is, ficus grow fast if you have to
replace it.

pam - gardengal

Thanks, I had hoped this may be the case really, I don't want to replace it,
is a beautiful tree.
This may actually be a good thing if it will come back, because now I can
prune it with the advantage of having a better view of the branch structure.
This will allow me to shape the tree better.
One other question, is there anything that will prevent a ficus from
fruiting? Those annoying little berries it produces create quite a mess.

Thanks
Brandon