VOA健康报道2022--无花果树可以在寒冷的天气中生存

Fig¹ Trees Can Survive Cold Weather

Fig trees are native to Europe around the Mediterranean² Sea, Asia and Africa, but they can grow in much cooler climates.

Once mature, fig trees can accept temperatures even a few degrees below freezing. Some kinds of fig trees do better in such environments than others.

Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently wrote about caring for fig trees. She said all kinds of the trees could use protection.

Depending on the weather and pruning³, a fig can grow into a shrub⁴ or a tree. Shrubs⁵ with several stems growing from the ground do best if covered for the winter. Trees with a single stem, or trunk, can be either covered or buried.

Either way, wait until the trees have dropped most of their leaves.

One popular method for burying trees for their protection is called "the Minnesota tip."

It involves digging a narrow, shallow area where the tree can be laid. The space should be about 30 centimeters deep, 60 centimeters wide and as long as the tree is tall.

To prepare the tree, gather its branches and tie them together with soft rope.

Next, push a shovel⁶ into the soil about a half-meter from the trunk on the side opposite the hole. Lift that side of the tree's root ball out of the ground.

Then, gently push the tree toward the hole.

When it is lying flat, cover the tree with plastic.

Pack soil around the exposed side of the roots, and around the length of the tree. Load soil over the tree. Make it at least 30 centimeters deep. You will need more soil than you removed from digging.

If you are covering, or wrapping, the tree instead, you will need cardboard, a pail, and a roll each of burlap, heavy brown paper and tar⁷ paper.

If the tree is under three years old, cut it back by one-third its size. Then, pull the branches inward and tie them together with soft but strong rope.

Working upwards⁸ from the bottom, put burlap around the tree. Then put heavy brown paper around the burlap and tie it into place.

Remove some soil from around the base of the tree. Place a large piece of cardboard into the space and bend it around the bottom half of the tree. Tie the cardboard into place.

Next, wrap tar paper around the tree. Position it outward from top to bottom. This will direct rain away from the tree.

Place soil around the tree's base, creating a little hill. Place a pail upside-down over the top of the tree to keep the rain off.

Unwrap the tree on a cloudy day in early spring, soon after the last frost.

Words in This Story

mature –adj. fully⁹ developed, fully grown

prune¹⁰ –v. to cut some parts of a tree or bush so that it will grow or look better

shrub –n. a plant that has stems of wood but is smaller than a tree

stem –n. a thin, long part of a plant that rises above the soil and supports the leaves and flowers

shovel –n. a tool used for digging the soil

pail –n. a round container that is open at the top and usually has a handle

exposed –adj. something that is not covered or protected

burlap –n. a rough, strong cloth used for making bags

tar –n. a thick, black substance that melts easily but hardens when it is cool

1 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

2 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

3 pruning   

n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分

参考例句：

• In writing an essay one must do a lot of pruning. 写文章要下一番剪裁的工夫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A sapling needs pruning, a child discipline. 小树要砍，小孩要管。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

5 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

6 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

7 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

8 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 prune   

n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除

参考例句：

• Will you prune away the unnecessary adjectives in the passage?把这段文字中不必要的形容词删去好吗？
• It is our job to prune the side branches of these trees.我们的工作就是修剪这些树的侧枝。