Cecil
I bury my plants pots every year. I close the holes on the bottom of the pots so no roots go through the bottom because it gives problem during digging in the fall. I have made 1" dia holes on the verticle sides, some six+ holes so when the pot is buried the holes are covered and the roots graze out for moisture and nutrients.
The watering frequency roughly stay the same since the wicking effect of the soil may compensate for the roots growing out for the moisture.
You have to think of nematods for yourself since I do not believe we have this risk in our area (... ot I am not aware of it).
You may fertilize to start with in spring because it takes some time for the roots to extend beyond the pot and get soil nutrients.
The added advantage is the reduced root prunug frequency because you almost root prune every fall (but still may have to do the inside the pot pruning but with less frequency).
Good luck, Cecil.

Thanks Ottawan,

I will go ahead and bury the pots!

I guess we will find out if I have those darn RKN's this coming Winter, My plans are to bury the pots this year and plant them next year normally!

Again Thanks
Cecil

Cecil,
Haven't done this with figs but have done it with small potted trees and other. I would add that if you use clay pots or other porous pots that you makes certain to bury the whole pot, including the rim, with dirt or mulch by a couple of inches. Porous pots like clay will wick moisture out of the soil and dry out the pot without your knowing it.

Cath

Thanks Cath,

The plants are in those cheap plastic 3 gal trade pots.

Cecil

Cecil
YOu may still consider Cath suggestion to bury deeper, close to the rim, because of the heat in your area. Others paint their pots white to avoid the heat problem and you can help the pot with burying a bit deeper.

I bury my 3 to 5gal pots mostly to the rim. The larger pots in my zone is a no no. They get too heavy to lift & dig out. I find the ideal pot size is the 10 gal. Most of my big pots are buried one third of the way. However in your hotter zone, you may want to bury them deeper. The vigor of the tree is a good indication that the roots have migrated out. For pots greater than 3 gal I fertilize the plants from early spring till 1st week of summer. The smaller pots till 3rd/4th week July. I fertilize an hour after watering.

Thanks Paully22

I will do as you all recommend at least for this year, I just want to be able to protect them real good this coming Winter
then in the Spring of 011 they will be planted in-ground.

Regards
Cecil

Hi Cecil,

Thanks for the email the other day. You got my brain thinking about figs again.

An alternative to burying the pots to the rim is to mound mulch around the exposed part of the container. Until the roots get into the native soil, you will probably need to water more often to compensate for the wicking action of the earth.

~james

What's the advantage of growing in pots in your zone? My rooted cutting from last spring was planted out in July. It's still firm with swelling buds, except for the top 12" or so. I knew I would have some winter damage, but I planned to prune it this year anyway. Is there something I'm missing? Why wouldn't you plant right away into a permanent location?

Nice to hear from James after a long time.

Hello James
I'm glad we have spurred you back in gear on "thinking figs"
Like Ottawan said, good hearing from ya on the forum.
Hi Token28001.You asked What's the advantage of growing in pots in your zone?" In the past I have lost some really good young plants because I planted then when they were too young!
It got down to 12*F here for a few days this Winter, that will kill a young fig plant I think..I'm not willing to take that chance!
I hope your young plant makes it, keep us posted on it OK!

Regards
Cecil

I would also argue, wind can have as much of an effect as temperature. If you are in an area with substantial air movement (even if the temperatures are moderate) you'll want to provide some sort of relief for your trees.

Thanks for the kind words.
~james

I have buried some pots in the ground and there are definitely some pros and cons.
First, This is best done with pots that have side holes only. You will know why this is important when you try to pull them out in fall. If there's holes in the bottom, it's hard to reach to the roots to cut them off.
I would bury half of the pot, 3 gallon sizes min.
In fall when pulling out, cut around the put and it will pull easily.
The trees will grow much faster if the roots had penetrated to the soil. Watering needs are much less, fertilize less.
Make sure to prune the trees when you prune off the roots to keep the tree in balance.
The disadvantages is the Nematodes. If you have RKN problem in your soil, than I wouldn't do that for sure.

Bass

Thanks Bass,

I had my soil tested late last year, I told the University
I planned on planting Fig trees where the soil was taken, they said I should be able to grow fig trees with little or no trouble, I sure hope they are right.

Again, thanks
Regards
Cecil

We were down to 12* a few nights as well. We had 6 days where the temperature never went above freezing during that period. I have more cuttings of the same fig in case it doesn't come back. Thanks for the explanation. I'm hoping mine survive too. I'd hate to start all over again. Only got 3 figs last year, and none ripened.