smitee, in pot trees need extra work. The potting mix need to be just right, water and fertilizing has to be done carefully and then every few years you need to take them out of the pots and root prune them and pot them up with fresh soil. If weather, space or nematodes are not a factor then in ground planting is almost, a plant them and forget about them situation, much more forgiving than potted plants.

"gene"

I was sittin' here nodding and smiling 'till you mentioned Nematodes. I had never heard of them 'till I moved here. Is there a test for the critters or do you have to learn via heart ache (loss of a treasure plant) which is for me,ALL OF THEM, that your soil is infested with them?

I would think that the Florida sun would cook roots in a pot also. Even in more northern areas, measures have to be taken to keep the roots cool in summer. Do a search on both forums and read the old posts on the subject for more specific information. Maybe Sal can weigh in on this subject as he grows in pots in Florida. Tim

Just recently I gave some information to some Florida growers on how to determine if nematodes are present in their soil and on a promising new technique to successfully grow figs in nematode infested soils. That info will be found in my posts contained in the threads listed below.

Read these threads and you will see where someone was telling me to "get lost" way back then and another was calling me a "cracker"...........I had forgotten about that until I did a search on my user name and nematodes. I should have reported it the GW forum administration back then and not taken those slaps by those two individuals. I was forgiving back then.............not anymore.

Dan
Near the banks of the mighty Mississippi River........

Here is a link that might be useful: How to determine if Nematodes are present.

smittee,

There is nothing better than growing figs in the ground (space/climate/conditions) permitting (period).
I recommend that for now; you keep your young figs in their current (safe) pots.
Pentending on the following, then you (alone) decide what is best for you.

Re RKN:
Contact your local (Agricultural) "Cooperative Extension County Office" on how
to submit a SOIL sample and test for them nasty RKN (if any; costs $'s).
There is another (cheap) way; by growing some vegetables (e.g., carrots/tomatos) and examing the roots.

If the result is negative; GOOD for you. The next VERY important step is that you should be
very/VEEERY/very carefull NOT to introduce RKN onto YOUR property. This can be done by very
carefully examining the roots of any potted plant received from anybody (in the world) for them
tell-tale gals signs on the roots (they look like rosary beads).

If the results are positve, they just may be almost impossible to DESTORY; apart from "nuking"
the soil with some very-deadly-nasty (now illegal) chemical.
Anybody coming up with some safe/quick/sure way of eliminating RKN from the (ground)
soil should be awarded the coveted "Nobel" price.

I have heard that RKN infected (subdued) figs do manage to survive a "reasonable" age. Be aware
that RKN love shallow rooted figs, and that the promlem will be amplified!

I got RKN infected figs from 3 (north/south) separate sources.
I was the very FIRST person to publicly alert (naive; initially myself too!) members on this GW/FF
about this very serious promlem.

A long time ago, I started a thread with something like "Figs Worst Nemesis", with the general
agreement being RKN. I cannot find it, some threads are known to misteriously vanish.

As always:
Best Cure = prevention, prevention, prevention....
Best Cure = prevention, prevention, prevention....
Best Cure = prevention, prevention, prevention....

For those living in an area where the ground was once used to grow certain agricultural products, especially in sandy soil as exits in parts of Florida........PREVENTION is not an option as the ground is already contaminated. To deal with those pesky nematodes......try mulching in-ground trees with limestone and/or planting trees near concrete slabs or near buildings. Read my posts in the above referenced link for additional information.

For those who do not presently have nematodes in their soil PERSONAL PREVENTION is the only way to keep them out. Some people should be aware that nematodes can contaminate your soil from certain plant products and other vegetable plants besides from fig roots. Learn to recognize nematodes and act to prevent further contamination when you see them.

Threads and posts on the Garden Web forums do not mysteriously disappear.......they are removed whenever someone has violated the forum rules and/or someone has registered a complaint about one of the posts. One thread that I recall recently disappearing was one started by an individual who was complaining about the commercials that are run on this forum.....that was in clear violation of forum rules. Had I complained to GW about being called a "Goober" in someone's past post as can be seen in the threads that I have reference linked above......that post and/or thread would have "mysteriously vanished" too and that poster either warned or banned from further posting on this forum.

Dan
Located near the Lake of The Germans where the figs grow so sweet.......

A lot of really good advice ahead of me.

My .02 cents

I grow in pots but pots are a pain in the butt.

To me pots are for...

A) People who live in a climate where they need to move them indoors for the winter.

B) You have not yet decided a variety is a keeper.

C) When you can't stop yourself from obtaining more trees and you are not sure if you are going to be living in the same place in a year or two.

D) You are renting the place you live in.

E) There is some soil or soil pest condition where you live that makes planting in the ground not such a good idea.

To me if you are not one of the above planting in the ground is so much easier the choice is easy.

WOW.......The very FIRST!!

I sure am impressed!

Cecil, near the Banks of the Neches River!(down South)

thisisme,
Very well said.

For those who are not familiar with the havoc that RKN can
do to the fig roots, here is a pic of a bare root fig I got
2-3 years ago. This was a very severe RKN case from an
up-north vendor.

The vendor was notified and the plant was replaced.

Wishing everybody never to see anything like this ever again.

gorgi that picture always gives me the heebeegeebees.

Yes thisisme, me too.
Each time I see that pic, it gets my (few remaing hairs)
stand-up-on-end, specially that on the back of my neck!

Anybody that thinks/beleives that it is OK to live-with
and/or (knowingly) distribute such nasty little critters
(specially to naive/clean places), should go ahead and
call oneself whatever name/tittle that self-pleases
and makes oneself very happy.

I very seriouly doubt that such a person exists...

That picture convinces me that I will NEVER plant a plant from anyone, until I remove all the soil and examine the roots.
You can brush those hairs on your arms back down and count the value of education for all of us that come from places that have never heard of those CRITTERS before!!!
T.H.A.N.K....Y.O.U...SO VERY MUCH

Check your okra and tomato plants too, nematodes love those roots more than fig roots......

If I had nematodes present in my yard like some do in the sandy soils of Florida, I still would try to grow a few fig trees in the ground....near a concrete slab or building. Fig trees perform much better and are more forgiving when grown in the ground than in containers.

I read an article sometime back where LSU recommends thermally heating the ground to lower nematode populations in infected soils before planting a new tree.....I can't find that article at the moment for posting. Alternately, I would remove some soil from a site where I planned to plant a fig tree and build a fire in that pit.....replace sandy soil with a high clay content soil (called black jack or gumbo soil in Louisiana) if you have it. Nematodes do not do very well in high clay content soils. Layer the new soil with limestone....limestone is an anti-nematode agent. Build another fire on top of the ground after filling in the pit. Then cover the area with BLACK tar paper or BLACK plastic to capture the sun and heat up the soil.....heat the soil with a black covering for one year. Later plant the fig tree in that thermally heated site again mulching with limestone. Keep the area near the tree also mulched with leaves, hay, pine straw, etc. to help keep moisture in the ground. Nematodes harm trees by making it harder for the tree to absorb nutrients and moisture. Make sure to water and fertilize your tree regularly and prune to keep growth in balance with the functioning roots. If these steps are taken, it is my understanding that a fig tree can grow in that infected soil.

Dan
45 miles from the LSU campus.......

Dan, I don't have nematodes here(gumbo soil), but have a relative near Leesville,La. who does. I'm curious what form of limestone would be used in this application. He has two fig trees(Celeste) that are 20 years old that will not grow or bear. The growth is extremely weak & stunted with tiny leaves. I told him he probably had nematodes(sandy soil)so we dug down & confirmed it. He had never heard of them and he's 70+ years old. Also has trouble with tomatoes and okra.Thanks!

Tim

Tim,

I've been told that crushed limestone works well. It is really the calcium carbonate that is in the limestone that affects those nematodes. Crab shells, clam shells, oyster shell, etc. are all rich in calcium carbonate and should work well too...........lots of good seafood and shell available in Leesville. Have him fertilize his trees with 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 in the spring of each year and that will help his tree. Adding some clay soil around the base of his tree would also help it. New roots will form in the clay/limestone/shell mix.....and hopefully they will not be attacked as much.

Dan
Growing lots of figs on Mississippi River Delta soil......

Thanks Dan. Tim

Where would I go to purchase crushed limestone? I checked Lowe's this weekend and only found pulverized lime and granular lime. None of the landscaping rocks appeared to be limestone either.

Lisa