Quick return to this thread (I'm trying to get in a flurry of replies, been short on time): Al, you said As far as root-pruning goes, you will likely only undertake it every 3-4 years. Those plants that you have buried will be easy. Depot, saw the bottom 1/3 - 1/2 of the roots off, clean the roots & prune the fat ones. Then - right back in same container. You will likely see a diminished crop in years that you root-prune, but subsequent crops should be greater as a result of improved vitality. Does this mean, though, that as Herman had mentioned, whenever I root-prune yearly to unclog the bottom of the container, that I'll have a diminished crop from the pruning? it didn't sound like that was everyone's experience necessarily, so I want to understand the relationship between the degree of pruning and the lack of productivity, when it sounds like it might be the inverse from some of Herman's recommends. Also, with my figs being so young, I'll just mention that I don't need a saw, only a scissors to prune them at this point! (on a tangential note, I ended up pruning more than roots last night, when de-potting one of my figs: I found a rather large, slightly-slumbering arachnid of a copper-red shade lurking in the roots as I untangled them with my fingers - ICK! the scissors came in handy, rapidly, and now shredded spider parts are a component of that last batch of soil 8-p ) Again, from Al: With regard to your soil choice: A plant that is grown in a container that is not in contact with the soil will benefit more from the gritty mix than those you sink, container & all, in the ground. The reason is simple: there will be no perched water table in the containers that are in the ground. The surrounding soil will act as a giant wick & drain the water. So are you saying that ones being sunk into the dirt will have more wicking action and need a *more* moisture-retentive soil mix used? and that the ones above ground will need the better aeration qualities to avoid a PWC making the bottom portion of the container too soggy for roots to colonize effectively? just trying to clarify my understanding (I do appreciate having grasped the entire PWC concept, that's helped me strategize how I re-pot and mix my soil combos). And a flag to Herman, I don't know if you saw my query? (see above in the thread): Herman, do you trim your container figs to any particular size or shape? (Some of mine were pruned to single stem by the nursery; some seem to grow upright with less branching as a natural habit, others want to branch a *lot*.) I have quite a few single-stem cuttings that are little (24" or less) and have hardly any branchings - I don't want to pinch out the top growing tip on these this spring to make them branch, do I? this is an area I'm not familiar with, is how to prune and *when*, to encourage the fruit. I checked the archives in this forum and saw things about pinching back growing tips, but how big do you let the figs get first before touching them? Thanks for help, everyone! (still looking for Leon to chime back in about his grandfather's fig and any pruning that might've been done when unearthing it in the spring) Sherry (counting down with 15+ figs to re-pot)

Newgen: the holes left in the ground I end up filling with end of the year garden debris (mulch, leaves, etc.) just so that it doesn't look like my yard is filled with landmines. Come spring, I usually end up planting things in different locations so I don't re-use the same holes, but I do mix around all the surrounding soil and compost before I make new holes. It's important that with pot planting, your specimen should be placed as high as possible with the soil mix even with the top of the pot. This achieves the best esthetic result since you don't see the pot rims, while simultaneously leaving room available for mulching. If you start your plants early indoors or in a greenhouse, make sure to acclimate the plants for a few weeks to sun and wind. Plumies adapt quickly and nicely. x

Its easy John, my first year growing from seed. I asked a few questions here and dove in. A couple things I kept in mind from advise here, or learned through this experience Cheap light are fine, but keep them close. Cool, even cold temperature seems to benefit the plants. Early in their life, these guys saw no higher than 65 and down to the 40's. Resist the temptation to over love them by watering or feeding too frequently. I would just wait until my cups were really light, the I would water them. I would brush my hands over them a couple times a day when I checked on them. I wanted to get a small fan, but in February I simply couldnt find one. At this point I figure its uselss as I am going to start hardening them off in the next week or so. Everyone says water from the bottom which I did when they were in the Peet Pellets on the trays, but once I potted up to the 10oz cups, I watered them from the top with a Turkey Baster. Have fun and good luck Brian

For me it all depends on how leggy the plant is, how thin or weak the stem is. If it is tall and quite leggy then IMO it will benefit more from planting deep and sacrificing the cotyledons and maybe even some of the lower leaves to get most all that weak stem under ground. If it is a short, stocky, well developed transplant then it can be buried just up to the cotyledons. In other words, no one approach works with all plants. Dave