Ficus can be maintained in any pot size you wish. If the roots are filling the current container, and you don't want a larger container (and i wouldn't, too hard to manage in my opinion), then at the next repotting (this should be in the early summer, when it's warm and the plant is growing well), root prune about 1/3 of the roots, work out the old soil from the root ball, and repot with fresh soil into the same container. Water well, then not again until the soil is very dry or new growth resumes, at which point you can resume your normal care. Every time it gets root bound you repeat the process, but go ahead and let it get root bound, ficus don't mind until it gets ~really~ extreme. I would top prune about 1/3 of the foliage at the same time to control post transplant leaf drop, but some people would disagree. That's what works for me though.

of all the pix i have seen of mikes place... i have never seen a lawn ... i was thinking about this.. i would actually do a 3 foot ring.. and RUp 6 inches around it ... [which is the extra foot with 6 inches on both sides ] and throw out the weedwhip ... like i did a decade ago ... i like to say.. if you cant outsmart a babe who poops themselves.. you arent trying hard enough or losing the battle ..... along those lines.. if you need a weedwhip ... you havent mastered garden design.. that requires the use of such .... it didnt take me long to figure this out.. when i moved to 5 acres .. from suburbia... after spending 5 hours mowing .. who needs 5 hours of whipping ... so began.. large beds filled with conifer ... shrubs.. trees.. etc ... and throw the whip away .... now i can mow it all in about 2 hours ... and no weedwhipping .... sedums are good ground cover in mulch ... most are not overly aggressive.. and if planted with the tree ... will be as drought tolerant as the tree .. inside the year or two.. you need to water for the transplant ... [just be careful not to end up with another collection... lol] ken

Try bird feeding departments or stores. I use the tree hooks (really big s-hooks), one close to the trunk and another as far out as can bear the weight (or on two different limbs) with a chain connecting them. I hang the plants from the chain.

You have asked a very difficult question to answer, at least from my experiences and practices. But try to give an answer I will ...... If your grasses are exceeding the advertised height then some might say you are very lucky?!!! Generally exceptional growth is due to ultimate growing conditions. Soil, moisture, light, mild off season or winter. These are some of the main ingredients or pieces of the pie that really controls the growth of any plant. Now to address your question. By confining your grass to a smaller container may possibly stunt the grass growth but more likely it will hamper the fullness of the grass and cause the fronds and plumes to be sparse and basically unattractive. Cutting the bottom out of the pot really does nothing as the roots will go deeper to get more open space to grow thus allowing the grass to maintain it more natural growth in the location where you have it now growing. Cutting out the bottom is a method that some growers will use to stop the spread of a plant whether it is a grass or perennial "flower". Controlling the spreading habit in this scenario has proven to be worthless in many cases as the roots will go deeper and come up on the other side of the pot. Last but not the least would be to cut the top of the grass back at the desired "advertised" height making the grass appear as being butchered. Ain't nothing pretty or attractive about this scenario. In closing I would suggest you read a couple of ornamental grass books and find a grass or grasses that would fit in your garden area or at least in your minds eye. What better excuse to have more grasses in your landscape and garden areas? Jake