You can incorporate that into a potting mix, I guess. I've never used it so I can't say for sure. My goal was to make something that would allow for air space, hold moisture, and have a good organic nutrient base. I've read about compaction issues with keeping roses long-term in pots, thus the need for a looser, more free-draining mix than most potting mixes sold and intended for annuals. So I decided to use the shredded mulch for that, picking the cheapest I could find at Home Depot. But, at the same time, I did want to have some fine fluffy moisture-holding stuff, thus the peat moss (which is a base for most potting mixes, anyway). And finally, I wanted to push as much growth as possible from my bands, so they'd be more than just little twigs in the ground when I planted them. Thus the heavy infusion of cow manure and the organic fertilizers. My thought was that the initial excess nutrients leaching out of the manure would get "sponged up" by the mulch, then re-released slowly back into the mix. If I was to pot roses for longer-term (which I'll be doing when I get large planters for my red HTs), I'd probably put a layer of coarse gravel about 2" thick on the bottom of the pot over the drain holes, then 2" or so of straight mulch, then the potting mix. Each Spring, I'd top-dress with some fresh organic stuff (compost, fertilizer, manure, alfalfa meal, etc.), lightly scratching it into the top couple of inches. Again, as nutrients leach, they go down, replenishing the lower layers. After a few years, the rose would need to be removed, root-pruned, and at that point I'd refresh the potting mix again. :-) ~Christopher

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)

Elevating root balls above the surface can be tricky. Especially if the raised root ball will act like a wick. It will do this especially if there is a difference between the porosity of the nursery soil and the new soil. Raised root balls are usually only indictated for plants that are susceptible to crown rot (like citrus). The benefit of which is lost by adding a layer of mulch (recommended). Figs are not susceptible. Here is what the Texas Aggies recommend: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/homefruit/fig/fig.html . Good luck!

Whether or not trees in pots that are set in the ground require more attention depends on what you're comparing them too. They require more attn than trees planted out, but less attn than trees planted in containers maintained above ground. You will still get a dwarfing affect with shorter internodes and smaller leaves, but it won't be as pronounced as it would be with a tree in an above-ground container. A good guess is somewhere half-way between normal growth (in ground) and how it would grow under container culture. You would still need to lift the tree & root-prune/repot on a fairly regular basis though, to keep the tree growing with good vitality and close to its potential genetic vigor. A couple of benefits: You'll be hard-pressed to over-water. The earth will act as a giant wick & pull any excess water from the container. You will also gain considerable benefit in the fact that the extreme temp swings associated with regular container culture are avoided because of the buffering effect of the earth. I grow lots of woody stuff on for bonsai. If I get something that's really root-bound in a container, and CERTAIN to decline in the upcoming growth cycle because I was too lazy to repot, I often sink the container in a bed or garden until I can get to it the following year. It's an oft used strategy for bonsai practitioners. Al