I noticed a couple of things today while up-potting half a dozen figs to 3+ gallon containers.

While taking pots up out of their stall where they are close to the dirt, I realized that my best growers this year had run large roots right through the hole(s) in the bottom and into the ground, there were also lots of fine roots, but some of the larger roots were upwards of 1' long and half as thick as a pencil.

The plants that ran roots through the pot and into the ground suffered from the worst transplant shock after repotting and had to be placed in the shade.

Some of the plants were spaced almost an inch off the ground and still managed to run roots through the air and into the ground!

I have some plants in pots that have NO holes in the bottom (only on the side of the pot near the base) and those suffered the least from transplant shock, could be put into direct sun after up-potting; they also had much fewer, much finer roots running into the ground.

My conclusion:

I think it's better to avoid pots that have holes on the bottom when you know you will up-pot.  These types of pots seem to be very hard to find!  I know Nursery Supplies makes them for Monrovia and others.

The flip side of the coin is that your best growers might BE your best growers because they got their roots into the ground.

Noted. But if they are just gout to be set back on up-pot because of it.... Is it worth it?

Hard to say. I guess it depends on your long-term plans for the fig. If it's going to always be in a pot, maybe letting it root into the ground each growing season and then cutting it loose in the fall once it goes dormant might be a good idea (a number of people have posted about the benefits of partially-buried pots). Wouldn't that reduce the need for annual root pruning? If it sends new roots into the ground each year, it would probably also be less likely to get root-bound, and maybe wouldn't have to be "up-potted" as often.

Interesting story on the irrigation issue. Seems to be similar to what I saw. Who needs to bury when .... ?

Good point--if yours are literally rooting through the air to reach soil, who needs a shovel?

Jason,

Maybe you waited to long to repot, if your plants were outgrowing the pot that much>

The plants exhibited no signs of being rootbound. In fact, the entire top of the footballs were nearly devoid of significant roots.

It is sort of like having your cuttings in clear cups. The top growth does not reflect the bottom (root) growth, you want to be able to see what is going on. With larger plants, you just have to pick them up once in a while.

But if pots will have no holes on a buttom where extra water will go?
I did kill my Hollier this year..
what happen? I put this one in a big 10 gallon pot and after some time I find out pot split on a side.. So I put this plant in another pot without removing plant from this split one.. Still was hole on a buttom.. So, because extra water was have no way to go.. Roots start be too wet.. and plant died.. Even I try re pot this one as soon as I start think this is the way plant start loosing leaves.. I don't save this one..
So, I think this is important to have holes on a buttom of a pot..
I don't lost any other plants.. So, I'm sure this was a reason.. extra water didn't have a way to go away..
About re potting..
May be better wait till later to do so, when plant became dormant..
And I saw this myself plants do better if they roots go in ground from pots..
Even..I do have just salty sand..

I have noticed that some plants will abandon the root ball in the small pot once they have managed to get roots into the surrounding soil. I had a guava tree that escaped its pot and when I transplanted it, all of the roots in the pot were dead and only the roots going growing outside of the pot were still alive. I think it might be good to check the root ball in the pot to see if the roots are still alive before damaging the roots that are growing into the ground. If the root ball is still healthy and growing it might not matter as much to sever the escaped roots.

@olga - if you use a pot with holes at the bottom-sides (not the actual bottom) then they work out of the side holes, but there are not as "significant" of roots, so the plant still relies on the pot.

'afigfan' has nailed it on the head.  it seems once the plant found a direct path to the ground, it worked on that root (or roots) and abandoned all efforts to root inside the pot.

I wanted to touch base on this and post some pictures to show what I'm talking about.

In the picture below, I labeled the various trees in my 'corral' that require some shade from the heat generated from being on the south side of my house.  Note the picture following to see what these trees looked like just a couple months ago so you can appreciate the growth I will discuss.

The ones on the left were rooted just a few months ago.  Literally - and look at how tall they are.  I allowed them to run roots through the holes in the bottom of the pot and into the (rather rich, mineral-heavy) earth of my raised bed.  After each one laid a tap root into the ground, the tree started shooting up new green growth.  I cannot move the trees without really damaging the root system, so once this green growth hardens, I will up-pot.

The ones in the middle were never allowed to dig into the ground.  They are scrawny.

The ones on the right are older (c. 2009) and were never allowed to grow into the ground.  Notice that the ones from this year are taller, but in much less time.

This is just a sample of what I've been playing with.  If you let your trees dig into the ground like this, you better make sure that you won't want to move them later.  If you do, you'll be nursing them back from wilting due to destroying their mainline to water....

Jason I am glad you posted that picture. Its been my experience that when plant's regardless of pot size have the roots hit ground its like a spike of growth. Since 2009 I have drilled atleast a dozen holes on the bottoms of all my pots plus the side holes and place them directly on top of the backyard soil and then throw a bit of soil around the bottom of the pot instead of burying it.

This is Vincenzo in April 2010


Vincenzo Aug. 2010

you can clearly see the roots coming out the sides of the pot was not easy to pull this one out without cutting the roots off on the bottom with a spade shovel.

Here are some close-up pics of the wide shot above. 

The first pic is this year (2011) batch on the left side and the spring 2010 batch on the right. 

The second picture is several shorter trees from 2009/2010 which have mostly been up-potted to 3ish gallon size.

Very interesting, Jason. Looks like there are lots of benefits to rooting into the soil, if you don't have to move the pots before the end of the season. I'm wondering, if most of the significant roots are in the soil beneath the pot, why do you need to up-pot? Couldn't you just leave them where they are till they go dormant, and then cut them loose and store them indoors for the winter? I suppose you would have to increase the pot size a little in the spring, but if you kept letting them root into the ground and stay in one place for each growing season, it seems like you would have many of the advantages of growing in-ground, while maintaining good-sized plants in relatively small pots--without all that annual root pruning.

That's a nice setup Jason. I was kind of starting to wonder how I was going to organize my growing collection. Gives me some good ideas. It keeps the critters out and it looks tidy.

@Ken, I am conflicted on whether to up-pot.  Right now, I need to move them because they're crowding each other out of light and it's creating nodes that are starting to get too long (too leggy)... I know, I could pinch back, but then they're just going to branch over one another, which will make matters worse.  I'm on the fence with this one.  I wish the wood would hurry up and harden off so they won't 'limp out' as much when I cut those main roots.

@hex, thanks for the compliments.  If you need any details about the iterations this area went through, see:  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5235884

Oh, and for a comparison, check out this picture from that thread:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=1148367

That is what my fig collection was looking like a couple months ago.  As you can see, most of those trees I'm showcasing on the left above were shorter than 8" tall just a couple months ago.

I was going to make a topic asking this, but I think it relates and Jason has helped me with up potting before. I have a few new trees went from 1 gallon to 2+ and 3 gallon pots about a month or so ago. they were showing roots out of the bottom. I moved them up and now I am seein even more roots out of the holes then I did in the 1 gallon. I most of my pots on ground. The roots have not gotten into the ground yet they just stay moist sitting under the pot. I don't think they would be root bound at this point, but would this be an example of just wanted to seek the ground?

Jason if you cut those roots now it will set the plants back several weeks easy then they will have a growth spert just in time for cool weather.
They may be a little crowded and the nodes a little long but they are very healthy.
Thats just my thought and you are more qualified at fig growing than me so keep us updated on what you decide and how iwell t works out.

@71GTO, sounds like your trees have some roots that are seeking earth. 

@Jim, I disagree when you say, "more qualified at fig growing".  You've been growing far longer than I have.

I think I may 'thin out' the herd by strategically removing a couple of trees and leaving the others in rooted to the ground.  I'm working out local trades, a couple of Italian Honey trees (I have 4-5) for some Goumi cuttings and young rooted Loquats.

@Jason:  what are the dimensions of your "stall" and how many fig plants are housed there?  

Jason,

Next year I plan on using the one part of my yard next to the arbor and fill it with a yard or two with mulch ( maybe more ). The area is approx. 10' x 30'.
This is where I plan on placing most of the fig trees.

I have included a picture for all to see.

Herman mention once that it is good for the roots to grow out into the soil. I think growing into the mulch should be just as good.

My fig orchard is a flower bed filled with mulch. Any roots that grow into the ground are welcome to do so until pot up time. Not all have. At the appropriate time - potting up or garage overwintering, I cut. I have cut off roots growing through pots and into the ground all summer and experience problems only once.