I spent the last 2 weeks bare rooting/ root pruning my 20-25 gallon fig trees about 40 pots total plus 20 repots. I am not looking forward to the next time. It was a lot of work. Over the course of my " fig experience" I have picked up tips to get through this torturous and necessary chore.

1. MG potting mix sucks. Trying to root prune a tree planted in this will make you want to airlayer the trunk and throw the root ball away..... Like a block of clay. Promix or gritty mix is way easier. I use a gritty mix and I refresh it and use over.

2. After 10 trees I decided it was time for power tools. I pulled out my reciprocating saw and sliced vertically every 5 inches and 4 inches deep. I then chopped the outer 3-4 inches off. I then trimmed with pruners and scissors. Make sure to cut off the fat roots.

3. Keep a smaller collection. I am definitely thinning the herd now. Way too much work for me. I am selling some of my collection. All trees were root pruned and are good for a few years. My goal is 20 large pots and 5 in ground trees.

Thanks for the tips Jason.  I'm sure the saw helped tremendously.  How many hours do you think you spent over those 2 weeks?

This was good advice!  I  hope you get your issues solved.  I know you are frustrated and would like to get rid of the extras.

If you sell on Ebay, be sure to clear it with the fig commission or you will be tarred and feathered. 

Not sure who runs the fig commission, but there is one, and if you don't register, .... well you already know

Suzi

After reading about root pruning the past year, I decided that eventually all my figs will go into the ground. Our weather would easily permit that. The biggest problem will be the gophers. I expect to lose some trees. But the alternative it just too much work.

One of the things I've learned is that figs root easily and grow fast - and cuttings of many good varieties are available from various sources - even if only from all the trees I'm locally giving to friends and neighbors. Just like mineral rights, I reserve 'cutting rights', lol.

Kudos to those of you who must keep all your trees in pots.

First, there was Johnny Appleseed, then there was Gina Fig-cutting : )

FiggyFrank- about 1/2-3/4 hour if in gritty mix for 25 gallon. 1.5 hrs for soil. Saw times. Add 20-30 minutes no saw.
Suzi- I already applied for the appropriate permits ;)

Gina- Try planting the figs in a chicken wire frame. The gophers can root prune for you.

Chainsaw, maybe?

I am very guilty of not thinking ahead. A hundred trees is fine when they're 5 gallons but when they get bigger. What a pain! I doubt everyone here is root pruning every 3-4 years and then when their tree strangles itself they will wonder what happened.

The saw makes a huge difference. I cut 4 inches off around the perimeter and then bare root and cut off the large roots. I saw you write you cut wedges in yours. How's that working for you?

I am trying 25 gallon smart pots this year. Hopefully they air prune the roots like they're supposed too.

Works much better and faster
than a reciprocating saw.

I have close to 80 trees to do shortly,
smallest container is 25 gal.

THEORETICALLY:  Root pruning does not necessarily need to be done during the dormant season, or even all at once.  Cut a metal pipe with a 45 degree tip to it.  Throughout the year, randomly punch a hole or two or three in the growing mix and remove the core.  Then, fill the hole with growing mix.  When the tree is actively growing, take plugs from closer to the edge of the container, during the dormant periods you can move closer to the center.  A pipe diameter of about 1/10th the diameter of the container seems about appropriate.  I would think this could buy an extra year or more between bare-rooting.

I once did this (only more than a couple of holes) on a severely constricted root ball to buy some time until the tree was dormant and could be bare-rooted.  I do not have too many trees in containers anymore to try this on. If anyone is employing a similar method (or decides to try this one) I'd be interested to know how it works out.

Chainsaw? I was thinking about that too... But to make firewood.

Got my little pea brain working....HMM. My thinking behind this root pruning thing. I think the easiest way would be to have a 3" or 4" x20" core bit. Drill 5 or 6 core plugs out each year and the following years alternate where you drill. You could fill the holes back in with new promix, lime and slow release fertilizer. And whatever you like to supply your plant. How do you like them apples.


luke

There is no eBay commission.  Jason already sells on eBay and does fine.  People that lie about things and get caught on it will get reported if someone here notices.  Suzi, you had commented to my thread that Jennifer was the seller that I was complaining about.  I don't know if you caught your mistake and deleted it or what happened, but Jennifer wasn't involved in any fashion.

The airpot and similar growing methods (RootMaker, RootTrapper, painted copper inside of pot) are supposed to help incourage branching out and a more fibrous root system.  I've used a variety of methods on a short term basis for chestnut trees and it has worked out well.  It seems that even on a long-term basis for a fig tree that working with a more fibrous root system would be much easier.  Using a chainsaw is going to result in a dull chain and then a hot chain and bar very quickly.  I have to cut down various trees along the levee and sometimes in the river near my irrigation pump frequently and have four sets of chains because I run my chains into dirt way too often.  I try to avoid it, but stuff happens.

Reciprocating saw sounds like the ticket, Harbor Freight runs about $30, $25 on sale, I think the house brand is Chicago Electric.
I wouldn't want to beat up an expensive saw dirt-pruning. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-amp-reciprocating-saw-with-rotating-handle-65570.html

I have used a bow saw w good results, but a lot of work if you have a bunch of trees.

Duece works well for me i never bareroot anything.

If need be during season to nurture plant till end of season i use my Ross tree root feeder, a long hollow pole with 4 holes at the end and attach my hose to it and with water on work it down into the heart of root ball to give water otherwise trying to hand water a root bound tree it just runs to the sides down and out drain holes and not penetrate into it .

Noss yes electric - here is link i went cheap and bought the 6 amp one as a note i have not used it yet .
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-amp-reciprocating-saw-with-rotating-handle-65570.html


Blades do not come with it
Link to blades i bought 5 pack of 9 inch pruning blades 6.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-9-reciprocating-saw-pruning-blades-68946.html

Also type into google harbor freight coupon codes there is a 20% code until end of month on there products and or maybe another one as well i have not looked lately.

see? 42 is perfect number. and they will be all in 10 gal tubs. now.. i just have to find an excuse to go and get a chain saw :)

Seems to me like the total repotting/root pruning of a large (10 gallon+) tree is a time consuming, labor intensive effort.  Other than space and sun penetration, this seems like the most significant limiting factor on the number of trees that can be successfully grown. 

Let's start with the premise that we all agree that for trees that will live out their lives in pots, some sort of root management is necessary.  If there are those that feel otherwise, please say so.

I think there are at least 3 categories that need to be considered, and I'm sure there are varying opinions from the members on each.

What is/are the primary purpose(s)?:
1.  To avoid/remedy root circling/strangulation?
2.  To replace the growing medium?
3.  Anything else?

Strategies to make the task easier/faster:
1.  Use of power tools: recip saws, chain saws, etc
2.  Use of an appropriate growing medium, for example a pine bark/perlite mix that will weigh a lot less than dirt or even common "potting mix".
3.  Spread the work out over the year or over several years, for example, doing 1/3 of the trees every 3 years.  This requires some way of indicating which trees were root pruned when, i.e. record keeping.

Strategies to delay the task or avoid it alltogether:
1.  Use of special pots that self-root-prune?  air pots, magic pots, fabric pots, etc
2.  Mini-pruning techniques, such as the cutting out and extracting cylinders of root/mix mass, described by James and others.
3.  Use a growing medium that does not require replacement very often, such as pine bark or gritty mix.

My personal thoughts will be in a subsequent posting, but I thought it would be useful to organize all the good ideas/experience here.

I will choose a growing medium that will take several years to degrade to the point of requiring replacement, specifically pine bark and extra coarse perlite.  Therefore, the main purpose of root pruning will be to avoid circling/strangulation.

I hope to do it infrequently enough that I don't have to think that much about ways to make it easier, although that may change as my trees grow and need larger pots.

If there are roots encircling the pot, I think if you can cut those roots, they will die and gradually decay and alleviate the problem.  So why not try to cut them in place, rather than do a whole repotting? 

Therefore, I like the idea of taking out cylindrical plugs and replacing that with fresh growing media.  Any roots that are severed in the process will die, and within a few months will no longer pose a strangulation threat.  So the question is, how often, how close to the tree (presumably the closer, the more roots will be severed), what should be the diameter of each hole, etc.

Alternatively, a straight cut could be made from the center of the tree straight out to the wall of the pot.  If you did this effectively you would almost certainly sever the vast majority of the circling type roots. 

I have not tried these techniques, or anything similar, so I'd be interested in hearing from members who have done something like this. 

Hungryjack, what is your process for root pruning? Do you bare root the tree?

@Harvey (post 14) -- that idea of airpot (and similar techniques) sounds pretty interesting.  I'm going to have to go research that a bit more.  But if you have any pointers/references, they might be helpful.

@Pete (post 18) -- yeah, 42 is almost mystical, init?  (isn't it?)

Mike  central NY state, zone 5

hi
i think that we have to find a patent for root pruning with out removing plants from pots.
if we could make somthing like a tuna can opener that will scrub the outer rootball layers.
this should workk with their own custum made pots and should be all electric for easier life.

it sounds like a business venture.....

My feeling on the plug method is that it will only delay the inevitable root pruning. If you've ever bare rooted a tree that went from cutting to 5-6 ft in one season you will see thick encircling roots from all directions that intertwine and branch inwards. It is impossible to get them all by coring.

I think the reciprocating saw did a fine job for 25 gallon pots. I was cutting less than a few minutes( I only cut 4 inches off the perimeter and off the bottom if needed). Chainsaw might be quicker but I was only cutting for minutes and recipro blades are cheaper.

I bare root while I am doing this to dig out and cut off the really thick roots at the core. Also to get fresher potting medium in there as well. It adds about 15 minutes to each tree. The medium I use shakes right off after all the tangled roots are cut off.