well, you guys have pampered me with tons of great info, so it's your fault i'm asking another question.

i just up potted my CH to cure a bad case of summer dormancy. [it worked! yay!] that gave me a chance to inspect the roots. except for 1 lonely little root that shot downward, the roots formed a disc, 3'' deep by the width of the pot. from this i deduced that my fig wants lateral room more than depth.

so, instead of using a 5 gal bucket i put it into a pot shaped like the traditional clay pot, a truncated vee.  the pot holds less than 5 gallons but is several inches wider at the top where the roots seem to want to go.

i was pleased with my discovery, thinking the best pot was either that traditional shape, or perhaps even a wide shallow container.

then i though of all the pics i've studied here. lots of people who know more than i grow great figs in 5 gal. buckets. i guess i'm wrong? do the roots go down after filling the top? or, what?

for a few plants, i can afford big expensive vee shaped pots, so i'm not talking economics, but just want the best environment for figs to flourish.


may i please have your thoughts on this?

susie

Susie:

To me roots only in the top 3 inches and stalled growth says your mix was waterlogged. Was the soil below those 3 inches wet and sticky? Because when my mix drains well the fig roots fill the whole soil volume. I like a taller pot so the perched water table is further down, ie, more well drained soil.

oooh, steve. i bet it was. i had it in miracal grow. well, i put it in 5-1-1 so that should fix that.

i have a tendency to overwater everything. 

now, i can't wait to see those roots at the next repot.

i have read that figs are shallow rooted, but that's not so?

thanks, steve

susie

I work at a winery. I buy oak barrels. It costs me $20- for retail you may get them for $40 if you buy direct, not from locals-- I notice they will charge double. That Martha Stewart recipe mix works too: concrete + peat moss + water + your mold = (your container). I hear those are good projects

Hope that helps you

Jenny

hi, jenny. how wide are they? do you cut them in 1/2?

susie

thanks jenny. i'd luv to  see some pics.

there's a cider mill back home that sometimes has used barrels. next time i visit with  my little truck, i'll see if i can get some.

susie

Susie,

     I overwater, too. I always make sure I get a fast-draining medium to counteract my predilection.

dale, what mix do you use.? i'm trying 5-1-1 but have read some negative posts about its use for figs.

i've been testing 5-1-1 and i have had mixed results. sopme plants love it, others are indifferent, some respond poorly.

susie

Susie

   I am a bit embarrassed to say that I use what is  handy. I try to pot up cups to gallon size in the same mix, which is generally 50/50 peat/perlite. After that I go up to three or five gallon and use a potting soil. If I don't like the looks of it, I will add more perlite. I have used Promix with good results, but is sometimes tough to find around here, so I am now using Miracle Grown  potting mix, again with good results. Mind you, it has fertilizer added, so I am hoping it will permit hardening off/ lignifying by the end of summer. I don't have so many (yet) that I need to buy bulk and if something doesn't work it is easy and inexpensive to change it. I have little, young trees and am getting figs from Negronne, Violette de Bordeaux, Hardy Chicago, Blue Celeste, Green Ischia, Troiano Calabrese and some unknowns, not a lot but given the size of the plants, I am calling it successful.

   I have read others on the forum extol the virtues of various mixes, so I will nod to those with more knowledge than I on the matter.

dale, that confuses me. steve said my shallow root growth was probably caused by waterlogged soil. that seems the case as when i took it out of MG and put it into 5-1-1 i got a growth spurt after 10 weeks of summer dormancy.  in the MG all the roots were in the top 3'' of mix. perhaps it was the bigger pot?

susie

Susie:

With a little more experience you will learn the symptoms of waterlogged soil even before examining the roots. The soil usually loses volume ie settles, plant wilts/won't grow but water poured in top runs right through, and plant may show chlorosis. When pulled from the pot the bottom half to 3/4 are wet and lacking roots. The soil may smell bad.

steve, that sure fits. no odor or chlorosis, but the rest  is what i saw. i don't understand how others can get results with miracal grow, but i sure can't, with figs. it's odd, because some of my plants definitely  prefer it. for example, my norfork island pine in 5-1-1 is doing poorly compared to the control in MG.
looks like i can't find a mix that works for everything

susie