Hi Dennis,

Do you think that this mover could handle the weight. It says that it can handle up to 200 lbs or did you build yours?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pennington-13-in-Wood-Barrel-Mover-100511672/205311866?fbtLinkClicked=1464633368443|205626595

Honestly i think they will last a month or 3. As soon as the wood Gets wet those plastic wheels will fall out. Get these

http://m.harborfreight.com/material-handling/dollies.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

Does anyone know why Bill no longer covers his SIPs with a plastic cover. Initially, when I copied his method, the plastic cover was put on so the roots would be drawn to the wicking area and not rely on top water. It made sense, so why the change?

"I should also add that the fill tube can be made superfluous by adding a drip line over the top into your SIP, which Bill does and as of last year, I am also doing."

Rafaelissimmo, are you saying that the drip emitter is inserted into the overflow pipe (so the water goes in and out the same pipe?)

Sas: Why do you feel it is important that it is burlap instead of weed barrier?

I'm going to kick in a few here....I haven't in a while

one of the most important things to remember....keep your SIP's level (or close)...the amount of water and the level of the water are affected

The burlap is to keep the soil above the wire support...it will degrade by the time you're ready to trim roots the first time in 3-4 years, I wouldn't use landscape cloth...it doesn't degrade and will block the roots from getting into the SIP....you'll find the reservoir full of roots when its time to prune..they like it there...that's the purpose of the sip...get the roots into the water

any wire can be used as long as it supports the soil...I use the expanded aluminum kick plate off old screen doors/ old hardware cloth scraps, 2x4 wound wire fencing, 1x2 welded wire fencing....anything you can fit in the container that will support the burlap and the soil...don't spend money

many of these items can be found on craigslist free section...some folks are judicious about re-purposing materials....I found a retailer in our area who gives away burlap bags...by the hundreds.....they're not pretty but they work well...don't spend money

If you're serious about bigger SIP's you're going to need something a bit bigger and more substantial than some of those furniture movers, they'll work for a year..maybe...spend money here

try this
http://www.fresh-group.com/heavy-pot-mover/4587790387

pricey.....but so are chiropractors....and the mover doesn't have to go back for repeat visit after visit

I figure about 4 or 5 visits worth....but then I'm 70 or 71...i can't remember

Costco occasionally has the bigger, plastic half barrel pots...and they're cheaper that HD...spend less money

Rusty, how deep are those Costco pots? Aren't they around 14 inches or less? I can't remember. I use both burlap and weed cloth. Both work fine for me. I also use 4 inch gutter flex drain pipe instead of the 3 1/2 inch pvc. It all works.

Dennis,

I have a couple of sizes from them....the one that's prepared and yet empty...amazingly....is 15.5" deep and 25" diameter...I figure about 3 gallons of water reservoir

BTW....there's another method of creating a reservoir....flexible, perforated, black plastic pipe comes in 3" and 4" diameters....I recently built a SIP using 4" with a sock (available at HD...but you have to spend money)....coiled up in the bottom of the tub, with the sock tied off at both ends and a hole cut very carefully...just big enough to let the filler pvc tube in....

the 3 & 4" perforated pipe is a favorite for folks extending their downspouts to the street...then come spring it's cast off by many...on craigslist free section...(;>) ...yep..repurpose

Thanks Rusty.

That black perforated plastic pipe is exactly what I use today. However I do have 20+ created using 4 inch PVC like those in Bill's photos.

Here is some examples of what we're talking about:
           

very nice Coop!

Awesome!!!!

Coop: Do you mind if I ask how old is that tree?

Coop, did you get that pot from Bill? I haven't seen those down here in NC anywhere. They look like Bill's older and deeper pots. Those are the ones to get. IMHO

Hi Dennis, i did not buy that pot directly from Bill but it is made by the same company that he uses. I bought it from a garden center and it's the same size as the one he sells only a different outside design. Also, I have these at least 5 years or so. After buying a few from Bill I thought I'd source my own and build a few. Turns out between all the components my SIP cost not that much less than what Bill charges all in. I also felt that I'd rather support Bill anyway. That one is an exact copy of his.
Bretton. I wish I could tell you exactly how old that tree is but my early record keeping wasn't so great. A good guess would be at least 5- 10 years old and root pruned at least once.
By the way, this is one of my beloved Dominick's and that tree would bare maybe close to 100 figs.
I'm a huge believer in growing Figs this way,

I love the SIPs and how well they grow figs, but I've gotten away from them the last year or so.  My reasons are pretty simple... space.  They take up a lot of room in my garage and they are too heavy to stack on top of one another.  They are also too heavy to do the fig shuffle with.  If you have the room and the strength though, they grow figs better than anything else I've found.  For now, I've started using tree pots with holes only in the side and burying them halfway in the ground.  We will see how they work in comparison.

To address a few of the questions I saw... much like Dennis I've used landscape fabric and burlap and I have seen no difference.  I can say by the second year, there is no burlap left (I haven't checked sooner to see how fast it degrades).  I've experimented with plastic on top and plastic off.  I believe the plastic helps in keeping the soil damp and allows a larger root ball to form.  I haven't seen any serious degradation not using it either though.  The only downside to not using it, is you get a lot of suckers.  If you are trying to grow the fig into a tree and not a bush, it is more convenient to use the plastic covering.  I use drip irrigation in my potted orchard and some SIPs I use a fill tube and some I do not... I don't think it matters either way as long as you water enough to fill the reservoir.  I tried to root prune some of my 55g barrel cut in half SIPs last year and I couldn't get the tree out.  It was just too heavy and too stuck in there.  So I ended up using a sawz all and root pruning blade and cut sections of the root mass out and then filled in with fresh soil.  It wasn't perfect, but seemed to work.

My go-to plant caddy is:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_607936-27607-52427___?productId=50328213&pl=1&Ntt=plant+caddy
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00466Q7WY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For under $35 you get an attractive cast iron dolly and somewhat durable wheels.  The plastic ones that came with the caddy broke the first week.

Has anyone had experience with Air-pruning?  I am working on a pot made from a 55 gallon plastic drum.  I imagine it will work as advertised to prevent root bind, but I suspect the air will dry the roots requiring more watering.

Air pruning? You bet! Works great! There's a guy on YouTube that created one using a 55g barrel. I keep saying I'm gonna try it but haven't yet. I use a lot of super root pots. They are dynamite if you use the correct soil like pure compost.

The guy on YouTube used shade cloth inside a 55g barrel with 3 inch holes cut all over the barrel. Looks like a winner winner chicken dinner!

Man what a bunch of happy trees.  They are impressive beauties...Some Newbie questions here...why are these in the SIPS?  Winter freeze back situations or just better?  Also where do you get the mushroom compost that isn't more expensive than gold???  And I thought I just had to figure out the rooting, now the heat and more...

Hi Jodi:

To my knowledge mushroom compost is cow manure which is sterilized and then used to grow mushrooms. For reasons that are beyond my recollection it can only be used once. They then sell it as mushroom compost or mushroom dirt. The stuff I got was considered "hot", meaning it needed to be further aged as it had too high of a nitrogen content and would burn plants. Luckily for me there is a major mushroom growing outfit in Pennsylvania which is geographically close to me in south New Jersey. Trucking cost more than the actual mushroom dirt for me. Short answer is look to see where the nearest mushroom growing outfit is to you. But, my guess is that where you are located, AZ, they are far away.

Wow from cow dung to mushroom compost.  Reminds me of the difference between prunes and dried plums!  Thanks for the clarity Blackfoot.  I will have to check into that.  I don't know about commercial mushroom growers around here, but we sure had great lobster mushrooms last year.  Hoping for another great year of exploring and foraging in the mountains.  Best, Jodi

Jodi
"why are these in the SIPS?"
SIPS are just another way to grow figs in containers. As you can see there are many benefits and the results are just fantastic. This is also another way of extending the season for us folks with a shorter  growing season.
"Also where do you get the mushroom compost that isn't more expensive than gold???"
I buy mushroom compost at the beginning of the season from Lowes and it is quite inexpensive ie. dirt cheap. A large 30lbs or so bag  is about $4.00. Excellent stuff !!

Thanks Coop.  A very beneficial day for me to check in with the fig think tank.  You fig lovers are so adaptive.  Now if I can just get the figlets to survive the heat wave maybe I will have to try the mushroom compost and the SIPS.  Sounds like the figs dig both.  ;-)  

And I can a pickup load around 2yds of mushroom compost for 35 dollars. I usually use 4 loads a year. And just Monday, I bought a F-150 to get bigger screen loads! LOL

I have never seen this stuff, will have to look harder for it. two yards for $35.00! that is dirt cheap ;)