So i had planted this fig in my front yard
and being that we had 98F temps and little rain, i wanted to mulch as best i could.
so i kept throwing clippings and leaves on the ground at the base
and now its 2 inchs deep.
its been in ground at least 8 months now.

THing is, ive actually noticed roots coming out of the trunk
(well above the normal root-line)
i tried moving the mulch out the way
but the smaller roots actually started growing up, into the mulch.

So is this a problem for the future of the tree ?
SHould i really try to dig it up ?

No. Fig trees are not like other plants/trees. You can plant them as deep as you want. The deeper the better in my opinion, and it is actually common practice to actually grow your fig trees into a tall whip & plant them 3+ feet deep. Mr. Pons does this. The reason why it makes sense is because this develops a strong root system quicker, and protects the root zone from freezing in cold climates.

Makes great sense, Ross.... If the plant can tolerate planting low, then the more material below the frost line the greater the chance of it surviving a really cold winter....

Thanks Ross will definitely use this method next year.

I guess figs are similar to tomato plants in that aspect that they will grow roots from the stem if planted deep.

I would do this only in the active growing season. Planting too deep in the fall leads to rot. I found that out the hard way.

I asked a question similar to this about planting my well-rooted tree on a Facebook "expert" forum - The Garden Professors Blog. Here is my question and also the answer I received from professor / author Linda Chalker-Scott :

Question

Can plants like figs and pomegranates be planted deep like tomatoes and peppers can? I have heard for years about the dangers of planting a tree too deep, but what about plants that will root when buried? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to burying a 3 foot fig tree so that only the top few nodes are exposed above ground?

I know in colder climates people often plant figs a little deeper as protection against frost kill, and I have seen videos online where large machines were used to dig 6 foot+ deep holes in which a large unrooted fig branch was buried and allowed to root. As the tree grew, the hole was gradually filled in around it.

I'd say professor Linda is just guessing or speaking about trees in general. The original roots of a fig planted 3ft deep aren't going to die in a well drained soil. In a poorly drained soil sure they might. But in a soil where figs normally root 3ft or deeper there's no reason to believe the buried roots will die. And for plants like figs and grapes that root easily even on older wood the new roots near the surface should be just as good as if planted shallower.

That said planting 3ft deep sounds a bit like overkill. It's not going to help survival after a winter freeze unless the buds can push up thru 3ft of soil. Will they do that? I don't know, maybe in a loose friable soil. But not thru clay.

See this post: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/show_single_post?pid=1266018764&postcount=5&forum=0

Hmmm...
this is actually interesting.
I am wondering if any testing has been done on this subject...

I have put tomato plants in the ground much deeper
and yes, it gave them a much better root system.

I actually recently read about roots needing air
i didnt know what till recently, that roots
will actually take in oxygen and give off CO2
and its the leaves that do the  opposite.
and what i read was that roots under water
die from not being able to release CO2
(especially if the water is stagnant and CO2 builds up)
and not from lacking oxygen.

So, im my case, i am building up the soil with mulch
and i doubt that it will cause the roots underneath to get less 02
especially since my soil is high in sand.
I also have lots of worms
i know they say worms can aerate the soil
but, i am wondering if thats the same thing ?
Since every inch of the root is not getting more 02
or, is more able to release CO2

So, i guess i will be mulching away :)

thanks all...

If your tree looks droopy after planting, it's very possible that it's not getting enough oxygen. Your tree should let you know within the first day if there's a problem.

Hi,
You can bury them 3'' deeper if you want but not 3' .
If your tree is young and still growing new roots, it will use those additional 3''.
If your tree had been 10 years in a pot, the trunk would become hard, and roots will hardly grow on such a trunk. The trunk may rot from that unused water/moisture.
So on a young tree, it is not a problem. I have one tree that I buried 2'' deeper and then build a 3'' high frame and filled it with dirt from the nurseries (and added jonquils ... against rodents)and the tree is happy.
But the tree was young when I did. It was a root-sucker and is now 15' tall.
On that 15' tall tree, I wouldn't add any more mulch or just 1'' ; definitively not adding 1' of mulch - not risking loosing such a tree ...

As for the roots that you see, let them be. They will either grow into the dirt ( as surface roots - I have a pic here in one of my topics), or dry out and the tree will be fine.
Is the tree growing normally ? Is she in stalled mode ?
If in stalled mode, the tree may be lacking some fertilizer and is growing roots into the mulch to access some more nutrients.