I have been told by one member that I "need" to double pot some of my smaller (1 gal)Fig plants because of the terrible heat we are having around here,

If I get some pine bark nuggets and put them in the bottom of a 3 gal nursery pot, then put the 1 gal. pot inside the bigger pot, then fill the larger pot with the pine bark, and water it every once in a while (trying to keep the roots cooler) will that work?

Thanks in advance.

Anything that shades the pot will help, including painting it white -  but don't expect to cut your watering in half, or even close.

It has worked for me for a couple of years though we seldom get temperatures above 85~87F here. I add some soil mixed with mulching material. This helps insulate the inner pot from extreme heat and provides the added advantage for the roots growing out through the bottom holes for grazing for extra nutrients. I have done this with 1-gallon pots inside 3-gallon pots as well as 5-gallon pots inside 7-gallon pots.
When I say it worked for me I mean I saw better performance at the end of the year compared to single pots.

Thanks Jon,

And I know i'm not going to gain on the watering, but the little guy's have just quit growing, maybe the double potting will cool the roots somewhat...maybe just maybe they will start back up!


Ottawan Thanks much for your advise, I have double potted (5) of the plants I had in the 1 gal pots!

Maybe with everyones help (Thanks to all) I might be able to keep the little guys alive.

Again, Thanks to all.