For those who have fig trees both in ground and in large pots producing figs, I have several questions:

1. Do you notice any difference in the quality of the figs
2. How much work in terms of watering, the fig in pots vs fig in ground, especially in hot summer.
3. Pros and cons of each other.

I only have established figs in ground, so I´m curious about established trees that are in pots

Based on my personal experience:

1.  Generally better quality figs in ground
2.  Far less watering for ground trees
3.  Pots = winter shelter - no die back, movable, ripens sooner, longer growing season (greenhouse).  Ground = winter die back.  But, ground trees grow faster/produce more.  For me, they both have equal advantages/disadvantages.

Seems like 25-30 gallon pots provide a nice sized tree.  This link below has a lot of great first-hand experiences that will give you a better idea of how flexible you can be with a pot size.  I, myself, haven't grown fig trees long enough to get a mature tree in a pot.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1875609/size-pot-for-growing-figs

I used to grow figs In the ground but am switching to growing in pots in greenhouses. For my area it's to rainy to grow in ground without making raised beds. Pots also give you more control over drainage and what nutrients the plants are getting.

For commercially sellable figs, it's important that the taste is consistently the same for every crop. That is harder to do if the figs are in ground since you're at the mercy of the weather.

It all depends on your location and the weather. In the SoCal, the best option is in the ground. No winter and very consistent in terms of watering and feeding the trees.
In general, fig trees can be heavily trimmed and moved to a different location quite easily. You do not even need all the root mass, the roots will grow back.
In the pots, the summer heat is an issue and they need to be protected. The figs in them also go dormant much sooner than the ground trees because the ground stays warmer longer.

One man's meat is another man's poison. Trees going dormant early in pots is a good thing here, as the weather can turn very cold quickly. One needs to harden off for winter. So yeah long season figs are a problem here. Also using light colored pots, or fabric bags as I do helps keep plants cooler. Double potting can help too. It is not that much of a problem here where we only have a few 90F days and rarely have temps in the 100's. It's been 3 years since we hit 100 around here. Plants have been shown to be a lot cooler in fabric bags that breath. I use root pouches a 25 gallon root pouch costs $9.00. I slowly move them up 10 gallon bags are $4.50 or $40.00 for 10. They last 3 or 4 years. Here are my tomato plants in root pouches.

What about in ground in a greenhouse? What would be the reason for growing them in pots if they will be in a greenhouse full time anyway? I am planning on growing full time in a greenhouse so wanting to learn the reason that a lot of folks grow them in pots even if in a greenhouse full time.

I have grown containerized fig trees since 2007, and even if I had a garden, I would still containerize the fig trees.  You will have far more control regarding the culture, feeding, watering, etc. when the tree is containerized.  However, both methods of growing have merits and demerits.

Cold weather will not be your problem in Puerto Rico, but excessive water, tropical rain storms/hurricanes can be a problem as figs are ripening.  Too much water at the wrong time will wash out the fig's flavor, and dilute all the sweet sugars.  When grown in a container, you can control water at the roots by using the correct growing mix, and by moving the trees under cover to prevent flooding the roots with too much water.  I use cheap dollies to ROLL my trees around.  This saves my back, and prevents hernias.

I personally have found no differences in fruit quality, and have eaten lousy figs off both in ground and containerized trees.  Almost every variety of fig has the genetics to become a delicious piece of fruit.  Controlling water at the roots when figs are ripening is a major factor when it comes to how a fig tastes more than variety.  Lousy culture = lousy tasting figs.

Regarding containerized figs:  You MUST pay attention to watering.  You must water, and feed your trees regularly.  Containerized trees are easily stressed by dehydration and excessively warm growing medium.  Roots can quickly "cook" when containers are exposed to hot, direct, sunlight.  I would seriously consider some heavy mulching around the sides of containers - to keep the heating from the sun at a minimum, and, to keep the roots cool.

Growing containerized fig trees is more labor-intensive.  In my area (New York City), winter weather is a very serious factor, and many trees have died from the freezing cold.  My containerized trees go into a storage shed for protection against the ravages of inclement winters, and each year I keep my fingers crossed and hope my trees survive.  It's worth all the effort when you eat some perfectly ripened figs that were grown on your own trees.

Good luck with your fig endeavors.

Frank

Drew,

They look very interesting. From your experience, how long do they last before the bottom drops out of them?

Here is the results from my research..

1.  Do you notice any difference in the quality of the figs?  No.  Zero.  Nada 


2.  How much work in terms of watering, the fig in pots vs fig in ground, especially in hot summer?  This question depends on your setup.  My in ground figs needed a lot of watering daily once installed.  After a few years, I stopped and they rely on mother nature.  However, in long hot days of no rain, they do get a little stressed.  My container trees are on a drip irrigation system and most are in self watering pots.  My pots range from one gallon to 27 gals.  Depending on the size, I may water twice a day.  What I have learned is for those trees in 27 gallons or more of soil, pure compost is best.  Why?  Because you water less.  If you only put a potting mix in a huge self watering pot, that tree in my climate has to be watered twice a day or the tree will get stressed and drop its leaves....especially on consecutive 90+ degree days.  I got one tree like that and I have to replace its soil this month.  But the self watering pot saves you time and money because you only water when the reservoir is empty.


3.  Pros and cons of each other.
Pros.
In ground.  You can forget it and let nature water.
In ground.  Fertilizer is very little if any once the tree establishes itself.
Container.  Moveability
Container.  Winterizing is manageable.
Container.  Watering is easy if designed correctly

Cons.
In ground.  none that I can think of
In ground.  Winterization can be a pain if the tree is too large.
Container. you have to change the soil and root prune every 3 years...again if designed correctly.

Hope this helps!

How bout those figs!!!!!!

One more pro to in-ground is that your trees can get huge and huge trees produce more fruit and cuttings.  You don't have to let it get taller than you can protect, just bury the wood deeply (as long as you don't have a high water table) and let as many branches grow up from the ground as you have room for.  My 1 in-ground bush has a footprint of 12x8, dies back in the winter and multiple stems grow to 12+ feet every year.  No potted tree is going to give you that much fruit.  Even if you counted all the 10 gallon pots you could put in that space they wouldn't produce as much fruit.

rcantor that sounds like a super fig for us in the north.  I now have cuttings from an semi abandoned fig that the former owner said also dies back every year.  This year it had several 6' branches from the ground and only a few figs that the birds got to.  
What variety fig is that that recovers after winter kill like that.   Do you take cuttings before winter dieback? 

bill,  Md

One way to help lessen the need for watering potted figs is to partially bury them in mulch. I did that this year and their watering needs were about half. The process is simple:

1) cut holes around the outside of the pot to let the roots out.
2) dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot and 3/4 as deep.
3) set the pot in the hole and surround with mulch. The roots will grow out of the pot and into the mulch.

Then in the fall it is easy to cut through the outside roots with a sharp spade as you dig up the pot to move it in for the winter. I have most of my figs in ground, but I plan to keep 2-3 figs this way so they will fruit earlier.

Hi,

For me,
main advantage 1 (read ONE - like in a huge advantage)  of containerized : The rodents don't raid the roots.

main advantage 2 : Because I fear to lose a strain, starting with the winter before, I now have duplicates in pots and protected in the garden-house for the winter.
Some of those containers had no plates during the last growing season, and the roots reached the dirt under. Those ones behaved better, with thicker growth and less watering needs.

main advantage 3 : Dirt replacement at planting time. My dirt is brown clay here - not ideal for the roots of the fig trees. I replace the dirt inside the containers with a mix of local dirt,dirt from the nurseries, green wastes from the garden (% are mood dependent). At the same time, I do break the dirt deeper than I would normally, especially to bury the 80 liters trashcans.

Most of my trees (almost all) are now in a container with bottom removed (let the rim above dirt level - 2''/6cm) . That is to forbid the access to the root ball to the rodents.
Trees in containers are less vigorous  than in ground trees, BUT that can be an advantage. I don't target shade trees but productive trees.
I have several trees of an unknown strain that have a tendency to make huge inter-nodal spaces when free in ground. In buried containers (even if the bottom is removed) , those spaces are shorter, and as figs are always tied to a node, I get more fig per ''/cm of new growth.

On the topic watering: Here I need to water both in ground and containerized trees. July is dry here, and both brebas and main crops are growing on the trees at that time. So I better water for not losing them all.
I need to water the in ground trees a lot less though.
My buried containers are 80 liters trashcans or (1 or 2 or 4) gallon pots ( high enough to be efficient against rodents).

On the topic fertilizing ( fertilizer,compost,manure, plant teas,mulching), I fertilize them all as I have better production like that.

One drawback on containers is that with huge growers, the dirt disappears from the container, and you need to keep adding dirt for the roots to stay safe and the tree to be fed. Last season, I had to add 2 buckets of dirt from the nurseries to a buried 80liters/20gallons trashcan (bottom removed) as the tree pushed like there would be no tomorrow. It could have been from the dirt escaping the container at the bottom. But, had I've been sleeping, I could have lost that tree. I got it when it slowed down. I reacted a bit late, but to my great pleasure, still soon enough to get a good production from the tree.

Since we have more clay over here, getting the trees to grow in ground so far has been much slower than in a container. However in containers and for certain cultivars, I would get robust growth in the beginning and then sudden slowdown and a stressed trees later. I am going to try 25g containers this season on some trees that appeared to be stressed last summer. I might even remove the bottom on a couple. I noticed that the trees with roots through the pot and into the ground handled the heat much better and had better quality fruit than the ones that were root bound in a five gallon container for example.
In the long term, with the right weather conditions, I prefer ground as long as the ground drains well. I'm still experimenting when it comes to which variety will survive and perform best in my area. Plus it's easier on my back.

 

My bush is a Hardy Chicago.  If you're in Z7 you don't qualify as "North"  :)  You'll have 10x as many figs that do well in ground for you as will for me.  Hardy Chicago is one of the best, though, because it still produces good figs with high temps in the 60s.  Salem Dark can do that but I don't know how hardy that is.  Since I know none of the branches will survive the winter I cut back close to the mulch.  I don't protect the mulch because it attracts rodents if you do.