I think it was Frank who suggested this idea in another thread, and it's a very tempting solution for my now heavy and unwieldy Gk Yellow, which is currently in a large pot - possibly 5 gal,

I want to put my Gk Yellow into the ground, but got serious concerns about being able to get it out of its container without damaging it or the root ball. Bearing in mind it's also currently supporting 6 air layers! 

I'm now considering just removing the container base and sinking the whole thing into the ground. Sure would make life a lot easier. I'm familiar with the conventional wisdom about restricting root growth, but dunno if I'll live to regret adopting this 'solution'. Have any of you guys used this method, and did it 'work'?

This would be very similar to a topic we talked about a few weeks ago: Fig Pits.

Can you cut the pot off completely? That shouldn't damage the rootball if you are careful. Gently loosen the roots and try not to cut anything, should be fine.

you don't need to restrict the roots. you can pull the tree out and put them into the ground. don't disturb the root ball too much if has leaves in full. last summer i had to move some 1 gals to 3 gals. i took them out of the 1 gal, ran knife thought the root ball, put into 3 gal with additional soil and left them in the shade for 2 weeks. that was it. they came along fine.. but since you are going into the ground, taking it to shade won't be possible. 

now.. i have 3 gal that needs to move to 10 gal.. but that one will be tricky. mainly i want fig off that tree, and it has full top. running knife through or anything to root ball might set me off a month or so. but if i just up pot without some simple root work, i'll have to do the root work in fall/winter/spring sometime.. haven't made up my mind yet. i keep putting off cutting that thick root off too.. i think i'll go do that today, it's rather cloudy today and i'm sure it will stress less. 

Pete, have you used a root hook? http://www.amazon.com/Root-Hook-Bonsai-Repotting-Necessary/dp/B000X9SZ1O

That could help if you're cutting roots because you can't get them loose. A bit less traumatic.

no.. if it wasn't doing so well, i would just give 1" trimming on all side and up pot it. but it's doing too well to mess too much with it. i might just look at the root, find where it's coming out and cut at that location and leave it alone. have to see today when i get home :) 

@ Kelby - Yes, guess I could cut it off completely w/out disturbing the roots too much, but I want my cake and eat it too. Loathe to destroy a container that doesn't have to be buried with the tree.

@ Pete - I tend to agree - root restriction not necessary, but not at all sure it's possible to remove tree from the container w/out damage. My usual method for smaller/lighter pots is to simply hold the tree by the main stem/trunk, lift off the ground, then gently tap the container around the rim until it falls away. But this container is so heavy that I doubt this method will be remotely possible.

My nightmare scenario is that the root ball just shears away from the stem under its own weight, leaving me with nothing. That's why sinking the container into the ground came into consideration, after removing its base. I'm caught in the horns of a real dilemma here. Try my usual method and risk losing it, or burying in its 'coffin' and risk stunted growth?

I have not thought this one thru, have I? Shoot.

costas, i keep my trees in 1 gallon to 10 gallon.. i did my first major root pruning this yr for the 10 gallons. it wasn't exactly easy to pull the tree out of the container, but it wasn't hard. if the soil is slightly dry, it will pull out easier. if it's wet, that's harder. for the smaller container, wet is ok. my problem was i had wick system in the container and that got caught some where and i had to reach in and cut the line. also, tipping it to the side and sliding out sometimes works well. 

Pete - You musta read my mind. It also occurred to me that laying down on its side after allowing some 'drying out' time could well do the trick. Worth a try, and thx.

I think I might be back in business - this is one tree I would hate to lose. 

BTW Pete:

Hi loquat1,
I'm trialing that but started September 2012 - so can't tell for now except for one subject : UNDERGROUND RODENTS !!! Man, Moise must have dropped them all here .
For now, although my bro reminded me that rodents could eat the plastic and push through, they don't have and the trees do benefit from that for sure.
The breeder benefits from peace of mind for now as well ... until perhaps one days something breaks in into the container .
The trees have other benefits :
1 . I replaced almost all the dirt with compost instead of clay - 70% to some 30% clay mixed in the pot
2. When I fertilize or water, I know where it all stays ! The water is forced to go deep instead of running away at surface level
I used 80 liters dark trashcans with bottom removed .

As for your tree, lay her on the side and try pulling the container or go for the benefits mentioned before by cutting the bottom and keeping the tree in that protected area.
The choice is yours .

Wow, what a choice! About 5 yrs ago I restricted root growth by lining the hole with hardcore. The tree remained stunted - virtually no growth, and zero ripe fruit - for the following 3 years. I vowed I would never restrict root development again.

Then 2 years ago we had one of our worst/wettest summers on record. Last year was one of our better summers, and the tree was almost unrecognizable, almost a complete transformation. I stared at it in disbelief. I must take a pic to show you. Although I planted it, the layer was a gift to our vicarage, so our minister is now the proud owner of this tree, and his family loves figs.

So my opinion on root restriction has had to be revised. But why did it fail to grow in its early years? My working hypothesis is that the previous owner (who was going through a traumatic personal episode in his life) failed to look after it. But being a resilient species, it musta rallied after the thorough soaking it got in 2012. God made sure the little runt survived. Well, it's a theory.

Anyway, I suppose I can also reconsider a 'coffin burial' on the same grounds. I have less than a week in which to decide. Thanks for making that decision so much easier jdsf!?!

Hi loquat1,
Let me be more precise:
For now the trees do not suffer, and they produced figs last year despite being young - 5 brebas on one, and 10 maincrop each on the two sisters .
I'll see this year what they will do - they already have brebas and 3 leaves per stem so still no problem to report. They are watered regularly and have been fertilized twice already.
My only concern is the more long run - lets say in 5-10 years. For now the 80 liters are enough and make them feel free.

The mother tree is in direct ground in full clay and no root limits. I have to fight the rodents a lot to keep her healthy - I have already written in another post about my test barrier : Jonquils (bulb flowers) around the trees.
The mother tree is as well doing fine but she has far more roots .
The mother tree is my guinea pig for pinching as she was growing over the 2 meters limit.

OK, well that helps a little more jdsf. We don't have subterranean rodents around here. At least, not to my knowledge. I think I prefer to go au natural, so sans bucket it is. After all, we don't get restriction in nature, do we?

Job done. Thanks for the pearls of wisdom.

And here's the intended 'resting' place prepared for my Gk Yellow:

 
Garage to the left, fence behind, and shed to the right. How much more shade do ya want?



 
 
I'm gonna need a bigger hole.

And in case you forgot what it looks like, here is the monster, replete with air-layers:

 

With all those airlayers, I would cut out the bottom and plant it. There is just too great of a chance that you could break one of those spots if  you do too much messing around with it.

When I planted my first fig I was under the impressing that you HAD to restrict the roots. I know better now, but my first fig is still growing inside a 7gal bottomless pot. Never has seemed to slow it down. But if  you do this, try to plant the top edge of the pot 3-4 inches below ground level and top up with old, wet mulch. This will allow the fig to also produce a nice mass of surface roots like they usually do. 

Hmm, ok, back to the drawing board then (again). Thanks Gene (from the Bayou?) I might do just that. Sure would be a lot easier than yanking the poor thing out of its home. Never been too keen on eviction.

Having said that, sinking the whole kit & caboodle 3-4" below surface level is not without its own problems. Those basal air-layers are gonna be one hellava devil to detach when their time comes.  

Costas, That's a lovely work.
i'm thinking you have chosen a really shady spot for the tree and also too much water , that's a rain gutter, right?
 if so, too much shade plus so much water...how do you expect figs to ripen and sweeten? I'm just curious. :)

@ Aaron - You kinda read my mind.

Where in Cyprus are you going to stay? We are in Nicosia (my sisters and cousins)
My younger sister's friend's husband is a fig grower :)

Small world! We have an apartment in Oroklini, near Larnaca. We use it mainly as a base though, and drive around in a hire car to our favorite beaches, friends, relatives, etc.

In fact, we planted several fig cuttings in our garden, but of course after our return to the UK there was no one to look after them (our neighbor moved shortly after), & I think most/all of them have now died. :-(

But we also gave cuttings to friends, and they are all thriving and now fruiting too. :-)

And I believe at least one of our cuttings that was potted & given to a friend to look after is still going strong, so there's hope yet. :-) I'm not sure I labeled it though, so I don't know the variety. I'll find out when it fruits/ripens, but still hoping it's either the Gk Yellow or my unidentified (TbF).

Are you familiar with Cyprus Fig varieties Costas? (names)

Shamed to have to admit it, but no. We're only there around 2 weeks in the year on average, which is not nearly long enough to do very much fig-wise.

Also, we plan to sell as soon as we get the title deeds, so almost pointless putting any serious amount of effort into establishing a fig 'colony'. Was there something in which you had particular interest, coz I could possibly find out by asking around?

Our habit is to avoid the high season, which is far too hot for us. We visit either May or Sept., so sadly we hardly ever see the ripe figs there, except for the occasional mess on the ground. But they are all over the place in our area. Might take a few pics to share after we get back. 

PS Some great loquats in May though - one of the earliest local fruits to hit the market. Too early for figs though, and Sept too late. Shame we can't stand the heat in July/Aug, but 40-45C is just too much for us. 28-33C is more than enough.

There is a Village which is THE agricultural Center of the island called Athalassa, maybe you have heard of it... try contacting them regarding the Local Fig Varieties of Cyprus. it would be interesting to find out what is indigenous to Cyprus when it comes to Figging ;)