I was thinking that my 4 1/4 Gallons are too small for my fig trial Row.
Take a look at this picture and give me a estimation of the container size,it is growing in.
In my Opinion the container is only sitting on the pavement,and is not one that is missing the bottom,so the fig can grow down in the ground (providing someone was digging out the bricks under it).
If it is how i think it is,then fig is the toughest fruit tree in the world(See fruits on Branches).
Also the English Ivy is taking some of the sun away from the fig too.
What a heroic plant!!!!!!!
I was very Impressed,I know you will be too.!!!!!!
Here is the pix ,in Germany.

This mean I should not even worry about thinking of bigger than 5 gallon pots specially in colder zone5 where moving the plants in pots to safety is a must. It is reassuring (and only future will show if this will be the case in other climates with the same root mass to plant body ratio).

That has to be growing into the ground, period. The "pot" might just be trim blocks.

Ditto...

Yes, I agree that this fig tree is growing in the ground, with the bricks paved around it, and some standing protecting the trunk.

I have had figs (and many other trees) which I have had in un-moved pots for too long- most will try to find a place to root into the earth from a drainage hole in the original pot. Once they get into the soil they really take off- very hard to move after a while.

But back to the original Question Herman2 may have been asking-
What may be the optimal container size for various varieties of figs?
15 gal ?
Half barrels?

I recently joined this forum, so I have plenty of older postings to browse through, and play "catch-up"

I also think that this tree is growing into the ground.  Too large a bio-mass to be supported by so little soil volume if that is a pot.  How would the tree stay up in a slight breeze?
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As far as pot size/optimal container size?  Who knows?  I think I remember a thread in which Al Tapla noted that as long as the containers are packed with a fine, efficient, root system, and the plants kept properly hydrated, then smaller pots will be sufficient even for large plants.

My personal belief is that I think a container and leaf mass should look somewhat balanced, and I feel a little uneasy when I seek a huge, 5'-6' diameter rack of leaves being supported by too small a pot.  It looks like it will just blow over.  I think, minimum 15 gallons for a 5-6 ft tree/bush.

Just my thoughts. 

On another fig-forum, I asked almost the same question...Is there a correlation between leaf volume vs. soil/root volume?  For example...there should be 10 gallons of soil volume for every 100 leaves.  I made this up, but IS there a simple rule-of-thumb?

Thanks for some information.

Frank

I'll throw my two cents in: It is not root mass per se, but absorptive root surface area that counts. Mass just keeps it from getting top-heavy. I agree, not to say concede, that there is some correlation between root mass and surface area, but it is the latter that counts. Just look at bonsai as an example.

The pavers its on appear to be 5-6 inches so maybe pot is 10-12 diameter but a shallow pot i would estimate 3-4 gallons.
Other than that the pavers under that cement container must have been removed and roots growing into earth otherwise tree would very easily tip over unless tied to wall behind it.

I have 10 gallon pots tip over in high winds with tree in them smaller than the 1 in picture.
This is reason i now use a heavier mix to help prevent that .

OK, maybe that one is growing out of the bottom of the pot, but I have another puzzling photo for you to decipher. 

Scroll to the bottom of this link:
http://figs4fun.com/More_Info_Pots.html

It appears that there is only one fig tree in this photo.  I counted about 100 figs on the side of the tree that I can see.  It appears to be in a pot, maybe a 14 inch pot,  but a few leaves make it hard to say for sure.  It looks like all these pots are on a roof top, or in the least on a patio which appears to be made of tiles/ bricks set in cement.  If so, there are no roots outside of the pot.  What say you?

Even if it is not in a pot, I'd like to think it is.  Unfortunately I think my chances of duplicating that result in zone 5b Ohio are zilch, but one can dream...

jaime....

If you can over-winter your fig tree in a cool, unheated garage, it is very possible that you can get results that come close to that last photo.  Make sure you grow a variety that will ripen figs in your short, growing season.  Your winter conditions are your limiting factor, not your summers.  Solve the winter problem, and dozens of figs are yours.

I grow my figs in large, containers.  I get huge crops of figs each season.  Sometimes I have to thin out the figs.  That tree in the photo is lush and very fruitful, but result like that are not that rare.  It can be done.  Go for it!

Frank

Martin.....
Your photos are just what I needed to see.  I was just sitting here, freezing in NYC, day-dreaming about the coming growing season.  I'm looking forward, in hopeful anticipation, that my trees will be as nice as yours, this year.  Last year, my trees were shreded, and damaged, by a hail-storm.

Martin, just some quick questions.  Volume of the pots, how old are the trees, how long in the pots?

Thanks for the eye-candy!

Frank

Bronx i delete . It was early and now i come back and realize im leading thread in another direction which is not fair to OP.

Diesler.....

Of course the decision to delete your prior posting was yours, but this original topic was posted over 4 years ago, and, only generated three responses within that time.   Until I re-opened the topic, just yesterday, this thread was dead.  For my money, your deleted post was relevant to this topic of pot size. 

I understand, however.  (Still wish I knew the answers to my questions regarding your plants).  : )

Frank