i just top dress it. but i think pete's suggestion is better. i get limes caked on top and sometimes that prevents waters from flowing into the soil. 

I got the Espoma Gardner Lime. how much do you think I should use? the package says 2 to 4 tablespoons per plant.

i don't measure them. for 1 gal, two big pinch. for 3-5, one handful. for 10 gal, 2-3 handful.. i'm sure it's not the right amount.

Pete, I have a big bag of Soil Sweet fine grade dolomitic lime. I recently made up some potting soil and up-potted, but I know now that I went too light on the lime. Can you recommend a tbs/gallon of water ratio and frequency of watering to add some lime at this point?

Robert,
My ingredient ratio is actually based on years of experimenting with growing vegetables in containers, especially in Earth Box clones. I initially started off with their ratio of 2 cups limestone for 2 cu Ft. of potting mix. That is about 15 gallons of potting mix. The 2 cups was in addition to the Lime that had been already added by the potting mix manufacturer.

For figs the mix ratio of 1 cup per 5 gallons of mix has been the working recipe, with an additional 1/2 cup per month for 4 months. This is based on a custom 5-1-1 mix, starting with Peat and pine bark fines, not a purchased potting mix. If I was using a purchased potting mix, I would cut the application in half.

If you start at the 1/2 cup per month per 5 gallon, that would be approximately 1-1/2 tablespoons per month per gallon of mix. This is based on Dolemite limestone, which is pulverized limestone rock (limestone sand) not a chemically processed lime product.

Mixing the pelletized or Espoma garden lime with water was only a means of getting an even distribution of that form (finer grade) of limestone.

I would try it in one container to start and make observations.

OK, Pete, thank you very much. I made my mix with about 1/2 as much lime as I should have. I will experiment based on the formula you showed.

Watered in 2 tablespoons of lime on one plant this morning.  Will do the remaining when I go home at lunch.  Fingers crossed.

I've noticed this as well.  Here's my theory. 

It has to do with roots, heat, and moisture, and possibly nutrients.  Your plant looks a little root bound.  Not horribly so.  But the majority of the root mass is probably near the edge of the pot, which is the hottest dryest part.  So you can water and water, but it can still have trouble getting enough water to the leaves in a timely fashion, especially if it is very hot.  And it's also possible that this heat makes it harder for the plant to use nutrients, though I don't know if this is true.  Most plants are probably not used to growing in a situation where their roots are 90+ degrees.  Even in the summer, I bet if you dig down 6 - 12 inches the temperature of the soil is no higher than 70 or so. 

So, it's time to up-pot.  This will do a few things, all beneficial.  First and most obvious is it will allow more root mass to grow.  But, possibly more importantly, it will provide some insulation from hot and dry conditions to the existing root mass.  If there's really a big clump of roots circling, I would go ahead and rip them or at least loosen them up, even during the growing season.  I would not do a full root prune at this time. 

It's possible it's due to pH or nitrogen or some other nutrient, but it's also possible that your up-pot will do the trick nicely. 

Don't expect it to happen overnight, though.  I would give it a month before I make any conclusions.

heat will definitely cause some issues. however, my 3 gal are sitting in full sun in black nursery pot and growth is not the issue. they will get heat stressed and leaves will look like they are wilting or drooping, but with light watering (or heavy, i tend to water every two days at full blast with my hose) they will bounce back. when the buds are looking fine, but they are not putting out new leaves, that's something different. more than likely the energy is used in different way?

my VdB, Paradiso Gene, and Kathleen's Black all have been in 10 gal for last... almost 2 yrs. currently they are not doing much of anything but holding on to the figs. the buds are fine, but no new leaves are coming out. on the other hand, i have about 10 different figs in 3 gal. the 3 gal are all putting out new leaves and holding on to the figs at the same time. 

all 10 gals got minor root pruning this spring. and they all put out leaves fine. they put on fine number of figs but since the figs, i haven't seen much of new leaves coming out. buds are still fine. so i'm thinking two things. they are root bound and they are not getting water, air and nutrients as readily. or they are putting all the energy in putting on the figs and now just resting. 

Thanks for all the useful advice guys. Very helpful.

Here's what I've done as of today.

1. Up potted from 1 gal to 4 gal
2. Aerated a bit using a wire hanger to poke holes
3. Watered in 2 tablespoons of Espoma Gardner Lime for each plant

Only remaining item is fertilizer. I have Espoma Plant Tone purchased and ready to use. Question is, how long should I wait and observe before watering in the Plant Tone?  2 weeks?  A month?

I will posted pictures of the change in the next few weeks.

heat will definitely cause some issues. however, my 3 gal are sitting in full sun in black nursery pot and growth is not the issue. they will get heat stressed and leaves will look like they are wilting or drooping, but with light watering (or heavy, i tend to water every two days at full blast with my hose) they will bounce back. when the buds are looking fine, but they are not putting out new leaves, that's something different. more than likely the energy is used in different way?

I agree with this from Pete. As long as the moisture needs are met of all my figs, heat is not an issue. Most of my black pots of one gal to fifteen gal are sitting on the concrete driveway or walkway in full sun with temps in the upper 80's to around 90 degrees.  I doubt heat would be an issue in Seattle anyway with high temps in the 70's and low 80's on a few days.

this thread has really opened my eyes. somehow, i thought that an initial application of lime was adequate.

so, after reading, i expiremented by dropping some epsoma into water and was amazed to

see how it dissolved.

its clear that none of my plants have any lime currently.

i guess epsoma isn't a good idea.

thank you.

susie

The tallest tree is the only Hardy Chicago in the photo, the other three are Italian Honey. It's actually only a couple inches taller, the angle of that photo makes it look like a dramatic difference in height.

Hope you're correct! Up potted from 1 gallon to 4 gallon exactly 1 week ago. Thanks.

Update - no new growth yet. Leaves on the 3 IH's are noticeably greener though.

-3 weeks since up potting
-2 weeks since watering in lime
-1 week since watering in fertilizer

Hoping these guys start pushing out some new growth soon. I figure there's probably only 6 weeks of decently warm weather left here in Seattle.

Chris, our Seattle weather is tricky. Mine also did the pausing of growth and when the sun hit us, they are much happier. Some of them show new growth with much more vivacity than the earlier ones. oK to put them in the sun, what sun, right?  Mine are outside with all the sun they can get. I put some on top the roof even, and on top of tall shelves, so, they maximize the lighting and sun.  I use very little of commercial soil, I mix it heavily with my own soil and compost, water every other day or so, with bunny drops  that were soaking in the water. They look very good for what I know them to be.  Have some lime, but have not used yet.   maybe in the larger pots. I want to plant them in the ground, so they can reach out and find the food they need.

Oh wow, that's a big difference in color so far, I'm willing to bet they about to put out some new leaves any day now.

Update - Looks like it worked! New leaves budding on 3 of the 4 plants. I'm sure the other will be soon to follow. Thanks for the advice everyone!

chome360,
Thanks for the followup, its appreciated.