Was wondering if you all could help me out?   I am waiting delivery of my figs (yippee) and am trying to get prepared.  I have a combination of plants and cuttings coming.  Am prepared for the cuttings, and feel fine with that technique. But it is the actual potting of the plants that are concerning me.   What is the easist, no fuss method for potting?  I know there are links, etc., to garden pages with detailed recipes,etc., but I am looking for a KISS method (keep it simple stupid).  My source for gardening supplies are WalMart, Lowes and Home Depot.  So if anyone has a tried and true SIMPLE recipe for their potting material, PLEASE share.   In the meantime, I will continue to read away.   But again, any information you all can provide, the better off I (and other members) will likely be!

This post may help - the title obscures the actual content:  http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5158323

Hey Sara, This what I use, 1 large bag of Miracle Grow Potting mix, half a bag of Cow Manure, half bag of Mushroom compost, half a bag of Nature's Helper, 1 bucket of course perlite, and 2 cups of pelletize lime.  Over time the MG will become compact but the Nature's helper and perlite loosen it some and keep the medium light.

Dennis..thanks! Do you happen to know approximate size of the cow manure, mushroom compost and nature's helper?  Or would they be the same size as the miracle grow bag or 1/2 the size MG? 

@Jason..the link to Pami225's thread was most useful. I particularly liked the part where you were shown how to downsize pine bark with the lawnmower. Found the recipes for Al's mix and then the Dave's Garden info.  Most useful...tagged those pages as they will be useful reading again and again and again.  I know I will be reading many things AGAIN as I learn and GROW.   I think I am going to enjoy fig growing as much as I love amateur wine making!  

Sara,

@Sara, the only single-word name for a fig grower I know is in Spanish, and that's "figueiredo" (can also mean "one who lives near a fig tree", I think?)

@Cecil, your comments left me thinking about this.  I'll try not to call you Charley Pride or Merle Haggard, I promise.  ;)

HAHAHAHA

Sara, I put about a one gallon size bucket of each cow manure and mushroom compost.  I put half a bag of Nature's Helper which is about 2 gallons.  BTW if you use Nature's Helper, you won't have to grind pine bark using a lawn mower.  Nature's Helper is nothing but smaller bits of pine bark and is smaller than the Mini Pine Bark Nuggets sold at HD.  It's also called Water Saver.  Home Depot has it on sale this week.  Lowes do not carry it.  Down here in the Carolinas (Piedmont), we have lots of clay soil.  When you till in Nature's Helper it really does make a nice mess of soil that fig like.

The MG bag I get is the largest carried at HD.  I think it 3 cubic.  Nature's Helper, Cow and Mushroom crap is around 1.5 cubic.  When you mix this stuff up, check it with your pH tester.  I like to make mine around pH 7.  Hope this helps!  Also, I am the only guy on this forum that uses fruit tree fertilizer spikes.  I insert them 3 times a year.  One week after the first of SPring, one week after the first of Summer and one week after the first of Fall.  After comparing them to other ferts for 3 years, I'm going back to the spikes.  This year, I bought them by the case and used a cordless drill and a bulb auger to insert them in the ground; two or 3 depending on the size of the tree. 

Question:  I seem to remember reading something at one of these forums saying that pine bark seemed to attract Root Knot Nematodes (RKN), or RKN infections have happened via pine bark. 

It's been a couple of years since this assertion was made, and I believe it stemmed off a conversation about a small nursery in Louisiana.  I can't seem to dig up the thread, maybe it was deleted from whichever forum it was on.

PS - if this damned rain down here keeps up, I'm going to need to unpot/repot all of my figs with a faster draining mix, and just deal with doing the extra watering when it's not rainy.  They're about to drown.  I'm going to have fun lugging them in for the near-freezing temps tonight, only to have the night-time temps tomorrow back up in the mid-50s.

I feel your pain Jason!  I've got trees down in my yard.  Its time to pull out the chain saw and go to work.

Saramc 
Any potting soil from the stores you mention will work for your container grown figs .
Thats been my experience and iv'e used them all early on when i first started growing figs in containers.  With any store bought potting soil i can grow a nice healthy producing fig tree but they need fertilizer grown in a container.

Here is my experience growing figs in containers only, mind you im not an expert and only go by what i see my plants doing.

What happens in containers when useing potting soil even amended with bark ,perlite, etc is after period of time plant gets root bound and start to suffer in growth and fruiting and needs root pruning no matter what potting soil i use.

We fertilize figs in containers as there is only so much volume of soil that the roots can feed on and when thats spent the plant will start to suffer so we keep fertilizing during certain times of the year.

I like to show folks here what i do only to give members idea's (nothing more) and also show pictures of my plants and fruit .
This season i make my own container mix simply because i feel my plants will do well and save some money. 

What im now useing this season in some plants that i root pruned and not measuring - little bit of this little bit of that kinda like that gentlman from Louisiana that passed - Justin Wilson who i really enjoyed watching. 

Canadien Premium Spaghnum Peat Moss - bought in compressed bales
Moo Nure with compost  bought in bags
Large Diameter Perlite
Dolomitic Lime

Saramc with that being said its my thoughts that shultz, upm, jungle growth, miracle grow etc all will work and can be amended to drain faster if thats what one chooses.
They have for me.  ; )
Hope you enjoy my yard pictures from last season.

Martin, you definately can't argue with results!  And you have proven that with the picture of fruit I've seen over the past years.  Like you, it can be expensive if you use the store bought stuff and got a lot of container trees to repot.  When I first started playing with figs, I just used MG and it truly worked great!  Now, I have 40 or 50 trees to repot and one bag of MG just won't cover enough pots in comparison to cost.  So, making my own does give you more medium which is one reason why I do it.  And the large perilte is a must! 

Two weeks ago my local feed store started carrying Fafard.  I got 3 bags of Fafard Professional Potting Mix.  I repotted 9 trees with it Saturday and boy I like this stuff!  It is very light.  I also got some of the Fafard's Special Pro mix.  Its not at light as the other and I plan on using it in my special mix. 

But if I only got a few to repot, I'll just get some MG or Fafard.  Down here Fafard is the same size as MG and cost about 4 bucks more.  I've deceided to only keep on my deck and in pretty container 2 Sals EL, 1 Malta Black, 1 Gilubeau French, 4 Negronne and 10 Violette de Bourdeaux.  And only use Fafard Potting mix for the all this year.  Tonight I have to repot my VdB trees.  The others are doing great in the Fafard.

I hope that I'm not intruding, but I have been pondering putting a mix of cow manure and coco coir.  The coir is fibre and big chunks , not too much dust.  I have read the one third manure one third cow manure and one third potting mix, if I was to put 50% coir and 25% manure and 25% compost or topsoil, I am thinking it should hold up really well to degradation and be porous enough to keep it well watered in summer time and dry enough in fall and spring.  Any have any thoughts on this?

I seriously appreciate everyone's answers and hope that others are gaining from this wealth of info also.  Now that I know what to look for I feel better.   In regards to fertilizer, has anyone used Alaska Fish Fertilizer(natural organic based) for their figs, it is 5-1-1 (nitrogen-phosphate-potash)??   I use it with great success on my houseplants and outdoor plants/shrubs/flowers.  Plan on using it on my veggies/fruits/vines this season.    Thanks again everyone!!!

I think you also need to choose soil depending from where do you live..
For example..I live in Florida.. we have lots of rain and this mean.. soil must don't keep water too long.. But on other hand.. when we have here real hot weather.. soil dry real fast..
And I think watering.. biggest problem with a figs tree, specially when they small.. Too much water will kell them..
Also..I don't sure where I read.. but like when you just put your new small fig or just rutted cutting in a 1 gallon pot.. you need add lots of perlite..like 50%
And other 50% you can choose...
So, you will need try on your own, but good you already have lots of help..

@Olga...thank you...I will take into consideration my soil type BUT these will be container figs for life (unless further down the road, years, I choose to plant one or two). I did read in one of the links on the forum on how to use a "wick" method to check for the drainage capacity of your mix.  I have also decided to use Bill's technique of putting a black tarp over the top of the container, leaving space for the trunk, and to water the plants from the bottom up (leaving a well of sorts in the bottom of their container, with an overflow hole).  May change my mind, but he lives in VA and his weather is similar to mine.  Who knows what I will actually end up doing, but in the long run the figs will tell me how I am doing.

Sara, soil will change with a size and age of a plant..
Like when you plant a fig in one gallon pot you add like 50% perlite, after this you move your plant in 2-3 gallon pot and you already use may be 30% perlite and when you move your plant in 5 gallon pot.. I guess little bit of perlite and in 7 gallon pot no perlite and all..
Bill speak about adult figs.. and if you read.. he don't use perlite and all..
So, don't think like you will just put your plant ones..Figs don't like when pot too big so too speak...You real grow them..
Of couse..I'm not a good example here..Because I'm a fig nut..I all the time working planting and re planting..But this is because I have no less then 500 figs tree here...And only 3 I plant in a ground...
Here in Florida..One's you put it in a ground.. you can forget about this tree..No more watering...at list.. every day when we don't have rain...
I don't use black plastic..I think this may kill my trees..Too hot here specially in summer..
But yesterday I was reading about root know nematodes and they saying if you have nematodes you put black plastic like Bill does and this will kill nematodes.. So, I think his idea great..Just don't working for me..

Why do figs not like too big a pot when they get planted in the ground, that's a lot bigger?  Is it because the pot can stay too wet?

noss

I have seen one fig tree, planted in the ground, were it is fed fish fertilizer and it is very productive and very strong.

To be honest, for my beginning adventure, I will likely start with some MG, large perlite, spagnum moss/pine bark and manure....it is what I have.  When it comes time to repot I know I will seek the advice of this forum for assistance to make sure I am moving in the right direction with my soil needs.  Everyone is a beginner at some point and time, and it is the feedback of those more experienced that can help us along.   Thank you everyone!

Hi, Noss!
Last year I try hurry up.. I was not patient and ignore advise about pots size
.. And..in the end..I move plants back in smaller pots..Plants was not doing too good.. But this year I move them again in bigger pots.. After winter.. And my plants never went dormant, they was growing all winter..Now they are Ok in bigger pots..
I don't sure who Jon or Bass was saying you need re pot when you start seeing roots from bottom holes...
But now I listen.. And..I see a result..Now almost all my figs have a small figs on them, they all look good, healthy.. and happy..if I can say so..
So, I don't sure if this is because of too much water staying or roots can't get air...I don't know for sure..But last year show me I was not right when I was try to hurry...
About ground tree..I'm watching one Celeste in ground ..Now this is 4 years old and now this real start look like tree became mature, strong..Look good..I check yesterday.. tree loaded with figs..And even some parts have damage from winter..Still look good..Owner now.. or ever don't care about this tree..But..I can see this one for last 3 year.. And this year tree  real look good...
I hope.. to have more of my own trees in ground..But..I know..I need to be patient..

@Martin---your figs are gorgeous!  Exactly how many varieties do you have in fig?

@Olga---over 500 figs? How much property do you have them on?  Wow. 

Sara, I have 1 acre for my plants..And I hope to get 2 more next door.. hopefully soon..But when figs in pots they don't need much space...When they in ground.. they will need much more room..with time..
But for now I'm a fig nut just for last 2 years.. So, most of my plants not a big in size...But, this year I hope to try many more then last...And hopefully after all my hard work..I will get some joy..

@Martin---your figs are gorgeous!  Exactly how many varieties do you have in fig?

Many thanks since retirement i can enjoy them more.
i currently have one less than i want but maybe get it this season , but always have room for 1 more.
 
 ; )