Well obviously James has another approach. Personally I wouldn't attempt bare rooting right now for the reasons I've already indicated. Also,I have planted several trees in ground with minimal disturbance of the roots with no negative after effects. Of course newly planted trees require extra attention to watering for the first couple weeks.  

Hi Barry,

I wish I had done some more controlled studies in the past.  I currently have a BT that was a gift to me that I am planning on putting into the ground.  If it was anything other than BT, I'd be tempted to go back to the nursery and get a second one as a control...

In the past, I've done two "quickie" plantings (both in spring but after leafing out).  Instead of slicing the root ball as suggested above, I cut an inch off the outside and two inches off the bottom of the root ball.  Both of them required more attention in the first three months than those I planted with bare-roots.  Also, both seemed to be less stable through years two and three.  I have a theory it is because the roots (looking for the path of least resistance) would rather pass back through the original root ball (nursery mix tends to be lighter than the native soil) instead of immediately growing into the ground.  On a side note, this is also the reason I do not amend the growing hole

Before growth started this year, I was pulling weeds and replenishing mulch when I noticed both trees had roots circling around the trunk.  The circling roots were not far enough out to be those circling the five gallon containers they came out of.  Rather they were the roots from the container the tree was rooted in.  This is a danger I've discussed before, and why I feel (strongly) that root work should go all the way back to the base of the tree. 

Bare rooting also gives us the opportunity to find other problems in the root system and correct them.  If we are talking about our trees in the long-term, I think it is better to accept a little set back up front to give them a proper foundation.

James, I don't know why you are getting those kind of results, but I can assure you, with minimal root disturbance, I have trees with thick trunks putting up tons of growth and setting loads of fruit. Last tree I put in ground was Kathleen's Black and that was in April. Already the trunk is much thicker and the tree is growing strongly. No problems, no special attention. Not a lot of figs on it at the moment but that is to be expected this early in the game as it is no doubt putting most of it's energy into root growth. Last year in the pot, it produced one fig. This year it has nearly doubled in size and has about a dozen figs. Did the same thing last year with my Latorrola only I think it was closer to this time of year and it has grown from a 3 ft tall tree to one taller than me in one season and is really loaded with figs. I've got more examples but the point is that I have seen absolutely no setback or negative effects, rather all positive results, very positive results by scoring the root ball and planting intact. Scoring isn't necessary either, but it does serve a purpose. I know you say root pruning is not necessary when planting inground and I would agree. But scoring does help the tree redirect root growth from the circling roots. The tree will figure it out though if left unscored. I would question your in ground soil or perhaps your trees were severely root bound when first you put them inground, maybe insufficient water, dunno. In spring if you bare root for whatever reason, and plant inground it should be ok, but now, while they are actively growing in summer with this heat? Ugh, too scary for me. Tim, you saw my Sal's Corleone trunk, what do you think? 

If I have a plant that is rootbound severely I will trim about 1/2" to 1" all the way around and whatever is necessary off the bottom. I recently did five loquat trees that way and they all survived with no losses or even any wilting. I did of course water them frequently and kept them shaded.

If it is marginally rootbound I will try to separate the roots by partially removing the soil and then spreading the roots out in the prepared hole before backfilling it. This requires two people, one to hold the spread roots and one to shovel in the dirt.

The only reason a root will circle is if it cannot continue to grow in the direction it is headed. This could mean it hits the walls of a round pot

OR

the ground the hole was dug in is impenetrable so it circles the edge of the dug hole. I do not believe a root has the ability to say I don't like it this way so I'll turn and go another direction. When you're dealing with the entire root system I believe that the ones that encounter favorable conditions will flourish and those that have unfavorable conditions will not flourish and may even fail to grow. Roots will grow reasonably straight unless they encounter an obstruction. IMHO

The potting mix and root ball should be covered with soil and mulched. This will help keep any potting mix from drying out. It is a problem with vegetable transplants as well.

Here's a trick an old timer showed me when planting any tree. Dig a square hole, that will help stop the root from circling. As the root grow, if they follow the wall of the hole sooner or later they will encounter a wall at 90 degrees to the direction of travel and start to penetrate it. One more tip, after the hole is dug, score the sides of the hole with your shovel. These cuts in the wall will help the root get started into the adjacent ground.

"gene"

That is a bit extreme, but it is also sound horticulture. I always dig a much larger whole than the root ball and may add some soil amendments depending on what I'm planting, but don't take it to the extreme you do. I'm sure your plants appreciate it though, the no complaints record is the proof.

Barry and James, I think I may know the reason for the differences you have in your approach to planting fig trees in ground

Barry - you are in Philadelphia, I am quite sure the soil there is just that - soil!  Soil in Philadelphia is sandy, loose and easy to till.  I bet transplants do well there without much fuss or heroic soil amending.

Barry - you are in Houston, I am quite sure the soil there is a far cry from the sandy loose soil Barry is graced with.  I live in the DFW area and face the same struggles as you do  CLAY!!!!!!!!!!  YUK!  Unfortunately we have to take on heroic soil amending to loosen it up.

I grew up on Long Island and that is sandy soil also, boy was I surprised with the soil when I came here!

JoAnn, I wish you were correct, the soil around here is not sandy at all, and it does contain a fair amount of clay. I have added compost to my growing area every year and tilled it in. Still it may be naturally richer and more porous than what you and James are dealing with.

Deep mulch with leaves and let the worms do some amending of their own.

I do put the fall leaves on my garden, pack them in too and til it in at spring time or late winter. Takes a lot of work to get the soil in good growing condition with a nice tilth. 

When I created the garden this past spring I had to add expanded shale - basically rocks that are porous and hold water.  The shale wicks the water away from the roots, but has it available when needed.  I was trying to do this on a budget (LOL LOL), I didn't add more compost, I had 3 yards of 50/50 bedding/topsoil.

This "soil" I have in a word is disgusting!  The top 5" for the lawn is OK topsoil, but underneath that is red clay. There are some area where the grass doesn't grow - clay.  I have slipped on it several times over the years after it has rained.

I wonder if it could be used for ceramics................

Oh geez, I have a friend who slipped on wet grass and then had to have 3 surgeries, a couple pins in her leg and a large rod for a few weeks. Just happened a month or so ago and she is now in some sort of cast, weeks away from walking. Be careful!!