I was just organizing my fig pics and found a couple of photos that are about two months apart.  I can't imagine growing figs in regular pots after getting these results!  I will say some of the trees have yellowish-green leaves, maybe from too much water but they're still growing at a fast rate.  Give it a try!

First pic - May 7th
Second pic -July 16th

 
 

Plants look very lush Frank, well done.  Btw had the first unk Carini the other day...pretty dang good:)

Can't argue with those results, Frank. Will you up-pot them or will they go in ground from the 5 gallon size?

Great results.

Not here much due to work and life.  Big acreage to manage, but what is the difference between SIP and a drip system?  The drip system does it's job in ground and in pots.  Just wondering.......

Suzi

Outstanding results. Thanks for sharing.

They look great.

Figgy Frank-

Pardon my naive questions.  I know absolutely nothing about this method of growing figs, but the results are quite notable. 

Just wondering....Is there a way to control water at the roots when figs begin to ripen and concentrate flavors and sugars?  How do you prevent a crop of washed out figs...or worse, prevent figs from splitting/souring?

I suppose I could do some homework for the answers, but being chronically lazy, I rather I ask an expert.  : )

Good luck with the rest of this growing season, and I hope you will have a great harvest to offset all your efforts.  Love the neat, clean, and well-kept fig grove!


Frank

I think I need to use the SIP method. I think I would have better results. Maybe it's a project to start over the winter.....the trees look awesome.

Very interesting, what counts is the time saved and the health of the plants, and I say you accomplished both, congrats.

They look great Frank. Thank you for the update. I'm going to have to make one for next year. That will make a good winter project.

I was wondering the same thing about ripening. Other question is how do you store these in winter?

I have a bunch of figs on the way.  Most won't ripen until September but I'll be sure to update everyone with the results.

Scott,

I have additional buckets on hand to put these in, come winter time.

Hi FiggyFrank,
Nice results !
What is surprising to me is that lots of people here say that roots should breathe or they rot ... I'm wondering how they do in those SIPS ? expecially because of the covering of the SIP.
Do you remove the lids sometimes to vent a bit ? - Like I open my greenhouse, to renew the air inside  -
What potting mix did you use ?
How many liters of water do they get ?
If you want to test a good grower, test a "Dalmatie" and then we could compare results . I use mainly compost from the nurseries inside my 80liters trashcans.

@desertdance: all water and fertilizer stays in a SIP where it could overflow and go away with a tree in ground.

Frank,
Thanks for sharing your results.
The trees look healthy and happy. I'm looking forward to updates.


Jdsfrance,
The SIP are actually designed to get air / oxygen to the roots where its needed, at the aeration platform / planter bottom above the reservoir.
  .

I think once my collection starts to grow I may try a similar method. Right now, my love affair with figs it's in the honeymoon stage, so I enjoy watering them in the evening, but I'm sure that will one day change.

Thanks for the pics.

Great job Frank!  To me, growing figs in SWPs are the way to go for a container garden....hands down!  All of my trees in SWPs are the healthiest of all.  I have mine on a daily drip irrigation system where they get a half a gallon of water a day, depending on the temperature of the day. 


But let me warn you about something.....using those 5 gallon buckets--get ready to up size your pots in one year.  Why?  Because they grow that fast.  A five gallon bucket is cheap but your tree will become root bound in one year.  And don't use UPM.  It wicks TOO well and your soil will suck up all of the water and you will be forced to supply more water in the resevour dialy with the wrong pot.  Go ahead now and start looking for the largest pot you can for your trees and prep them now or over the winter.  The cheapest and easist pot to make is one out of 55 gallon plastic barrels.  Its a chore to prep the barrels but you don't have to root prune the tree for 3 years.

keep up the good work!

Dennis, I have some trees that are in their 2nd year in 5 gallon SIPs and are doing great.  But you are probably right that they are root-bound.  It's a lot of effort to make all the 5 gallon SIPs and I want to get at least two years out of them.  Plus making larger SIPs from barrels will be quite an undertaking for ~15 trees.  My neighbors will think I'm even more crazy than they already do!

Regarding the question about figs splitting when the tree is grown in a SIP, I haven't experienced this yet.  Maybe Dennis can chime in.  My speculation is that the roots adapt to the consistent SIP environment and only take up the water that they need.  In contrast, a big rain for figs in a conventional container, or in the ground, will subject all the roots to a lot of moisture.   Since the roots are accustomed to sucking up whatever water the plant can get it takes up too much leading the fruit to split.

Thanks Dennis.  Due to limited winter space, I will keep these in 5 gallon buckets for now.  I understand I'll have to root prune and top prune every year or two to accommodate the container size but I don't have much choice if I want to keep all these trees.  I believe Kerry (drivewayfarmer) keeps most of his in 5 gallon buckets and does the something similar.  Best believe our next house will have everything needed to store lots of fig trees during the winter.  When?  Who knows.  :)

Would this work in hotter climates? Ive seen mixed reviews that say the roots like cooler temps, and some say they like warmer temps. I would guess that it can get pretty toasty under the black plastic.