I ordered a one gallon LSU purple from Edible Landscaping some time back.  Live in zone 8 (Yorktown VA) where LSUs are known to thrive.  My tree is still in the pot it came in and has several figlets!  I'm wondering if I should plant it in the dirt or keep it in the pot?  What are the pros and cons?  I already have a thriving in ground celeste or BT (will get ya'll to ID next post) that I do absolutely nothing to, so I'm wondering if keeping the LSU in a pot will actually be more work for me.  I have plenty of sunny room in ground for LSU and the friends I'll eventually get for her.  It's just that I've read so much about pots here and on other forums.

When it out-grows the 1g, move it to a 2g, and then to a 5g, and then plant it. There is not advantage to planting a plant that is small.

I disagree with Jon; it may be a regional difference in climate, a difference in soil or the difference in our work schedules. 

Around here, where I have ample time to keep grass and weeds away from my small trees I can put a seedling in the ground and see it grow out nicely.  In the ground the tree will keep on growing roots long after the weather is too cool for it to retain leaves.  It will bud out faster in the spring and get far more root expansion than a potted plant. 

The negative side of that is that in winter here my figs MUST be covered, buried or heavily mulched.  Anything outside the cover will be dead by spring.
\+

In my limited experience with growing trees in ground, I also have to disagree.  Even under difficult situation (severe drought, soil depleted of nutrients by corn growing, and grasshoppers stripping trees of leaves), those that are in the ground outpace the ones in the containers which do not suffer these maladies so much.

Many years ago, I sent extra trees to a Gardenweb member in LA.  At the end of one season, his trees (grown in the ground) were larger than mine (container grown) were at the end of three years.

There are advantages to both methods, and either one requires measures to maximize growth and minimize set backs.

~james

Between Jon's advice about repotting and other info I've read about container growing, I've concluded that I'm too lazy to repot and move pots in and out.  LSU's going in the dirt.  Thanks for the pros and cons!

Planting in the ground sure does cut out a lot of work in tending your tree, but a couple of things you have to consider. First I would let it grow another year in a pot to bring it to more adult size, this will help it survive in the wild. Also, being you live in zone 8 I would think it would need some winter protection, which in itself can be a lot of labor. If you prune the tree after it goes dormant it will take a lot less work to protect, but it may be advantageous to not prune it until winter is over in case it has some die back. Good luck, you'll need it, or at least your tree will. Cajuns are pretty hardy people so lets hope you LSU Purple shows it's true Cajun heritage.
"gene"

Gene,
I'll take a pic, so everyone can see how big my one gallon girl is to tell whether it is big enough to plant in the ground.  I'm trying to remember how big my celeste/brown turkey was when I got it and planted it.

I'll have to watch some pruning videos as I never pruned aforementioned tree.  I should and maybe will so that I can still fit the net around it.  What is the optimum time for pruning? 
About bringing the tree inside in winter, do I put it in my junky dark garage and leave it alone or my living room by a window with my citrus trees?  If I bring it in the living room, do I water it?  You see this container thing is way out of my comfort zone. 
Thanks!