i'm still having trouble searching this site. did you know you can't search ''pot size''? so i need help.

i know from reading here that mature trees need 25-40 gallon pots. no way can i do this. i found some attractive pots that are somewhere between 12 and 15 gallons. even using 5-1-1 this is the most i can handle.

but i read about letting roots grow down into the soil to sorta increase pot size. the details are fuzzy tho. i saw 1'' holes recommended, but how many do i need and where should they be, bottom or sides?

also, how deep must the pot be burried to make this work? i always sink pots 3-4'' deep, just because it's something i do,  so if i get details, this will be easy.

comments? advice? ideas?

thanks guys.

depends on how big you want your trees to be and how much figs you want off the tree, you can have a trees in 10 gal tub. that's as large as i'm going with my containers. i still get about 80-90 figs on VdB, less on less productive trees. around 40-50 on Paradiso Gene and Kathleen's Black, and about 10 on White Greek this yr (i actually had more last yr on White Greek in 4 gal container.. weather isn't cooperating this yr).

to bury the pot, you need holes on the side and not on the bottom. if you have holes on the bottom, you'll have problem removing them when  you put them away in the winter. with holes on the side, you can just cut the roots and move them in.

You can also invert a cheap aluminum pie tin in the bottom of the hole you will place your pot into. This will prevent the roots from going out the bottom hole(s) and growing straight down. The tin guides them to the sides of the pot where they can be easily severed at seasons end.

thanks pete. if that's what you do, that's what i'll do.80-90 possible figs will make me happy.

thanks calvin. i'll try that too, but i guess i'll mostly drill holes in the sides.

still need to know how deep to bury the pot tho.

See pinned thread "Start Here" and scroll down to the thread on searching.

thank you jon, i shall. i'm not great at comp stuff, but i'll try.

Susie last year I had mine buried about 2 inches into mulch. They sent roots out with no problems but like Calvin said you'll want to deflect the roots that can grow out of a hole on the bottom. Aluminum pie plates would work good or even a thin flat rock. If you don't use anything under the pots it just makes it a pain in the fig to dig them out.