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Up potting

So I'm going to up pot these two figs. Do you think each one going into one of the orange pots to the right is too big a jump from one size to the next?

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Thanks in advance for any input. The one on the left is an Osborne Prolific. On the right is a White Genoa.

Not at all.  Pot size looks good to me.

To me they dont look big enough. Are they root bound. But just my opinion. I grow most of my figs in ground once they leave a one gallon pot. How big are the new pots ?

Thanks guys. I don't know how big the pot is in terms of gallons. But it is 16" top diameter and 14" deep. I'm not sure they are root bound; however, I would imagine they are given the size of the canopy compared to the small pots they are in.

So...if they are not big enough to be up potted to that pot. What will happen? What is the risk? I waited too long I think to up pot my fig and it has been stalled for about a month now. No new leaf growth. Looks healthy otherwise but I would like to know what the downside to up potting to too large a pot is?

That looks like a good size pot to advance to.
You will be fine up potting now.  The only disadvantage you MIGHT see is that it holds too much water.  But I think with two good months of growing season left, it will adapt just fine and you'll get some new roots.  When it goes dormant, you really don't want a sopping pot, so be sure to limit the water as it goes into dormancy.  You'll be fine!

Thanks for all the input! Blackfoot, I think it's not good to put a small root ball into too large a pot because moisture control becomes an issue as figgyfrank said (which I hadn't thought of) but also because I think it can lead to the plant putting out roots that circle the pot without really spreading into the soil.

I agree with Richard that the pots look too small. They should be okay for a year, perhaps two, then you'll need to re-pot them.
Are the roots growing out the bottom of the pots they're in now? That's always my cue to move them up. Five gallon pots move easily up to fifteen gallon pots that aren't completely full, leaving 6-8 inches at the top for a good mulch. The fifteen gallon pots fit nicely into pretty pots that will give them some protection from pot sunburn. When they start growing out the bottom again, it's easy to slip them out, add more soil at the bottom, and slip them back in again, this time filling the pot to the top. But I have a lot of fifteen gallon size pots so it works better for me. 
I read or heard somewhere that trees really don't go completely dormant here in SoCal with our warm winters. The leaves fall (usually) and the tops look dormant but the roots keep growing, albeit at a slower pace. That way the trees benefit from all our fall/winter rains and softer soil that doesn't freeze. 

AltaDena, that is good information. Thank you.

Hi zeitgeist,
Are those new acquired trees ?
Such a small pot for all that canopy ... One wonders how they can look that good.
I would check the bottom of the pot to see if the roots are already there. If the roots are already there, I would pot up to a pot that would allow at leat 1''/3cm of dirt in between the bottom of the new pot and the roots.
I can't see from your photo, if those new pots fit for that job, so just do a test.
Your new pots are wide enough; it is just the depth that could be the problem IMO .
But both dimensions are important, especially for those nursery root reshaped trees.

Thanks for the input. I bought the trees as is a couple of months ago from a nursery. They are Dave Wilson trees. Do you think I should wait till they go dormant to up pot?

zeitgeist,

I also bought 3 fig trees that come in ridiculous small sized pots for the tree they where in - they where in bad shape, not showing any new growth.

When i up potted them it also showed in the roots (i think it would be a bad move to way till they where dormant to up pot) - they where becoming root-bound. No roots leaving the holes in the container tough. I went to a bigger size pot to give them space and they reacted beautifully with new growth appearing in just a few days  (they are the ones with the white labels in this next photo - i will try to post a photo with the new growth tomorrow) :
vasos_novos.JPG 

I also did the same with some of my new fig trees from rooted cuttings (started in February/March). Some where badly needing up potting because of their impressive rapid growth:
vasos_antigos1.JPG vasos_antigos2.JPG vasos_novos_1.JPG vasos_novos_2.JPG 


zeitgeist,

Has i have promised here are some photos of the results of up potting some fig trees i bought a few months ago that where becoming root-bound. Its a significant change in just 2 weeks.

Up potted in 16 of August:
crescimento_vasos_novos_1a.JPG 

Today (1 of September):
crescimento_vasos_novos_1b.JPG crescimento_vasos_novos_1c.JPG 


Up-potting does wonders for a stalled tree.  Glad to see good results!

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