Is it more iportant to have a deep container, a wide container, or a container of approximately the same height and depth?

C.J.

My large containers are approx 22in wide or diameter by 17in deep that ratio should be fine they are 18-20 gal capacity
Sal

Certain trees have a long tap root which requires a long deep container. Fig trees which are normally grown from cuttings don't require a deep container. They will adapt to any shape.

Jenia;
Practicality enters into this calculation.  While the fig tree does not really care about a deep or shallow choice, it does care about the availability of water and nutrient, stability and root temperature.  YOU care about the number of trees you can get in a limited space (if you are a real fig nut, that is.)

Last first:  A deep container will hold the same amount of soil, water and nutrient in less floor space than will a shallow one.

Second;  The deep container, holding more of everything, will last longer between waterings, it will keep roots cooler and permits them to go deeper.  If your potting mix is not ideally drained there is a better chance that there will be a "comfort zone" at some point in the vertical  measure of  your pot than in a shallow one. 

Stability can be a problem, but if your tree is not overly large it takes a very hard wind to tip a pot.  Since most are on patios, or sheltered in some way this does not create much problem.  I've had them tip over and just set them upright again.  This generally happens when they are a bit dry to begin with. 

Finally, big, shallow pots are hard to come by.  Half-barrels,  cattle feed tubs, five gallon buckets and commercial containers of many kinds can be had cheaply when one is not satisfied with paying $50 for a big flower pot.  A favorite orange cattle feed tub, l7'' deep and 22'' across cost $7 at a junk shop.  Those I get with feed are black, l9'' deep and 20'' across, while tubs  17'' deep and 19 across cost me $2 each at a yard sale (I got FIVE of them!) 

The giant flower pots that I get at Sam's clearance sales in the late fall hold no more than the smallest of these tubs, they just look prettier on the patio and cost at least $12 each.  They take up just as much room in the garage as do the biggest of the cattle feed tubs.
Happy Planting
Ox

Good info Ox. I'm always on the lookout for the cheapest route. I may be kind of like Herman2 in that regard - recycle everything. I've actually found a few large black nursery pots being thrown out on curbside. Keep an eye out in the more affluent neighborhoods during the spring landscaping rush for freebies like that.

The black nursery pots are not a good idea in Florida.  They tend to get too hot and cook the roots.  Our local Lowe's just put a good portion of their pots on clearance.  I got 16" and 20" pots for a reasonable price.  I stocked up, even though I won't be repotting until spring.


Lisa

Black pots are fine. Just make white "pot cozzies" to put around them.

Lowes has pots ( not designed for planting ) with two rope handles approx. 15 gal. and I think at last check they were about $6.99.
Drill a few 1/2inch holes and you have an instant planter.

Only drawback is I've only seen them in blue and red.
If color is not an issue I think that's a great bargain.

How well do the Lowe's "pots" last over time?  I looked at them in the spring and was afraid they would get brittle and break.

Lisa

Lisa;
I think my $2 pots may be the Lowes' pots that Rafed mentions.  They seem to be light fiberglass and fairly durable.  They should last at least until the fig in them needs root pruning and re-potting. 

As to color, I paint the pots white.  Some are black, some grey, some orange to begin with, but thy turn out white when I get around to it.  The black ones get painted first.
Ox

rafed- I've made note of those utility tubs a few times but never could quite place a need for them. Now I'll have to give them a shot. Once I have some trees that are big enough to need one anyway. I'll have to watch out for sales on them this winter. I'll try to remember to report here on how well they hold up.

Some plastics don't hold up at all to UV. I left a 5 gal. rain collecting bucket out just through last season & now with only gentle pressure I can snap a piece off of it. Recycling isn't always the BEST method just the most cost effective.  

It gets pretty hot for us here in summer too. Some years over 100F (i.e. summer 2008) but not normally. So, I was planning to partially bury my pots and then pile some mulch up around them. I know this will influence how often I'll have too water them too.

You can also order the black pots on ebay.
haven't check in a while but at one time I've seen the 15 gal. pot for about $4 or $5 each.
I think you would have to order by the 6s plus shipping.

That's still cheap compared to the $9 I paid at a local garden center.

You can also try going to your local garden or landscaping center and buy their used pots. Most of the landscape companies throw the pots away anyway.

The utility pots I was referring to from lowes are made from the same plastic that you would pay $20 or $30 for a plastic planter minus the holes ( big deal ).

If you are using some other container as a pot, make sure you make drain holes in it.

Fellows;
A comment/question/observation

When I re-use the heavy plastic feed tubs, the really big black or orange ones, I drill the drain holes in the side of the tub about an inch off the bottom. 

Since these tubs are filled with very porous materiel through which water drains quickly the water runs to the bottom, flows out the holes and leaves about an inch of saturated mix. 

I constantly hear that roots cannot grow in this, yet my trees seem to appreciate it in the summer when that inch of water is wicked up into the main growing area on those extra hot days. 

I began doing this when I noticed that roots grew out of small pots into standing water in their planting saucers.   Also, here on the forum we have discussed using wicks in pots to make them self watering. 

Is it possible that the physiology of trees is such that they can do well so long as there are healthy roots in the "air zone" and other roots collecting water?
Ox

Ox,

When you talk about "feed tubs", do you mean tubs that feed is sold in or tubs that are used to serve feed to the critters?  I'm not familiar with them.  I've seen the big black plastic tanks at Agway but I'm drawing a blank on "feed tubs".

C.J.

Ox, As they say, what works for you, stick with it.

I also asked a similar question once, and the answer was no.
However, I also see that potted trees provided with a saucer,
do benefit from it, specially the big ones. The extra water
gets sucked up pretty quick, specially on a hot summer day.
I still have yet to see one fig tree killed because of the
water in the saucer.

The only disadvantage I see for this practice, is for regions
where it rains almost daily. 

Ditto what jenia said. Ox, I was also wondering if you were talking about the container that feed comes in or a container that you buy as a bucket to feed your livestock out of...? I'm not familiar with them either.

Also Ox, that's very interesting what you are saying about how you water your trees in those feed containers. I know I'm brand to anything to do with fig trees but the "drift" I was getting is that you have to be careful about letting your roots hang out in standing water. May just depend on the circumstances. i.e. how much rain ones area usually gets or even whether or not your getting unusual amounts of rain, etc. 

I geuss that's what this forum is all about. I am learning ALOT between this forum and the info provided on Jon's site in general.

rafed - That's good to know about the composition of those containers. Sounds like a good, inexpensive alternative then. It had crossed my mind about trying local landscape companies but haven't tried it yet. You could also keep an eye out for local "backyard" nurseries that seem to be defunct and make them an offer on their old pots. I know of a couple around here and actually got a bunch from one of them. Must have been about 100 black pots ranging in size from 2-10 gal for $30 (if memory serves me right).

I noticed another one of those nurseries has a bunch of pots out back with dead plants in them. Might get over there and offer to "haul them off for them" :-).  

The "feed tubs" that I refer to are the big plastic containers that solidified livestock protein supplement comes in.  We buy them, set them out in the pasture near where we feed hay.  The cattle come to them and lick the solidified supplement as they would a salt block.  The materiel is basically a cooked feed made of molasses, mineral supplements, salt and soybean or cottonseed meal, perhaps some ground and cooked grain.  They hold 225 pounds of feed and are very sturdy.  
\
The object is to provide the cow with enough protein supplement to allow her rumen organisms to efficiently digest the dry hay they eat in the winter.  The cattle will lick the tubs clean of this supplement; all I have to do is rinse them, drill them and plant.
Ox

Ox - Oohhh now we got it. Sounds like you raise cattle. Now I'm gonna have to keep an eye or two out for these as there are alot of cattle farmers in my area. I happen to know a couple of them so I may just have to inquire.

225lbs huh? You must use some equiptment to move those around. That's about what I weigh & I don't know too many guys that can throw me over their shoulder! Ha!

Thanks for the thorough description.