My Hardy Chicago is in need of root pruning. But now since it is older I have decided to make it an in ground tree this coming spring.

Do I still need to do a root pruning if I am going to make it an in ground tree?

Thx all for any help you can give.

Regards,
Steve

Steve,
Still a good idea to a light root prune.
Look at it and see if the roots are tangled and chocking the tree.  Untangle spread out as much as you can and prune them to fit the planting hole or make hole bigger.  Don't be afraid to cut some roots they will grow back anyway.  Overal the tree needs to be balanced.  If you cut a lot of roots you need to do balance prune some branches.
Established fig trees are very forgiving you can't go wrong.

I've recently spoken to someone who knows this landscaper here in TX who amends the soil for up to three feet in all directions when planting fruit trees.
He claims that those trees take off super fast even in clay soil. From what I've experienced so far, when it comes to fig trees, their roots will eventually find their way, no matter how you plant them, but providing those roots with the right soil mix right at the start would make a huge difference. Most of the trees that, I've sank in clay have stalled a bit and I wish, I could've provided them with those three feet of good soil.

Root pruning is for potted figs. That's the point given the roots have nowhere to go. If it's big enough to live in ground in our area your only concern is winter protection. That being said...you're want to protect heavily for the first few years. PMe if you want my experience on this. I'm in Toronto

If you can get all of the potting mix out of the rootball that will help keep the crown safe from meadow voles. They can burrow into loose potting mix over winter when trees are protected. 

Bottom line, I think:  If the potted plant is root bound, with roots twirling around the outside of the pot, you should try to unbind them and spread them out in the planting hole.  You may need to cut a bit to accomplish this, which would be OK.  But otherwise, keep all the roots you can.

 I was planning to try and untangle roots the best I could and let things unfold as they may. I did not know if untangling or chopping was the way to go...but I will try untangling. So it seems that is about the right plan of attack. Looks like I'm gonna dig one huge mother of a hole amend with good soil and rabbit poo from a local source and see what  happens.

Two years from now I'll be doing the same dance...if it works...with other varieties.

Thx all for your input and help.

Happy figging,
Steve

Thx for the offer TJ put I already have 10 varieties to play with so I'm good.  I'm not real close to the lake but my back yard is really protected and it will be right along the side of a brick south facing wall so the micro-climate is pretty good. I have been putting this tree out in April in a small heavy clear plastic greenhouse that I Macgyver together so I plan to use the same time frame for unpotting this tree and planting it in ground. We will see how it goes.

That's great Steve. Have a great winter. If you find anything you did works especially well please post in spring.