Many things I have read suggest root pruning your potted figs every 3-5 years. My 3 year old tree is in a 15 gallon buried pot and I just finished a great season with lots of figs. What signs do I look for to determine if I should tackle the pruning this winter or if I can let it go for another year?  I really don't want to disturb it if the pruning is not necessary yet.

All comments welcome and thx for any help you have to offer.

Hey Steve. Have you considered moving up one size in pots. Not that I know just guessing but when the tree goes dormant are you not able to pull the tree from the pot and see how congested the roots are and then make the decision to root prune or not.

You say buried pot? So you're bringing it inside for the winter?

Steve,

I would pull the tree out of the pot after it goes dormant just to see if it is root bound.  I really doubt you could go 3 years without the need for a root prune, but that's just my opinion.  I mean, you could try, but I think your tree's performance would decline, even though it is buried.  You are severing the roots that come out of the buried pot each year, and those roots can get pretty thick, providing a lot of that energy that was needed.  Also, be sure to prune the top growth so you balance the tree.

Hi,
Without checking the roots, you know for sure that a tree is root-bound when she performs weakly, when some leaves start to fall at mid-season, stem growth is weak, inter-nodal spaces are short, fruits don't ripen evenly or they don't grow full-size.
So basically, when it is too late ...
To avoid that, root-prune in time. So check the roots , and check the dirt. If the roots have no dirt to expand to, and the dirt looks sandy, it is time to root-prune and replace the dirt with new dirt, new loam in my case.
I have 3 trees that performed poorly/oddly this year ... and they are due to root-prune ... I'm shying away from that too, as it is going to be a mess ... But, it shall be done ...
You may be able to wait an additional year if you surface the trees: Remove 3'' to 1' / 20 to 30cm of dirt at the surface of the containers and replace that with fresh potting mix.