Best LARGE containers for figs

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BrightGreenNurse

Registered:1416895665
Posts: 150

Posted 1453250561	Reply with quote #1

Hey guys, I've had my large fig in a 25 gal , plastic, dark brown pot for a 3 years...time to root prune and consider an even larger pot. I've had problems with roots overheating, but no other noticeable issues (other than it is certainly a bit root bound). What are your fav large pots for the hot southern sun? Fabric? Via grow bags? A plastic pot of some kind? I'm concerned some of the aforementioned pots wouldn't be appropriate in a 30, 35gal, or larger size...are bags plastic or fabric strong enough for a huge tree? Thanks so much for your time! __________________ Wish list- St. Rita, LSU Hollier, Brooklyn White, LSU Improved Celeste, Smith, St. Anthony

GreenFin

Registered:1331268315
Posts: 684

Posted 1453251797	Reply with quote #2

If you really want to go bonkers you could use a 275-330 gallon IBC tank cut in half. That would give you two fairly sturdy 150 gallon 'pots' that would look like these: __________________ James, zone 6a Kansas (zone 10 greenhouses); wish list is in my profile http://www.FigCuttings.com

Sas

Registered:1350079929
Posts: 1,364

Posted 1453252502	Reply with quote #3

James, Wow! How do you root prune?:) About the overheating problem. Try to allow the roots to go into the ground through the bottom. It will help. Also, based on observation, a wooden container might not heat up like plastic. This one came to me from a nursery when I bought a different tree. It is about 20 gallon and the tree has been in there and happy for about 8 years. It yields about a couple of dozen figs + per season without any major maintenance. At some point I would have to change the container as the wood would eventually rot. __________________ Sas from North Austin TX Zone 8B Wish list: Becane

BrightGreenNurse

Registered:1416895665
Posts: 150

Posted 1453252965	Reply with quote #4

Greenfin, my husband would laugh and say "I'm not moving that ;)!" He is already incredibly sweet for being cool with me filling the window sills, driveway, and garage with figs...I don't want to push my luck, lol! __________________ Wish list- St. Rita, LSU Hollier, Brooklyn White, LSU Improved Celeste, Smith, St. Anthony

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453254661	Reply with quote #5

I wouldn't place a container fig in anything larger than 27 g. If you are using self watering pots which I do. What I do is reuse the exact same 27g half plastic barrel. Just pull the tree out. Remove 25% of the root ball. Repot the tree with new soil and pot the tree up 3 inches above the rim of the pot. Why? Because the tree will settle down 3 inches in a few weeks. __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453258843	Reply with quote #6

Here are a few of my 27g trees freshly potted up. This one is one of my best, Smith. Attached Images image.jpeg (458.36 KB, 285 views) __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

baust55

Registered:1240892043
Posts: 497

Posted 1453263056	Reply with quote #7

I am under orders to not get more fig trees .....I only have 6 small trees . .....ok I ordered 5 more for spring delivery ... yikes I plan on going up to 10gl Sip type planters from Wal-Mart . and just keep them pruned small and root prune . every cpl years . I can't lug anything bigger down to the basement . IF I had a big barn I would do half barrels like Dennis . __________________ AUSTIN Read more mad non- scientist stuff ....check out my post on KITTY LITTER ! http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/kitty-litter-really-kitty-litter-7398708?pid=1287129765#post1287129765 "I grow fruit of the wine!" Zone 5 Fig trees I have : Hardy Chicago , Weeping Black , Ginoso , Excel , VEBT , and Genovese Nero . My Wish list: Panache, Florea,Desert King , RdB, Marseilles black vs, Vdb , Abruzzi, JH Adriatic , Nero 600 , MvsB, Malta Black,

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453264083	Reply with quote #8

Austin, This is the first year where I used my entire garage for figs. Besides, my basement, my 8x10 greenhouse, my 12x20 greenhouse and my shed. However, many are outside unprotected. Those containers in James' post will be great for figs. BUT....I use pure mushroom compost for my figs and there will be no way to lift a pot that size plus water in the bottom. The 27g barrels that I use, hold 5 gallons of water. I use a 600lb dolly to move my trees around. __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

baust55

Registered:1240892043
Posts: 497

Posted 1453264252	Reply with quote #9

Dennis a few yrs ago you were planting a lot of figs on a steep bank behind house . how did that turn out ? __________________ AUSTIN Read more mad non- scientist stuff ....check out my post on KITTY LITTER ! http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/kitty-litter-really-kitty-litter-7398708?pid=1287129765#post1287129765 "I grow fruit of the wine!" Zone 5 Fig trees I have : Hardy Chicago , Weeping Black , Ginoso , Excel , VEBT , and Genovese Nero . My Wish list: Panache, Florea,Desert King , RdB, Marseilles black vs, Vdb , Abruzzi, JH Adriatic , Nero 600 , MvsB, Malta Black,

drew51

Registered:1431808677
Posts: 284

Posted 1453273561	Reply with quote #10

I'm a huge fan of root pouches. I live in a cooler environment though. They need to be watered a lot, but roots are cool for sure, and of course fabric air prunes the roots. From what I understand a 20 gallon root pouch is like a 40 gallon hard pot because of air pruning. They go up to 100 gallon, and the prices are great! A 100 gallon root pouch is $19.50. A 35 gallon is 12 bucks. They last about 4-5 years. __________________ Drew Zone 5b/6a Sterling Heights MI

figpig_66

Registered:1416870358
Posts: 2,678

Posted 1453302739	Reply with quote #11

From following dennis as well as others. Large sip pots cannot be beat. Even the cheap sip pots with the fill hoke on the bottom side of pot works incredible. I plants one of my slow growing pobs figs in one and 2 months later it was huge and need to up pot. It was,a 10 gallen pot. __________________ RICHIE BONI HICKORY LOUISIANA ZONE 8B WARM HUMID WINRERS ARE VERY MILD LOW 20'S BUT WARMS RIGHT UP DURING THE DAY. SUMMER IS EXTREMELY HOT & HUMID 100 degrees 100% humidity fig tree grow like crazy but some split from rain & humidity Wish list. Col de dame blanc Col de rimada Lsu numbered figs

Sas

Registered:1350079929
Posts: 1,364

Posted 1453326540	Reply with quote #12

Dennis, are the inserted white tubes for feeding? How do you use them? __________________ Sas from North Austin TX Zone 8B Wish list: Becane

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453328734	Reply with quote #13

The white tube is used for watering. Thanks Alan! I have a lot of those pots still. Figs grow very fast when fed from the bottom. __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

baust55

Registered:1240892043
Posts: 497

Posted 1453339901	Reply with quote #14

I get small sips from Dollar General and up to 10gl from wal-mart __________________ AUSTIN Read more mad non- scientist stuff ....check out my post on KITTY LITTER ! http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/kitty-litter-really-kitty-litter-7398708?pid=1287129765#post1287129765 "I grow fruit of the wine!" Zone 5 Fig trees I have : Hardy Chicago , Weeping Black , Ginoso , Excel , VEBT , and Genovese Nero . My Wish list: Panache, Florea,Desert King , RdB, Marseilles black vs, Vdb , Abruzzi, JH Adriatic , Nero 600 , MvsB, Malta Black,

Sas

Registered:1350079929
Posts: 1,364

Posted 1453340787 · Edited	Reply with quote #15

I noticed that after two years, my figs outgrew their large Walmart containers and did not perform as well as the previous year. I'm thinking that it might have something to do with being root bound due to super fast growth. I'm moving some to the HC25 containers this year. http://www.amleo.com/haviland-plastics-hpp-large-blow-molded-nursery-containers/p/VP-HC/ __________________ Sas from North Austin TX Zone 8B Wish list: Becane

ADelmanto

Registered:1359774201
Posts: 911

Posted 1453342831 · Edited	Reply with quote #16

Does this container need to be moved or does it stay in place? I'm thinking custom made cedar box. With or without rollers on the bottom. You can also use recycled pallets. Attached Images image.jpeg (49.14 KB, 59 views) image.jpeg (75.84 KB, 56 views) __________________ https://www.facebook.com/From-The-Ground-Up-403313193085649/

coop951

Registered:1217167527
Posts: 596

Posted 1453345560	Reply with quote #17

I've had good luck with these 1/2 whiskey barrels. Looks good too. You do have to root prune every few years __________________ Coop Northern NJ Zone 7a

danw

Registered:1444807539
Posts: 60

Posted 1453356837	Reply with quote #18

I use the same, but wine barrels. They are about 30 gallons for the half barrel. __________________ Wish List: Bordisot Negra Rimada, BB10 (dan_la), Peloponnisiaka Aspra Sika, Mavra Vasilika Sika, Sanguinato, San Donato, Smith Zone 9A

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453471120	Reply with quote #19

Same here Dan. I have 10....I think! All came from Jack Daniels. But this year the metal bands started rusting and breaking. So, a few months ago, I started removing a few trees out---switching to SWPs. But I love those barrels!!! __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

eboone

Registered:1378418906
Posts: 1,101

Posted 1453472954	Reply with quote #20

Dennis, how many years use did you get from the barrels before they started becoming unusable? __________________ Ed Zone 6A - Southwest PA --------------------------- Short wish list: CDDG, LSU Red, Dark Greek (Navid), Col Littman's Black Cross. And any cold hardy early fig.

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453473011	Reply with quote #21

About 5 years. I've had mine 5 years and the bands on the bottom are popping. __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

cis4elk

Registered:1347840383
Posts: 1,719

Posted 1453484250	Reply with quote #22

Aaron, I'm thinking about going the same direction eventually with my favorite trees, custom built large wooden pots. I would think though, that similar to the whiskey barrel, 5 years is about all one would get out of them but you could still build those cheaper than buying whiskey barrels. Around here 1/2 barrels are never on sale. __________________ Calvin Littleton,CO z5/6 Wants List: For everyone to clean-up after themselves and co-exist peacefully. Let's think more about the future of our planet and less about ourselves. :)

snaglpus

Registered:1244258188
Posts: 4,072

Posted 1453484783	Reply with quote #23

Whiskey barrel in my area come from Lowe's home improvement and Tractor Supply Co. They're around $29.99. But if you're patient they will mark them down to $19.99. Or you can do what I do now and get some thick plastic 55g barrel with the 2 screw top for $10 bucks each.....cut it in half and you got yourself a cheap 27g planter for 5 bucks! And the plastic barrels last a life time. Its all good! __________________ Dennis Charlotte, North Carolina/Zone 8a

BrightGreenNurse

Registered:1416895665
Posts: 150

Posted 1453667746	Reply with quote #24

Thanks for all the advice and for sharing tour sources! It looks like the best answer may be to just experiment with some of these different options and see what works best here/is most convenient. __________________ Wish list- St. Rita, LSU Hollier, Brooklyn White, LSU Improved Celeste, Smith, St. Anthony

mic

Registered:1417007842
Posts: 103

Posted 1470223158 · Edited	Reply with quote #25

Hi Dennis, how deep a reservoir do you make in your 27g SIPs? Hi BrightGreen, did you get to try any of the options, did it work for you? __________________ Mic ~ Australia ~ Equivalent to US Zone 10

brandon87

Registered:1459521730
Posts: 79

Posted 1470235816	Reply with quote #26

Root Pouches are the way to go if you don't mind watering. Almost all of my trees are in 10-25gal root pouches. __________________ Zone 9 NW Houston-- Open to trades, message me.

Ernie

Registered:1457104943
Posts: 3

Posted 1470419827	Reply with quote #27

I've also had very good results with Root Pouches. A couple of years back, I potted up five small figs of comparable size (different varieties, though) -- two in 15-gallon plastic pots, and three in 15-gallon Root Pouches. The Root Pouch trees outgrew the plastic pot trees quite dramatically, but it was also difficult to keep up with their water requirements (I'm in NC, so summers are very hot and frequently dry). I moved them up to 25-gallon Root Pouches this year and went with a more water retentive potting mix, but I still have to water every two days at a minimum. One thing that I'm still evaluating, though, is overall productivity. So far, at least, I wouldn't say that the trees in Root Pouches are significantly more productive than those in plastic pots, but there's also the possibility that that the variety differences are playing a role there as well. __________________ Zone 7B - North Carolina

Ework

Registered:1446872438
Posts: 9

Posted 1475937811	Reply with quote #28

Can someone post a picture of the sip pots from Walmart or Home Depot or Lowes? I have several trees that need to me "up potted" and would like to try this route. I love this forum! We learn something new everyday!

Sas

Registered:1350079929
Posts: 1,364

Posted 1475941548	Reply with quote #29

https://www.walmart.com/ip/16.8-Flare-Self-Watering-Plastic-Planter-Cream/43000742 This is the largest size that I found. This is good for at least one to two seasons before root pruning, depending on the variety. Some varieties outgrow these pots so fast that by the end of the first season they become rootbound. If you use 1/3 loam 1/3 perlite and 1/3 spagnum moss along with your lime and fertilizer the trees will go crazy. If you use moisture control potting mix from a Home Depot,(works well) growth will be slower, as the roots don't breath as well. With the first mixture you will need to pay more attention to your watering habits as it dries much faster than the moisture control mix. __________________ Sas from North Austin TX Zone 8B Wish list: Becane

dkirtexas

Registered:1341345900
Posts: 1,334

Posted 1475958854	Reply with quote #30

I use cow "lick" tubs that I get from my local Feed Store for $5. They are about 30-35 gallon size and have UV protection (carbon black). __________________ Thx, glad to be here Danny K "EL CAZADOR DE HIGO" Waskom Tx Zone 7B/8 Wish list: anything anyone wants me to have. LSU RED. Any LSU fig.

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