Author Topic: An easy way to root-prune potted figs (etc.)  (Read 6722 times)

Vinlander

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An easy way to root-prune potted figs (etc.)
« on: August 21, 2022, 12:35:42 »
It may not look much, but the fig tree in the attached picture has never produced a ripe fig since its first 3 years in the dark green plastic (cubic) pot - that's something like 20 years ago (you can tell because the pot rim has long gone to dust - curtesy of UV exposure). It has been dwarfed by its pot - its sister cuttings are now 4m tall in my plot (fortunately my clay soil is so heavy they don't need any more restriction - until they get so big I have to dig them out - at least another 5 years).

The massive change is no surprise either - since April it has been sitting on top of the slightly larger, rectangular (paler) green plastic tub - which is full of well-rotted compost from my last bin-clearout - however the amount of extra leaf is no more than 10 or15% - the big difference is that nearly every baby fig has matured into a full-size fig. I've already eaten 5 fully ripe figs from it, and I've counted 24 more large ripening & softening figs that are well past the point of being ditched by the plant.

The only unusual aspect of this is that it makes root pruning easier. Once the leaves have dropped in Autumn I will use a rusty old jacksaw to cut through the roots under the original pot. I can then store it in a sheltered corner until it starts to leaf up when I'll rest it on top of a fresh tub of compost.

This is no surprise to many people who (like me) have buried potted plants during the summer to reduce the need for watering. Cutting them out of their trench has never resulted in any damage to the plant - as it still has enough roots in its existing pot.

I have never buried this particular plant, but I did stand a similar fig on my compost bin as a quick fix while I went on holiday - with the same fruitful results. However I left it there for 2 years and after that it didn't really enjoy losing the 2cm thick roots it had developed by then.

Only time will tell what the same fig will produce next year on its new double-decker tub - all I can say is that it won't be any worse off than it was.

I will update this as soon as it leafs up again.

Cheers.

PS. I was intending to put this tree on the compost heap in situ - but I decided the same system on a cubic metre of compost would be too much work - the tub is more than enough, and is easy to tip out to remove the roots before using it as soil-improver.

With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

 

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