Hi -
I have a fig that is waking up earlier than I had hoped. I think it is deeply in need of a root pruning (container not here until next week) and also wanted to take 2 cuttings and propagate some additional trees.
Did I entirely miss my window to root prune and transplant? Should I hold off propagating until it is fully leafed out?
Thanks!
You didnāt miss the opportunity. Iām still waiting to see that bud development before I start my fig cuttings. If itās not warm enough for them to grow above ground itās not warm enough for them to push roots.
No. Figs are robust.
Thanks so much for letting me know.
So, when my rootmaker bag/container shows up in a week, I can go ahead and root prune and re-pot without worrying about losing this yearās crop?
Sounds like I can really do the propagation at any time. If I have an entire āstickā branch Iām cutting for propagation, I should be leaving the tip of that branch (which will probably be leaved out) in-tact, I assume?
You should not expect a crop this year, but perhaps 1/2 dozen palatable fruits towards the end of the season.
Ok, thanks Richard. That is good to know, as itās our only fig tree currently. Do you think itās an option to wait another year or just place in another larger pot (for one year) without root pruning, or if it needs the root pruning, I need to bite the bullet on losing this years crop and do it now?
@rossn
Iām not familiar with your climate. Itās also possible we have different meanings for ācropā.
Over the years Iāve potted 1000ās of bare root fruit trees into #7 to #15 pots for nursery stock and planted 100ās into my own orchards at differing sites in southern CA. In my experience Iāve never seen a tree produce more than a few palatable fruits in the same year as transplant. I believe this is due to both the age of the trees plus the old adage (for fruit trees) that the size of the crop is proportional to the volume of roots.
Hi Richard - sorry, didnāt see earlier. Ok, that is good to knowā¦ so any year there is a root pruning, plan on losing a crop (seems to make a case for fabric pots).
The fig finally leafed outā¦ at least medium sized leaves. OK time to do that root pruning and plant cuttings, or better to wait until leaves are full sized?
Alsoā¦ I suspect it is pretty root bound, being 4+ years in plastic. The fabric pot I bought is roughly the same size (10 actual gallons), for portability. In this case, how much should I trim back the roots? 1/4, 1/3, etc.?
Some folks swear by fabric pots. In my region Iāve seen far more negatives than positives for plants that are outdoors year-round. I will not use them.
The plant is in a growth flush right now and I so Iād recommend it.
When I root prune, I start at the bottom of the pot-shaped mass and cut vertically from bottom to 1/4 from the top about 1" to 1.5" inches deep depending on the pot size. If the top 1/4 is a solid mass of small roots I cut all the way to the top. I do this on all 4 sides of the mass (e.g. north, south, east, west). Also, If there are roots circling around the bottom I remove them entirely. Everything else I leave intact to decompose on its own.
Thanks, Richard!
Iām not 100% sure I followed that right, so I put together a little illustration.
So, youāre saying you would remove the red region, and go full height if the upper 1/4 has solid roots in in the red section, but if not, then only prune below this line? Or, by N, S, E, W, did you mean also pruning across the bottom and top?
Iām not removing the red region, in fact the only thing Iād remove are roots circling the bottom (if any).
So I start at the bottom on say, the N side with some sharp bypass hand pruners - or a reciprocating saw with a suitable blade, with the stop adjusted to an inch or 1.5". Then from bottom I cut up, vertically, perpendicular to the root mass. My only goal is to slice roots, not to remove them.
Then I turn the plant 1/4 circle and repeat until all 4 sides have penetrating cuts.
The plant then goes back in the pot. If roots were removed from the bottom then additional soil is added first to replace it. When the plant is back in the pot you should add about a 1/4" of topsoil that can work its way down in subsequent waterings.
Also, I like to put a 1/2" layer of 1/4" orchid bark on top to moderate moisture evaporation from the soil. When finished all of this should be at least 1.5" from the top of the pot to allow proper watering.
Thanks, I better understand now. Basically 4 sides get a vertical slot cut in them at that depth. My recollection what that growing media in pots has a finite life and needs to be replacedā¦ if the root ball is loose, I can understand how that gets worked back in. If tight, any tricks to get out and back in the growing media?
Iām also curiousā¦ does this technique allow you to keep it in the same size pot after root pruning? I would think the roots keep adding mass. My goal would be to keep it to a 10gal pot, and itās already that size. Thanks, Richard.
By making slot cuts, many roots become disconnected from each other and the plant. They become the replacement growing media. Roots circling at the bottom have little function so it is good to replace them with new media.
BTW, this technique is also applied any time you transplant from a root-filled pot, esp. if you are planting in the ground.
After a potted plant has been root-pruned several times the average root size will become large. Now you are in a situation of both slicing and up-potting. For this I recommend 8 slices instead of 4. Since this will have a serious impact on the roots, you should also reduce the volume of the plant above ground by say, 1/4. The adage in the nursery industry is āless roots, less plantā.
Thanks, Richard - very helpful!
Concerning propagation: just slap an air-layer on there! As long as there is enough growing season left for the layer to build sufficient root mass for separation (usually around seven weeks, though depending on conditions, this can vary; you want a good number of circling roots before you attempt separation) and subsequent establishment in its own pot before winter (another several weeks), it doesnāt matter when you do it. This winter, I put four air-layers on a fig I really wanted backups of (it was under grow lights): all took and one fig became five! You can buy commecial air-layering podsāor simply make 'em out of water bottles. You can score the layering site to expose cambium and apply rooting hormone if you like, but itās generally not necessary with figs. Usually, just contact with moist medium in warm conditions is enough to induce rooting on a branch.
EDIT: And btw, four layers aināt diddley squat. Be sure to check out this pic of extreme air layering by @hoosierbanana in the above thread. That one always makes me smile. 
Arenāt figs amazing?
I checked this outā¦ looks quite cool, and will give it a shot, Jeremiah! Any idea how the various approaches (ziplocks, water bottles, etc) work in hot, sunny, dry weather (our summers)? I would imagine a lot of watering is needed to the soil.
I use these black plant balls with a microtubing irrigation line that comes on once a week for a few minutes (for my climate).
Example seller of various sizes:
Thanks for sharing. Now that I pruned it, and I feel like I did moderate pruning, I also think it probably needs to get pruned, meaning I might need to try air layering in the future, and try to root the cuttings at the moment. Thanks!
You can seal the the air layering vessel to keep the medium inside moist, or just water when necessary. It also helps to protect the layer from getting heated up by the sun too much by covering it with something reflective: aluminum foil works well. It doesnāt matter what sort of container you useābag, bottle or an air-layering pod like the one Richard shows above. All can work. Also the layer can be placed anywhere on the plant: on the leader, on a lateral, on a sucker. You could easily delay pruning out a branch or two in order to layer them. It wouldnāt hurt the plantāor even prevent fruitingāand it would be a surer way of getting clones than cuttings.
I always up-pott when the fig tree is very out of dormancy, I donāt recall my potted figs ever having a first crop of the year even if I leave them in the same pot/grow bag, if a potted fig tree is going to produce that year, itās going to produce a second crop of that year. The only time that I know disturbing the roots can stop the crop, is if there is already figs on the tree, yet even then I donāt think that would stop the entire crop, only the ones currently on the tree.
Yes, you can technically root fig cuttings and do air layers year round, although I would do so with plenty of time before the fig trees would go dormant, unless someone who has a green house, would keep a fig tree nice and warm for the trees beyond the normal for the local climate.
