If you own a potted fig tree, or really any kind of potted tree, you’ll eventually need to up-pot it, and that’s where the shape of both the current pot and the future one truly matters. Take a look at the two pots below.
Most fig trees need either up-potting or a good root pruning every three to four years. But if you’ve been growing your fig in a pot-bellied ceramic pot, you’re in for a challenge. The midsection of these pots is wider than the opening, which means the root ball expands inside the “belly” and then refuses to come back out. When it’s time to up-pot, you’ll quickly discover just how impossible it can be to free the tree. In many cases, the only solution is to break the pot to rescue the fig. Ach!
Pot-bellied designs are undeniably attractive, elegant, eye-catching, handsome even, but their charm ends where practicality begins. What they offer in aesthetics, they lack in functionality.
To save yourself the headache, choose pots with straight, tapered walls, or place a simple plastic nursery pot inside the decorative ceramic pot. You’ll get the best of both worlds: beauty on the outside, and practicality when it’s time to up-pot.
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Stay tuned, keep on rootin’ and happy growing!
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