Looking very good, Rob. I admire you for the effort you made, and for the daring to move ahead with something you've never done before. I hope you'll keep us posted.

I can't tell for sure (from here), but it looks like they might be planted a little deep - no sign of a basal flare, which should be partially exposed.

Strong work!

Al

Nice work! You should be harvesting some figs soon.
That's a great idea putting the ropes on the sides.
I'm taking notes.

Rafed

Rob way to go.
Your trees look dormant in the new containers for this time of year i would think they would have broke bud by now, what happened ?
Or is that a older picture from when it was still early spring?

OK Al, wasn't sure how deep they should go but obviously I have them too deep, I'll bring them up a bit tomorrow.

Those pics were taken today when I finished, they are just beginning to bud. I tried to keep them dormant as long as I could, knowing I was going to repot.

I have a question: If a fig tree will root out wherever soil touches the trunk, or limbs, why would one need to worry about planting it a little deeper than it originally was? I have never heard that before, so am wondering about it.

Thanks,

noss

Rob - just remove a little soil - no need to disturb them further. ;o).

The root cortex is very rich in a lipid called suberin, which is nature's water-proofing for plants. It allows the bark-like covering of roots to resist the rot organisms that can eventually destroy bark. When you plant a plant too deep, the bark rots away, exposing cambial tissues to to the same rot organisms that are breaking down the bark. Meanwhile, tissues in the vascular cambium are trying to dedifferentiate and redifferentiate back into root initials (precursor of the root primordia, which are the first things you can see).

The problem with this scenario is the phloem tissues most likely to survive are those very close to the surface where they are getting enough air to prevent these organisms from destroying the phloem. If the phloem is compromised, only the roots that form near the surface will live. Usually, these roots are not enough to sustain the tree, so catastrophic (from the organism's perspective) collapse usually/very often occurs. The older the plant is, the more important this becomes.

I stopped my vehicle once to try to tell a man that the raised bed he was building from stacked timbers around the base of his maple tree would probably kill it. I'm sure he felt I was sticking my nose where it didn't belong, even if my heart was in the right place, but still, the tree had died when I drove by his house 3 years later. I've often found nursery plants that had been bumped up a size or two with the older roots at the bottom dead or dying and a new root system near the top of the soil mass feeding the plant.

When you ground layer, stool, or air layer a plant, the entire old root system remains viable to sustain the plant with water and nutrients, and the rest of the plant can feed the entire root system, but you can see by my description above that this ability is often quickly and entirely compromised when you plant too deep. This is much less likely to occur in the highly aerated soil that Rob is using, and much more likely to occur in heavier soils; but since Rob is just getting familiar with that soil he will probably have a tendency to over-water (everyone misjudges the ability of that soil to hold water initially), so it's probably a good thing if it's addressed.

Al

Al, you're my hero.

(Warmly) To nurture your mind with good thoughts of people is to believe in heroics; and THAT is what makes heroes. I'm not one, but I really appreciate your kind sentiment, Cheryl. ;o)

Al

Al,

Thanks for the concise explanation, I corrected the situation.

But you raised another point, very timely I might add as I was about to ask you anyway. How much water does this mixture actually need?

I thoroughly watered right after planting. The next day I gave each pot about 2.5 gals of water and it ran through and came out the bottom rather quickly. I also notice that this mixture is easily disturbed by pouring water so I pour around the perimeter, hoping it will soak through to the center before it runs out the bottom.

Let's assume each pot contains about 25 gals. of the mixture I listed above (2p. pine bark, 2p. Turface, 1p. Gran-I-Grit, 1p. Perlite). How much water should I give each pot, and how often.

Lastly, how often does it get water w/ fertilizer? I'd like to know how much water each pot needs so I won't be wasting the fertilizer by pouring it through and out the bottom.

thanks,

Rob

I'm late for an appointment, but I use a 'water break' for a gentle shower and water the soil evenly until water starts to exit the bottom - then I stop. That is usually about perfect for flushing the soil.

I just left this in another thread, but I forgot to mention that I really don't water twice, as it seems to suggest. I water as I just described, but here's the best way:

'How to water', is a very underrated skill when it comes to container culture. I've mentioned before that many people pay bonsai masters big bucks to be their slaves while serving an apprenticeship for a couple of years. The FIRST thing the apprentice MUST learn, is proper watering technique. It isn't unusual for an apprentice to go 6 months or more without ever significantly touching a plant - while only learning how to water to the satisfaction of the master.

If I had to try to distill the best watering technique for containers, it would probably start with applying enough water to wet the soil mass, but not enough that any exits the pot. Wait about 10 minutes (while you're watering your other plants), then return and apply enough additional water that about 10-15% of the total volume of water applied exits the drain. The first watering allows any accumulating salts to go back into solution, and the second watering flushes only a part of the salts from the soil and prevents build-up.

The soil holds more water than you think it does. I'll be back later with a little more about how often to apply fertilizer & frequency of watering required, but I think that was just discussed in another thread here, too.

Al

How much water does this mixture actually need?

It needs enough so the soil is fully saturated and at least 10-15% of the total volume of water you applied exits the drain. Plants should be watered on an as-needed basis, rather than on a schedule. I know you're looking for an answer like every 2 days or every 4 days, but choosing a favorable depends on the relationship of soil mass to plant mass, and particularly to foliage mass because that's where the lion's share of transpiration occurs.

I probably should mention that as you move toward soils that are more open and faster (draining), it becomes less of a problem if you decide to water on a reasonable schedule. Soils that hold no (or very little) perched water are very difficult to over-water, but the consequences of over-watering heavier soils can be considerable.

I thoroughly watered right after planting. The next day I gave each pot about 2.5 gals of water and it ran through and came out the bottom rather quickly.

You probably didn't need to. It is the nature of the soil to allow water to pass through quickly because the macro-pores are so large no water perches in the soil. What happens it the Turface grabs a ton of water quickly, and the bark grabs some, but not as much. The granite holds a little water as a film on the surface. After you've watered, the water diffuses in the soil from the Turface and granite into the bark, so the bark and Turface have roughly the same water content (based on bulk density). If you OVER-water by watering too frequently, everything gets saturated. For fresh repots you need to be sure the soil is moist-damp where the roots are. After a couple of weeks, if the soil feels damp anywhere, there is enough moisture. Soils feel dry to our touch at around 40% moisture content, but plants can still extract moisture down to 30% moisture content or lower.

I also notice that this mixture is easily disturbed by pouring water so I pour around the perimeter, hoping it will soak through to the center before it runs out the bottom.

I mentioned the water break in my last post. The soil will settle a little, but the reason it is easily disturbed by a jet of water is because it doesn't compact. Soak the entire surface slowly & stop when water starts to exit the drain and you're good.

Let's assume each pot contains about 25 gals. of the mixture I listed above (2p. pine bark, 2p. Turface, 1p. Gran-I-Grit, 1p. Perlite). How much water should I give each pot, and how often.

I'm pretty sure your answer is easily taken from what I wrote above, but if you still have questions, let me know.

Lastly, how often does it get water w/ fertilizer? I'd like to know how much water each pot needs so I won't be wasting the fertilizer by pouring it through and out the bottom.

It depends on what you're using, but if you're using a 3:1:2 ratio soluble fertilizer, try starting with a solution that's 25% of the recommended full strength solution (FSS) if you're fertilizing every time you water and see how your trees do. If you are going to fertilize on a weekly basis, start with a 50% recommended FSS, and if fertilizing every two weeks use a FSS. Adjust upward as required to keep the plant's color good and downward to allow for temperature fluctuations or correct any symptoms in foliage of high EC/TDS levels.

As noted above, the soil holds a lot more water than you think. Once you get used to it and see how well your trees appreciate your new regimen, you'll forget all about any minor inconvenience. ;o)

Wishing very good luck on you, Rob.

Take care.

Al

Hi all,

Been a nasty winter up here in NY and my trees are coming out of dormancy but still a bit early to take them out of the garage.

Al, if you see this, does the lime in your mixture need to be replenished every year? Seems like it will get absorbed or even wash out over the course of a year.

Hoping for a nice crop this year after last years work.

thanks, Rob