I like the fiberglass half a barrel looking ones for $40 that I've been eyeing it for my Pickering (now in ground). They are about 22" wide. Just drill a 10-12 holes at the base for drainage and get the lighter colored version so as not to trap heat. What soil are you going to use? Do you plan on root pruning every 3-5 years?

Just a curious question gnappi. I noticed you are in Coral Springs. Is there a particular reason you don't want to plant it in the ground? The question is not to change your objective but to understand your reasoning. :)

Thanks,
Adiel

@adiel : He might not have enough space... ?
Just a thought.

Man go bananas... BINGO!!!

Well, in the reasoning vein... First, my yard is "planted out" I want to be able to move it to a sunny location as the trees around it grow and block it out. The second reason is that in the event something I have already in the ground turns out unproductive, tasteless, gets killed by cold or is undesirable for any other reason, I have a ready spare. A spare that's not coming from an overpriced 1-3 gallon pot that is well along its way to producing fruit.

I'm a computer and A / V professional and for me it's a way of life.

Oh, another thing, the darn stores use "inches" to size pots, not gallons like growers do. What do we have to do to get some standards adhered to or adopted?

Imagine computer keyboard makers who specified xx number of keys and the computer makers specified the SIZE of the keyboard. Sheesh...

Gary

Gary - you need not use ceramic. If you put it into a 50 gallon or larger nursery pot you will have no problems. Even an initial uppotting to a 25 gallon and then to a 50 or 100 gallon. The size and weight will be sufficient to keep the pot upright (now of course, a strong tropical storm or cane and it doesn't matter what the pot is...). one issue you have to take into account is the weight, whether a ceramic or plastic nursery pot. Any pot large enough will be a chore to move no matter how you look at it. Oh, and with a nursery pot you will not have to worry about the risk of the ceramic cracking/breaking.

As to a fiberglass barrel as a pot, I would be hesitant in using it. I feel some toxins from the fiberglass would leach into the soil and be taken in by the tree.

Rob

I would go to a 12-15 gallon( I think at that size even plastic should be sturdy enough and that will hold it for a few years) Dramatically increasing the amount of soil and subsiquently water around the roots may give you rot problems.

And may I ask why no ceramic? Just wondering because I was thinking about splurging too and getting a few.

While ceramic may look nice, weight, for a large ceramic pot, and long term durability (again, ceramic can crack and/or break) are the reasons. A 15 gallon plastic pot, while staying upright for the most part, may still topple in a decent wind gust during a frontal passage or afternoon t-storm.

I agree, I would not go from a 3 gal or small 7 gal right into a 50+ gal but just stating a 50 gal nursery pot will not topple under "normal" locale conditions. Going to a 15 gal for a year or two and then a 25 for a year or so should be sufficient and for the most part stay upright. After time, if you don;t plant it out, upping to a 50 or larger should keep you quite happy.

Rob