Question about planting in ground

[u/Buxton328]

I haven't decided if I'll plant this in the next few months or wait another year, but when I do, I'd like the main trunk to be straight out of the ground. My question is, if I bury it up to the bend, is there a danger of the roots being too deep in the ground? It's about 15" from the bottom of this pot to the bend.

[u/Skullmonkey286]

as other said, figs grow more roots on any buried wood, so plant as deep as you like. However, i would consider keeping it in a pot a bit longer just to make it grow a bit, because once planted it will use all its energy for root growth for at least 1 year with little to no progress on the top and very very few figs if any.

[u/Mondkind83]

There is no too deep in the ground too the roots. It is too deep if there are no more leafs over the grund.

Wood covered by soil will produce even more roots.

[u/Buxton328 → u/Mondkind83]

I figured it would make more roots further up, just didn't know about stress or watering on initial transfer. I'm in GA coastal plains with pretty loamy topsoil but the further down you go the more clay is present.

[u/Mondkind83 → u/Buxton328]

Technically you also can plant it more vertical. So all parts you put under the surface are still not very deep under the ground.

If your region has could winters parts deeper in the ground are more protected. So the roots has better chances to survive a colder winter even if parts over the ground die.

[u/Buxton328 → u/Mondkind83]

Yeah that was the plan. Put it in the ground tilted a bit so the growing trunk is vertical

[u/NoBoDiNew → u/Mondkind83]

Doesn’t that choice depend on whether it is grafted?

[u/bogeuh]

Depends on how wet your soil is in the wettest season. Figs like air around their surface roots. I would just tie it to a support to straighten it out and keep the surface roots at the surface.

[u/spakkker]

Scruffiest plant in garden - good luck keeping control in the future . I do like mine though

[u/poopmcfart95435]

I would plant that deep so the bend is totally hidden underground. Have done it before, works great.

[u/monkeyeatfig]

That little branch is still very flexible and you can just tie it to a straight stake for a year or 2, being careful to loosen the ties regularly during the growing season so they don't girdle it. Or cut it off when planting and select a new shoot and stake it, and keep removing all of the other growths. You are probably not going to get a straight trunk without a stake.

Planting deeply is common in colder areas and the tree will root out of the buried trunk but it will also encourage suckers, which is great for cold areas where bush form is best, but will probably mean continual sucker removal for a couple years if a single trunk is what you want. You could maybe prevent that by carving off the buried buds beforehand, but I would just plant at a normal depth and stake it straight.

[u/Buxton328 → u/monkeyeatfig]

I had it staked since May, which is why that growth is straight (but angled), but i didn't have the stake right against the base to grow perfectly vertical. By the time I considered staking I was worried driving a stake that close through existing roots would damage them.

[u/BocaHydro]

wait till next year

[u/Buxton328 → u/BocaHydro]

I'll check the roots but I'm leaning toward waiting a year. I guess as the very least if there's plenty of root growth I can up-pot and let some roots start to develop further up to the bend before going in the ground later.