In ground planting help

[Badgerferrit]

I’m finding conflicting information on in ground planting depth. It seems there are two schools of thought, burry root ball 4-6” under soil level similar to what you would do with a tomato in a raised bed, and plant the old dirt a couple inches above native soil and mulch to even with the original root ball with compost and mulch. What are peoples thoughts? Does my gulf coast climate with lots of rain impact how I should plant?

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!

[Bry]

You can do it either way but my preference is to plant it like it is growing in the container. Figs are really amazing, growing so rapidly. As long as you water it well, it should be fine. Mulch is really important to prevent it drying out...In the heat you may need shade cloth for a while to protect it but after that, stand back and watch it grow!

[Rewton]

It is interesting how different people subscribe to different schools of thought on this. For example, Pons plants his several feet deeper than the depth they were growing at in a container, I think so that the roots can reach down deeply for water. Others plant well above grade. I tend to do the latter now as I have clay soil that doesn't drain very quickly. Plus we get lots of rain.

[Badgerferrit]

If the primary reason is water accessibility I would be in the same boat as you. We get a ton of rain and have clay soil that stays moist all year.

[Rewton]

Given that is the case then I would aim to plant so the rootball is partially above grade i.e. plant in a mound of soil.

[acerpictum]

Remembering how I did it, I thought that I never thought "how it should be" but always proceeded from the size of the root coma. With a large and heavy coma, I planted it level with the surface of the earth, and with a small one, he buried it a few centimeters.

[Sulev]

I tested different planting depths and it seems to me, that the best is normal planting depth - placing root flare just below the surface.
Deep planting may have some positive aspects related with better protection against winter frosts or summer droughts. Shallow planting helps to warm roots earlier in the spring and keep them in warmer soil during vegetation period, especially if fig is planted on top of a mound. This gain in warmth could be important for those with short season.

[Ktrain]

Going from pot to ground, since I have heavy clay, I dig a rather large deep hole, amend with soil conditioner/potting mix/broken up clay and make it slightly higher than the rest of the ground.

Not so much a "mound" but it will settle in time so I don't want it going concave and pooling water.

They are planted at the same level they were in the pot.

Landscape fabric/weed barrier with mulch and watch it grow.

[Red_Sun]

In general, in colder climate, it is recommended to plant the trees (2-3") deeper than in the warm climate. So crown has more cold protection.

Here is how I planted a transplanted fig trees in zone 6 in early June. At planting time, crown is buried at soil level with all roots in ground. The crown is actually about 1-2" deeper than ground level since there is a water basin formed at the edge. The crown may sink one inch deeper. I also have the option to fill the water basin, or mulch it over winter. I do have farm clay soil, but it is never a problem.

I do not mulch during growing season. Fig needs the heat. There is ground water near the roots. The water does not hurt the tree, but provides the moisture during hot days. I also do not amend soil at all.

In about 1.5 months, it already grows to 3' tall and sends a couple of figlets.