I want to add a Fiddle Leaf TREE to my tropical yard (in Southern California, near the coast in zone 10a). I've been doing tons of research to help ensure success.

I have a fairly large spot in my yard for it, but I'm paranoid that the roots would still get out of control. I had an idea, but thought I should make sure I'm not doing something dumb...

My idea is to buy a huge concrete container (with drainage holes at bottom), and bury it in the ground. Then put the fig tree inside of the (buried) container - in a well-draining soil, mixed with pumice for good drainage. That way the tree can grow big, but the root size will (hopefully) stay somewhat under control.

Thoughts?

I believe if you plant it in the container you will be retarding the eventual growth of the tree. How large do you want it to grow? Are fig roots a typically problem in your area?

Ficus lyrata doesn't usually have roots that cause problems in this area. As long as it's at least 8' from concrete it shouldn't be a cause for concern. The "big pot in the ground" idea will work as long as there are holes in the bottom for drainage.

Thanks for confirming that my "big pot in the ground" idea might work (as long as there are holes at the bottom and not too small). I''d really prefer not to stunt the tree's growth, but don't want it to cause major issues either. The placement of the tree will be far away from the house & important pipes... but near a fence and irrigation pipes. So I can't decide whether to do the pot thing or not

Below is the photo that brought on the initial concern. I'd be ok if the visible roots in this photo is as far as the tree expanded, but not if the roots were as wide as the tree leaves are. Would you guess that the roots in this picture extend as far as the leaves are extending? Or do you think the roots don't go much beyond what you can see? Just trying to get a handle on how big of a root system this tree likely develops at full maturity. Appreciate any guesses as to the size of the root ball in that photo.

The roots do extend farther than what you see in the picture but aren't big enough to cause problems. F lyrata isn't as big a surface-rooter as some of the bigger species like macrophylla or microcarpa and usually doesn't lift concrete walks or fences.