Same here... I parted ways with a number of trees last year and the year before, only to add more the following year. But I think I am at a point where I won't be adding like I have before, not a dozen new varieties like this year for sure. And I will be dowsizing to about a dozen favorite varieties and a few frankenfigs.
I up-pot my trees early though. I don't wait for them to start circling round the pots like crazy. I want all roots to be in the soil, not between the soil and the walls of the pot.
I wish I could say that, I mean I can say it...but...saying and doing is difficult for me.
Does this mean you pull the trees out constantly from the pot to check on the roots? You mentioned before that sticking a tree into a larger pot size straight away produces a larger tree/trunk - the downside is that roots rush to the outside and circle there. Is there a world where you’d jump to a larger pot right away - any benefits like fruiting sooner? What’s your pot transition look like typically?
Small sample size, but I up-potted several new cuttings this year long before they were totally root-bound in their original cups (some of the root balls collapsed during transplant) and they are all doing fine. I can't say what the longterm effect was.....