Plants grown in containers year round need to be repotted on a regular basis. If these plants are neglected, the plant becomes pot bound. You can recognize this is starting to happen when the drainage becomes impeded. You will notice that as you water, the water just sits on top of the pot and is slow to go through the pot.
In a pot bound plant, a large, compacted mass of roots develops and all the soil will be replaced by nothing but roots. Without the soil available and good drainage, the plant will becomes stressed and will eventually die.
The best strategy for a pot bound plant, is so remove the plant from the container and prune the roots. At least half of the mass of the roots should be pruned. Foliage pruning must be done after root pruning. When the roots are removed, the plant does not need as much foliage to support the plant. Removing foliage removes the carbohydrates from the plant and also increases the amount of nitrogen available. The carbohydrate to nitrogen ratio is then restored by this process.
When done, do not plant up into a larger pot. It is not necessary. Simply repot the plant back into the same container. This is the same process that is done with bonsai.
In this video, Bop repots a Ficus (fig tree) that is way overdue for repotting. Fig trees grown in containers need to be repotted every two years.
