AusBonsai

Hey everyone, I currently have a ROR rusty fig growing in a nursery pot and I've let the roots escape out the bottom. It's putting out loads of aerial roots at the moment and I'm unsure if I want to keep these because I'm not sure how it will affect the design of the tree because I can't see the rock shape and can't remember what it looks like haha.

So I was thinking of chopping the roots that are escaping and leaving all the other roots intact, lifting the whole thing up and planting it so I can see the rock and make some decisions about the aerial roots. I would then also like to cut back the major branches which will mean no leaves left.

I'm leaning towards just doing it because I'll be leaving loads of roots on it which will be filled with stored energy to help it recover before winter. And if I do leave it, it'll be over 6 months before I can work on it and it might get too big for what I want.

If it was summer still then I'd not hesitate at all, but I'm not sure given it's already March.

I know Toowoomba has a reputation for being cold, but we're still sitting around a minimum of 16 at night and the forecast looks like it'll stay warm for a little longer around here.

What do you think?

Most of us would consider any place that far north to be quite warm but I understand that up on the escarpment it can get colder in winter so I understand your reluctance.
Given what you have said about only taking off aerial roots and just lifting the root mass up a bit I'd say it should be ok. I would not do a major root trim this late but what you are describing should not worry the tree at all.

Well, here it is. Unfortunately the roots didn't grow as expected around the rock, so I planted it back low and I'm just going to re-visit the roots in summer. I'm happy I did some semi-heavy branch chopping because I can see heaps of new shoots coming through which means I can get wiring when they wooden up.