rockm

"but if you have a tree that is near complete and only needs a couple more years of growth then I would use a large pot."

That is common practice...In ground planting is for "heavy lifting" of trunk development, to heal large pruning wounds and for development of heavy primary branching. All these are hugely accelerated if the plant is the ground.

In a container, finer development of a compact root pad, secondary branching and other refinement is done. You cannot accomplish that in the ground.