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Fruit Trees in Containers?

xeno
10 years ago

I'm a renter with a backyard, and want to grow some fruit trees. Does anyone have any good results/experience growing fruit trees in containers? Which are the best trees to grow in a container?

I understand I can google fruit trees in containers but I'd love to get some personal feedback. Thanks!

Comments (44)

  • Charlie
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I currently grow two Texas evergreen fig trees in containers in Zone 7. The trees are now five years old and I harvest about two gallons of figs each year. I move them into an unheated garage during the winter. You can do the same with other fruits that thrive in your zone. You are better off selected dwarf varieties since the containers are not typically large enough for standard size fruit trees.

    This post was edited by CharlieBoring on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 7:06

  • canadianplant
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    pretty much any tree can be grown in a pot, its just a matter of either having them in really big pots, or getting trees on dwarfing rootstock. figs are really good in pots, and some people say they fruit and grow better in pots anyways.

    at least in miami you dont really have to worry about bringing them inside for the winter. I do believe you can get an acai palm to work well in a pot. There is a type called "para dwarf" that usually fruits when the plant is 3 feet tall!

    I would also try dwarf cavendish banana. they do very well in pots even up here in canada (as houseplants).

    This post was edited by canadianplant on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 7:20

  • fireduck
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    good advice above....do not use soil. Use a commercial potting mix or make your own well-draining mix (see container threads). You will be fine.

  • HeyJude2012
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi- I have a few trees in containers. You really do need to make sure that the trees are dwarf or at least semi dwarf. You will do yourself a service to make sure you have your pots on wheels. Those pots are SO heavy when filled with soil and tree and then even heavier when thoroughly watered. If you need to move them during a frost or when you move...you will be grateful for not having to lift them to move them around.

    I have a pomegranite, a nectarine, a peach, 2 satsuma tangerine, a Meyer and a Eureka lemon, a caracara orange, a Mexican lime, a gala apple, an Asian pear, a brown Turkish fig and a Violette de Bordeaux fig. Oh...and a Kaffir lime and a Curry Leaf tree.

    I had issues with the Meyer and one satsuma earlier this year but they are bouncing back nicely. Both problems appeared to be due to drainage issues. Make sure your pots drain well or the roots will get waterlogged.

    The hardest thing is deciding what you have room for :))) I didn't realize how many trees I had until I started listing them. Good luck!

  • swakyaby
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Jude,
    What type of Asian pear are you growing in a container? what size container are you using? And how many years old is the tree? I have room for 2 half-wine barrels.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The trees/fruits best adapted to containers are blueberry and probably fig. I've also grown grape, blackberry, sweet cherry, apricot, nectarine, pluot, plum, and more. I've used both dwarf and standard rootstocks. They work about the same and give similar size trees.

    Any tree grown in a container will be dwarfed. You don't need a dwarfing rootstock but it might help by limiting root growth and thus delay becoming rootbound. The smaller the container the smaller the tree.

    Most of my pots have been 5-15 gallon. They all work for all fruits above you just have to water more often in smaller pots.

    Nine year old blueberry in 15 gallon pot. 18 lbs fruit one year.

    {{gwi:101845}}

    Three nectarines in a 15 gallon pot all on standard rootstock, Nemaguard, yielded 12 fruit per tree in year two.


    {{gwi:40822}}

    Four nectarine trees in a 30 gal pot. I've only used that size a couple times, too heavy.


    {{gwi:112744}}

    This post was edited by fruitnut on Sun, Jul 14, 13 at 19:21

  • franktank232
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I hear you on weight... my whiskey barrels are on wheels so i can move them around easily. I tried to dolly them around and its a major pain. The other trees in the 15 gallon (about 15 of them) are easier, but still not good for the back (if i lift them)...i'm a young stud (ha ha!) ...but i usually just dolly them.

    That blueberry is impressive.

    One thing about fruit trees..if you don't pot them up fast enough, them seem to stunt out on me... as in..ieven if i repot to a larger container, they still grow very very slowly... good thing to always move up to bigger pots quickly, especially with fast growers like peaches...

  • lawanddisorder
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great info above!

    Fruitnut always impresses me with his input, and that blueberry bush certainly fits the bill.

    I am in the same situation; renter wanting fruit trees. Last spring I bought concord seedless grapes and flavorcrest peach. They both have grown well and both are fruiting this year.

    This spring I added the following: a few varieties of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberry bushes, 2 types of honeyberries, an arctic beauty kiwi, issai kiwi, three types of seedless table grapes, 2 more peaches, a plum, 2 nectarines, 2 apricots, 2 apples (4 variety grafted type), a 2 variety pear grafted type, 2 pawpaws, everbearing turkey fig, another fig, an illinois everbearing mulberry, and a bunch of strawberries.

    Everything is growing relatively well. I've had a slight problem with oriental fruit moth, and a fair amount of difficulty with the blueberries (still really don't know if I have fixed the blueberry issues, or what was even wrong), but nothing seems to be negatively affected by being in a pot, at least so far.

    Advice on limiting weight is spot on, and something I didn't consider until too late. now, moving them is a major pain. This weekend I built a bigger platform attachment for my dolly and it made moving them much easier. I have my trees/bushes crammed into a tiny backyard and needed to spray my stonefruits and didn't want the overspray to drip onto the ripening berries on my berry bushes that are right next to them, so I had to move the bushes to spray.

    A couple other suggestions:

    Multi-variety grafted trees are a really good use of space, if you are limited by that or don't feel like having to move a bunch of pots that could have been consolidated into a single pot whenever you move.

    You mentioned trees, but I'd recommend you look into bushes as well. They fruit faster and seem to grow well in pots.

    The pots will get a lot hotter, a lot faster, than normal soil, so mulch well, remember to leave a few inches for mulch, and water more frequently in hotter weather. Avoid black pots as they will get especially hot.

    Make sure the pots have good drainage holes. I had to enlarge a few of mine after planting bc after a day of rain the soil turned into soup and would have killed the plant if I didn't notice quickly enough.

    Dwarf root stock is very important. The IL Everbearing Mullberry is supposed to get like 35 feet tall, and I can tell already that it is going to be problematic. The berries, which grew in the first season of my having the tree, taste so good that I am going to try and prune it like crazy so I can keep it.

    If you are going to get grapes or kiwis or any other vine, make sure you situate the trellis system within the pot, rather than placing the pot near a fence or external trellis, as they will get completely intertwined in no time and moving them will become nearly impossible.

    All kind of obvious, but those are the pitfalls I've run into this far and ones I've heard from others with potted fruits.

    Within the past month, I have been adding strawberries to the potted trees. I think this will help keep the soil cooler to avoid excessive heat, and also a cool use of space. Not sure how the competition between the trees and the strawberries will affect each other as they both grow, but so far, so good.

    Good luck!

  • yukkuri_kame
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grew mangos from seed in containers way too small (3gal) in Florida and they actually fruited - one had 7 mangos, squirrels got them all. There are 'condo mangos' available that will produce well in containers, given light & a good potting mix.

    In FL, I also enjoyed growing pineapples in containers. Not huge producers, but there is nothing like a homegrown pineapple.

  • HeyJude2012
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi everyone!

    Swakyaby-sorry, I didn't realize that you asked about the Asian pear. Mine is a semi-dwarf shinseiki. It's in a 10 gallon pot [I think]. I'm really bad at sizing of pots. It's a really tall skinny tree and I have no clue how old it is. I've had it for one year. It's probably 5 foot tall but it doesn't have any branches to speak of. I wasn't expecting to get any fruit on it. I thought I had to have a pollinater. Not sure I spelled that right. I had a bunch of blooms and it turned into 8 baby pears all in one clump. I just cut off 4 of the smaller today. That hurt. :) I have more blooming that just happened. One looks like it is a baby pear and the others don't have the bulb behind the flower.

    When the tree goes dormant in the winter, I am going to repot it into something bigger. The pot I used is definitely too small. I think the half whiskey barrel is a good size.

    I tried to take a picture of the whole tree but its so tall and I have so much going on in the yard, by the time I back up to get the whole tree in the frame, you can't really tell what you're looking at so I posted a pic of the pears before I thinned them.

  • swakyaby
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the info, Hey Jude. I'm unsure whether a tree that grows tall and skinny is suitable for a container.

    swakyaby

  • HeyJude2012
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You're probably right but I have to work with what I can do. :) Small mostly cement patio situation. Secomd year of learning as I go gardening.

    I saw a beautiful Asian pear at Home Depot last week. It was so hard to walk away from it. It was a mini-dwarf...beautiful shape. Short and branched out. If I didn't already have the one I have, I would have bought it.

  • Charlie
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you prune it correctly, you can control the growth.

  • swakyaby
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A mini-dwarf Asian pear? Sounds like it was born to be kept in a container. I would buy that in a heartbeat.

    The problem with pruning a semi dwarf tree to exist in a container is that it would too quickly become root bound, I would think.

  • itheweatherman
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "I'm a renter with a backyard, and want to grow some fruit trees. Does anyone have any good results/experience growing fruit trees in containers? Which are the best trees to grow in a container? "

    This is my first year that I'm growing stone fruit trees in cointainers. I'm growing Flavor delight aprium, two bella gold peacotums, an ultra-dwarf stella cherry, one spicezee nectaplum,a multi-graft tree (burgundy plum and goldkist apricot) and my two proprietary plum hybrids--a myrobalan plum x moorpark apricot, and a myrobalan plum x mariposa plum hybrid.

    My most vigorous tree is Flavor delight aprium: fast growing with very beautiful foliage. Followed by spice zee nectaplum, then by my two plum hybrids, then by bella gold peacotums.

    The soil that i used was a mixture of miracle-gro moisture control, desert sand, and mulch.

  • itheweatherman
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is a picture.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't grow fruit trees in containers but do grow sub-tropicals in containers. Here's a Philodendron. I had it over 35 years. All the leaves had to be removed as it was damaged by a frost, but the plant is super hardy and grew back well this summer. Many of my other tropicals suffered more. I was out of town and a hard freeze hit.

  • milehighgirl
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I started out with all my trees potted b/c I had not prepared the ground first. I second the advice regarding black pots and watering. Personally here in Colorado the best thing is to have a drip system on the pots. If a pot dries out it's hard to get it back to a moist soil situation; the water just runs down the sides of the pots and goes out the bottom. Trees are happier and more productive if the soil is relatively consistently moist. This keeps the roots cooler as well.

  • Charlie
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Drew51 - I would like to see a better picture of your rain barrell.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I bought the barrel at Sam's Club. The eves splitter was purchased online, I can't remember where? The barrel holds 55 gallons. I have a 70 gallon trash can next to it, and use the plastic gutter extension (seen between them) to route to that can. The gutter splitter has a handle to route to barrel or downspout. It doesn't take long to fill the barrel. Extensions would be nice, but the wife won't let me add anymore.
    FYI on the far left with the bricks on the ground is a Chinese magnolia, to the right of that on the fence is a currant being trained as a cordon. It has yet to reach the top of the fence. On the other side of the house the currant is inches away from the top and ready to be split, well almost, another week or two.

  • Charlie
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Drew51 - I am considering setting up a rain barrel system. My plan is to have the downspout dump into a braun 60-gallon plastic trash barrel which will have an overflow opening which dumps into another 60-gallon braun trash barrel. The last barrel will have an overflow opening which dumps the water into my channel removing it from near the house. Do you get enough benefit out of the rain barrel to make it worthwhile?

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I Am doing very well with the following

    {{gwi:118683}}
    1) blue berry plants in 5 gallon buckets

    {{gwi:118684}}
    2) nagami kumquat right, sweet lee tangerine left

    {{gwi:118685}}
    3) meiwa kumquat tree among sweet potatoes

    {{gwi:118686}}
    4) Poncirus trifoliata in 5 gallon bucket

    {{gwi:118687}}
    5) Sweet lee tangerines in bottomless gallon food tin

    {{gwi:118688}}
    6) Sweet lee tangerine in ground

    {{gwi:118689}}
    7) hardy chicago fig in 5 gallon bucket

    {{gwi:118690}}
    8) Hardy chicago fig in 55 gallon drum

    {{gwi:118691}}
    9) brown turkey fig trees in 55 gallon drums

    Thats it for container fruit. The citrus is the hardest to grow but they grow true from seed. look up the fruit variety to see if your choice grows true,

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    fruitnut

    "Nine year old blueberry in 15 gallon pot. 18 lbs fruit one year"

    Hi; Is this an exceptionally good harvest or is this somewhat typical for this bush.

    I have 13 drums at 55 gallon each to be used whole or cut to size for planters.

    Thanks

  • Lisagarden
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello I am new to this forum and really want to have at least one container fruit tree on my deck this year.

    My deck gets the best sun.

    I am in zone 6 Pennsylvania.

    Last year I started blueberries and strawberries in containers on my deck and they are overwintering in an unheated sun room.

    Questions:

    What is the easiest dwarf fruit tree to grow in a container for a newbie like me in zone 6 PA?

    Can it stay in a container overwinter?

    If it needs to go in unheated room-----a smaller height would be important.

    I saw ads for fruit cocktail trees...........anyone ever tried those?

    well I have many questions but for a first year fruit tree on the deck------zone 6 -----what might you recommend?

    thanks in advance!

    Lisa

  • Ernie
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you want something very, very easy, then a fig tree would serve you well. It would likely require winter protection in your zone, but your unheated sun room should be ideal.

  • lsoh
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Let me start with, I am no expert.

    I am diverging a little from your question, sorry.

    Your plants are in an unheated sun room. Some sun rooms are pretty warm through the winter. This could be a problem. Some plants need a minimum number of "chilling hours" to fruit. Living in northern Ohio, this is not something that I have needed to learn about. But you may need to move your plants outside for the winter to get fruits. (Maybe not) You might consider starting a new thread asking about winter chilling hours for your fruits in your region.

    The rule of thumb is that plants will over winter unprotected in pots if the plants are rated 2, may 1 zone colder than your area. If you are in zone 6, your plants will probably be ok unprotected outside in pots if they are rated for zone 4, maybe zone 5. You can probably overwinter zone 6 plants by burying the pots in leaves. I live in zone 5. I have overwintered sweet cherries, blueberries, plums, mulberries, and gooseberries in pots. I drag all the plants together and bury the pots in leaves. I pile the leaves a couple of inches deeper than the pots because the pile soon settles to a a few inches lower than the top of the pots. However, the trapped moisture might be harmful to your deck. I also think the roots would remain warmer if the pots where directly on the ground, not the deck. The deck might not be the best spot for over wintering marginal plants. But I'm not sure. If you can overwinter your plants on the ground, it might be better to select plants rated down to at least zone 6, with preferences for those rated down to zone 5 or 4. Then plan to leave them outside.

    Regarding a smaller height to fit trees into the sun room. I keep all of my potted trees short enough for me to reach the top. They stay pretty small on their own in pots anyway. However, most of mine (including my blueberry bushes) are too wide to go through a standard door.

    Don't let my response deter you. I've only being growing fruit for a few years. I've learned a lot on this forum. Most of my fruit is grown in pots. Last year, we ate fresh picked fruit every day from the end of May through mid August. Hopefully, this year we will have fruit through fall. The fruit in grocery stores is picked long before it's ripe, and it's not fresh. Garden fresh is wonderful. And it's not that hard.

    I would say make sure you use a well draining pottingsoil. Be aware that your pots will probably need to be watered every day. And for me, bird nets are a necessity if I want to eat any fruit.

    Please continue to ask questions.

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I opened this thread to tell you about FIG TREES. Why
    ------1) you can't buy fresh figs in the grocery store.
    ------2) They taste fantastic, just let them shrivel lightly on the tree--OOOOEEEE YEEEHAAA
    ------3) They are damn near fool proof.
    ------4) They are extremely attractive and insect free. your squirrels will not know what they are.. i am 3 years in and squirrels still don't know.
    ------5) They take neglect well. IE If you fail to water them they just loose there leaves and fruit but live.
    ------6) If killed to the ground they will send cains up and produce fig like a tomato plant the same year ( Hardy Chicago fig)
    ------They do well in scorching sun and can take temps to 130F.
    See pics
    Hardy Chicago fig Stalk with figs 2013
    {{gwi:118692}}

    2 inch cutting + 11 months = 30 delicious figs + nice tree in 5 gallon bucket.
    {{gwi:118693}}

    These trees can go down to 10 F

    good luck with your choice

    The three rules of container gardening are

    Don't grow citrus trees

    DON'T GROW CITRUS TREES OF ANY KIND.

    DO NOT BY ANY MEANS GROW CITRUS TREES ESPECIALLY KUMQUAT TREES.

    They are exceedingly difficult, Just check out the citrus forum and look at all the desperate cries for help. then look at any other forum and you will see that any thing else is easier. Here is a link for you to check for your self.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/citrus/

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are many thing you can grow. Apple trees of any kind grafted on bud-9 rootstock. nanking sour cherry. Meteor and north star sour cherry. black an raspberry plants. Stay away from tropical and subtropicals except figs. There is not enough sun on our cloudy side of the mississippi river. Strawberries, pepper plants do very well and I take mine in after the growing season and can often harvest another 10 to 30 peppers per plant. Peaches and apricots on dwarfing rootstock.

    The smaller the fruit size the easier to grow in containers. crab apples are easier than granny smith. cherry tomatoes are easier than better boy. and so on. The longer it take for a fruit to ripen the longer you have to protect it from nasties. My summer Rambo apple ripens in june-july with 3 bushels. The squirrels get 1, I get 2. My arkansas Blacking apple produces 4 bushels in october-november. I have Gotten a total of 6 apples in 10 years, squirrels get the rest.

  • farmless_barn
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    HI! I have a black thumb and a hankering to plant some fruits and veggies :) I live in zone 8, Lancaster ca to be exact, and I'd like to try container gardening. I wanted to get a Granny Smith apple tree and a nectarine tree (not sure of the kind) and plant them in 55gal drums. I'd like to cut each barrel into halves if that's possible, to save some moolah :) Any advice or forewarnings are welcomed and greatly appreciated! Oh, and I'd also like to start a planter like in this picture...It's just a 55 gal drum with slits cut into the sides, and a pvc pipe for worms/compost :) Thanks a bunch! (no pun intended)

  • poncirusguy6b452xx
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In ground trees and plants almost always do better than those in a container. Is there a reason to container them. In my situation I am growing figs and citrus that must be brought in for the winter. for my cold hardy but wet sensitive trees i put in large raised beds.

    If you must put these trees in 55 gallon drums halved you will have to use a very porous mix and the container with have to have very good drainage, My half drums have 300+ holes 1/8 inch diameter. The container has to be elevated above the ground so that it drains its excess water.

    Check link for rootstock choice

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.boyernurseries.com/rootstocks.html

  • lsoh
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    farmless_barn,

    Even without a tree, 27 gallons of potting soil will be very heavy. Is there a reason that you want to go that large?

    I've only been growing fruit since 2010, so I'm no expert. But I have grown Mulberries, gooseberries, sweet cherries, black berries, blue berries, and plums (the plums haven't fruited yet) in pots. I use 14 gallon pots. Even 14 gallons of potting soil is way too much for me to lift. I put a rope around my pots in order to laboriously drag them across the lawn. If I understand correctly, fruitnut, who is very successful at growing fruit in pots, grows in even smaller pots.

    I don't know how much you already know.
    1) Put drain holes in the bottom of your pot
    2) Use high quality, well draining potting soil. It's common on this forum to mix your own. If you need more details, ask. (There's another forum that likes a formula called the "gritty" mix. Before you go for that, figure out what 27 gallons of gritty mix would weigh. It's 1/3 crushed rocks. It's heavy. And very dry. Requires a lot of watering.)
    3) My pots require daily watering. You might be able to get away with a little less often if you go with a 27 gallon pot.
    4) In potting soil, your plants will be totally dependent upon you for fertilizer.

    You might want to read some of fruitnut's old posts. At least so far, with the help of people on this forum, it doesn't seem that hard to grow fruit in pots. Ripe, fresh fruit is such a luxury. I encourage you to try it. Please continue to ask questions.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I make my own soil, but never the gritty mix, way too heavy! Fafard makes a number of great mixes.
    I use up to 30 gallon root pouches. I can move them when dry. I use a dolly on large pots, like the tropical pictured above.
    I would really consider the fabric pots, as it is looking like roots grow better in these containers. Roots are air trimmed and no root swirling occurs. I doubt I will ever buy a regular pot again. I use root pouches which only last about 4 years, so one has to replant from time to time. But really every 4 years with new soil isn't a bad idea.
    The soil I use is Pine bark fines, peat moss, and diatomaceous earth of the proper size, not food grade. I use Optisorb oil absorbent, It is 100% DE, and size is decent. This makes for a really light weight mix that works well. Perlite could be used, but I like to recycle old mixes into garden beds, and perlite breaks down to mush in 5 years. DE lasts about 50 thousand years.
    Root pouches are not expensive! Check link

    Here is a link that might be useful: root pouch

  • farmless_barn
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ poncirusguy @Isho

    Thanks for the replies :) I am a renter too, I rent the space for my tiny house, but I can't put anything in the ground :( I want to get the plants from Walmart or Home Depot/Lowes. I was going to put the drums/ half drums on a furniture dolly from Harbor Freight, I think they're $8, can't remember how much they hold but it was a lot. And I wanted to make a little self watering thing with a cup of dirt sitting in water so the roots can absorb however much they need....I have -40% experience, :D It took me about 4 years to learn to keep a golden pothos alive (don't laugh), but the price of fresh fruit/veggies is on the rise with no end in sight. Any thoughts on using the drum as a vertical garden?

  • farmless_barn
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @Drew51

    I saw this guy using blue $0.50 walmart bags on youtube :) Do you think I could put the granny smith or the nectarine in a 15 gal root pouch? I think they come in that size, not sure if that matters.....Oh, did you see the pic in my OP? How do you think a 55gal will do for growing veggies? I like the fact it doesn't take up much space, and it has worms and compost in it....Thanks so much!

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think the drum would be fine! I noticed in the link I provided they no longer offer the bigger pouches anyway. 15 gallons might work, I guess considering the above posts, yes it would work. I myself would use a 30 gallon. I have one unused, I hope I can find the bigger size elsewhere.

    You have the drums, I would use them somehow for veggies or your trees.

  • sean2280
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have my first fruit tree in a container this year. Spice Zee in a 15 gallon smart pot. Even using the 5-1-1 mix this thing is heavy. Had to buy a 2 wheel cart to move the thing around.

    Cut the tree about 20 inches high and it seems to be doing well. Had a little bit of an issue in the very beginning with some of the leaves being deformed. Not sure what that about. Don't know if it was due to too much water or not enough fertilizer... it corrected itself though. We have gotten less rain than we did in May and June. I also in addition to the Osmocote plus have recently begun using a combination of Azomite/bat guano/kelp meal/blood meal. I have seen a good amount of new growth since its first pruning and the leaves are no longer deformed.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a Spice Zee also. Mine is in ground. Go light on the fertilizer, they need it, but not much. I put mine in the ground and cut it low to form low pedestrian scaffolds. But it only threw low branches so I had to reform the central leader. Then this winter with 13 days below zero, most of the new central leader died. It did have very viable shoots, so instead of doing yet another central leader, I choose to use the new branches as scaffolds.
    All growth is this year so far. It was fertilized once in the spring. I'll probably hit it again this week, then no more. I want it to harden off well. Well it's going to be a very low tree! Awesome plant, the jap beetles don't like it either (yay!).

  • sean2280
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Drew,

    Saw your posts on Dave Wilson. That's what made me want to get the tree. Being in zone 5 I know for an almost certainty it won't survive in ground. Although I did have a Splash Pluot survive just fine this year and 2 nectarines rated for my zone almost bite the dust. I too had to form a new central leader on one of those nectarines. Lopped it off at knee high 2 weeks ago. It had good branching structure so I took the chance. I think with another 2+ months of growing left it should harden off fine for me.

    I'm wanting to say that the deformed leaves on the Zee were due to lack of fertilizer... once I added it the newer growth was coming out just fine... but then again who knows.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had some deformed leaves on pole beans, not sure what caused them? I think a possible exposure to herbicide. Yeah zone 6 here was like zone 5 last winter and the Spice Z barely survived, but as you can see it's OK. It grew a lot, that's all new growth. So no vascular damage.
    I also have a 4n1 pluot Favor King, Flavor Supreme, Dapple Dandy, and Flvor Queen. It came through fine, no damage at all.
    I have blueberries and Carmine Jewel tart cherry in pots. Mostly because I want to take them with me when I move in 3 years. All but one blueberry could go in the ground, and will after I move if i can mangae to keep them alive.
    Keep us updated on progress. What's great is we learn from each other.

  • sean2280
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I will be sure to post more often. I lurked around here for about 2-3 years before I started to post. Right now besides my container Zee I also have a 3 tiered 4-1 with 8 peaches and 4 nectarines. I have a PF-5, 19,23, and 35, Indian free, O'Henry, White Lady, and Saturn in peaches and a Mericrest, Fantasia, Crimson Gold, and independence.

    I also have a temp nursery row with plums and pluots growing in inground rootmaker bags. I have about 7-9 of each of those (14-18 total). I plan on adding a Cot-n-Candy in a pot next season.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, nice cultivars! I want to add more, but I have to move in a few years, depends when I can retire, it's coming but exact date unknown. I do have to move though. It really sucks I'm not getting any younger, so for now just adding small items can easily propagate and take with me. Like brambles, currants, etc.

  • janrobbins22
    9 years ago

    jFlowerman you really hit the right approach for having fruit trees in containers! !! What a huge difference!! We're in Norco Hills high up with cool breezy winds and hot summers! The black plastic big containers -- 15 to 25 gallons seemed big enough and are but the hot summer sun hitting the black plastic cooked the tree roots so I was dragging pots to bottom shade or wind protection... Then I discovered Paradise Nursery in Riverside and they sold us big boxes -- the ones nurseries use for trees ---wood is light blond so cooler and huge compared to the pots. We bought 3" casters at Home Depot screwed on the casters -one at each corner... four each box and now our trees are ultra healthy and I can slide them into shade or away from wind like magic! Zero effort!!! The nurseries grow the bigger trees in these boxes and my miniatures to standard are easy to prune, cool in the heat and Super attractive on the patio! Buying the soil will cost but getting half a yard for 22.00 for four boxes---plus the 18.50 per box-- is super cheap compared to whiskey barrels or bags of soil in black deco hot pots! And one can always fill boxes half way if desired! hope this helps!

  • Midwestfruitjungle
    5 years ago

    if you are looking for exotic trees or trees you dont know much about, you should really look into what ph they grow best in, for example, miracle berries, blueberries, barbados cherries and citrus all require various levels of acidic soil, without any acidity, the Plants will not grow to there full potential and may even die. If you have the soil, nutrients, and sun right, and some of your plants may not be growing well, look at their soil ph.

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