Cultivating and watching a tree grow that gives us fruits that we can enjoy is an experience that all gardening lovers yearn for sooner or later. However, it is normal to think that in order to plant an apple or orange tree, a large garden with a lot of land is necessary. Well, this is not entirely true. Many fruit trees can be planted in pots, some of them are even a good size species when they are outdoors. In fact, the practice of planting fruit trees in pots is already very old, and it began to be used to embellish and delimit paths in gardens.
If you want to learn more about how to grow fruit trees in pot, join us in this EcologíaVerde article. Remember that small fruit trees bear less fruit, but not of smaller size or quality! Do you dare to grow them in your pots?
What are the best fruit trees for pots?
There are many fruit trees that, either because of their size or because of their other characteristics, are suitable for planting in a pot and placing them on a balcony, terrace or garden. However, there are a few that are by far the most popular in this regard. Among the best fruit trees to have in pots we highlight:
- Peach tree: They can be planted all year round if you buy them in a container, but if you are going to buy a bare root peach tree, plant it in early spring, after the first frosts, or in autumn. Another option is to germinate the peach or peach seeds to get to have your tree having planted it yourself.
- Pear tree: This tree adapts to many climates and conditions, although it appreciates environments with some humidity. It resists the cold quite well, although not so much the heat.
- Apple tree: one of the potted fruit trees par excellence. Although the apple tree will grow much smaller in a pot, its fruit will still be just as large, so you can have a source of tasty apples in very little space. If you are going to opt for a tree that gives you apples, you can consult this other article about the Cultivation and care of the apple tree.
- Lemon Tree: Many of you will have seen lemon trees in large pots on terraces or balconies. These trees do not require excessive care, and will allow you to enjoy the taste of lemons like you have rarely tasted. They need slightly acidic soil, for which you can add a loam base to the substrate. If you are interested in this type of fruit tree, do not hesitate to consult this other post about the lemon tree in a pot: how to plant it, care and diseases.
Potted fruit trees: can they be kept indoors?
If possible. But there are some considerations to keep in mind. The first one is that some fruit trees need large amounts of sun and light, while others can thrive in semi-shade conditions. The latter may be suitable for indoors, but only if you place them in a very bright room and near a window. Remember that these are trees, after all, and in very low light conditions they will rarely grow well.
The other is that, in fact, if winters are cold in your climate, it is very possible that you will have to shelter your fruit trees indoors. Trees in containers or pots are less resistant than in their natural state, and strong wind currents and cold can do a lot of damage even to species that would normally support them.
How to grow fruit trees in a pot
If you have already decided what types of fruit trees you’re going to have, follow these tips to care for and grow potted fruit trees:
Substratum
Most fruit trees do not tolerate excess moisture or waterlogging well. To avoid future complications, you must prepare a substrate with very good drainage for them, in which you prepare a base with gravel, volcanic clay or some other similar material. Adding perlite to the mix will also help in this aspect.
Irrigation of potted fruit trees
As we have just said, avoid waterlogging, but do not skimp too much with irrigation because almost all fruit trees need good levels of humidity. To maintain this delicate balance, be consistent with your watering, and check the moisture level of the substrate before watering, checking that it is almost dry, but not completely. If you can, water with water without lime.
Location
The pots must, of course, be large enough for the species they are going to house. It is a good idea to choose a strong material with a solid base, as when the tree grows it could easily become unbalanced.
Pruning of fruit trees
Since you will need them not to open up too much so that they do not take up all the space they would take outdoors, training and maintenance pruning are especially important in these cases. Make sure that its branches grow properly and that the tree maintains the desired structure. We recommend this simple guide on Pruning a lemon tree: when and how to do it so that you take into account more details.
To finish, we encourage you to watch this video on the care of potted fruit trees.
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