Minature Patio Fruit Trees?

twopenny

Has anyone, or someone you know, tried these please and how did you get on with them?

As you might have gathered I have limited space and with 4 small fruit trees I got carried away when no plants were around after the first lockdown and bought really dwarf Cherry tree which is currently in a pot looking for a space. However it needs a polinator and I need some shade without major root growth in this hot garden.

The dwarf cherry I have is called Prunus Avium B. Napoleon, polination group D - the single stem patio is Sylvia which is largely self polinating but works with group 4 (I'm guessing that's a D)

I saw these advertised in a catalogue by a reputable grower and thought the single stem minature might do the trick.

Silvertabby

I can recommend Chris Bowers and Pomoma Fruits.  Their on-line catalogues include pollination information.

RAS

Have you checked whether there are any cherries in adjoining gardens?

twopenny

No cherries that I can see. There are plenty of ornamental cherries but I never get why people wouldn't plant something that was edible as well as decorative.

Silvertabby

twopenny said:

No cherries that I can see. There are plenty of ornamental cherries but I never get why people wouldn't plant something that was edible as well as decorative.

I have a dwarf cherry in a pot, but have never had a single fruit from it.  The blackbirds wake up earlier than me !

goldfinches

Silvertabby said:

twopenny said:

No cherries that I can see. There are plenty of ornamental cherries but I never get why people wouldn't plant something that was edible as well as decorative.

I have a dwarf cherry in a pot, but have never had a single fruit from it.  The blackbirds wake up earlier than me !

Many years ago, a rather creepy acquaintance of my father's explained that using ladies fishnet stockings over the branches of the cherry tree secured one luscious fruit! 
We also discovered, by chance, that having someone type their book in a tent pitched next to a cherry tree meant that the birds didn't get the fruit that summer. Until then we had imagined that our morello cherry wasn't very productive.

The cherry tree now outside my kitchen window fruits every year and each summer I see the wood pigeons arriving to scoff cherries while the local feral pigeons completely ignore the feast. The wood pigeons only visit the tree for the fruit and seem to time themselves perfectly and then strip the tree bare within two to three days.

Farway

twopenny said:

No cherries that I can see. There are plenty of ornamental cherries but I never get why people wouldn't plant something that was edible as well as decorative.

They'll do the job, it's only the pollen that's required. The eating cherry will be correct variety, any tree grown from it's pip will be some hybrid

As long as the ornamental is not some sterile jobby

Same applies to apples, a crab apple will do nicely as a pollinator, in fact John Downy is often recommended as an ideal pollinator

I suspect it's the fact that ornamental being bred for blossom means more flowers & hence more pollen and bee attractant

RAS

As long as the ornamentals flower at the same time, jobs a good'un.

You may have to net the tree as wood pigeons strip the leaves, and fruit when they are the size of peas.

Crab apples usually flower over a longer period than domesticus, which is only viable for about 5 days.

twopenny

Thanks folks. That's why I'm getting small trees. Apart from space, I'm only short and need to be able to get netting over.

I'm used to fighting the birds for redcurrants as I used to have a huge fruiting bush and a lot of birds. I'm going to miss that with the single stem but I do like my redcurrant jelly.

The cherries are unlikely to see a jar. They will be eaten in situ like the plums and cherry tomatoes.

Farway

2d, I have a cherry on dwarfing stock, in the ground, Sunburst

I have to cover mine but have found it easier to use small mesh chicken wire rather than netting

Maybe if making a cage or supports netting would do nicely, but wire mesh can be bent & retain shape without support

June 2020

twopenny

Beautiful Farway.....the 2d gives away something

Hard to work up any enthusiasm at the moment with freezing, waterlogged and dark but it will only take some sunshine to bring it back.

I need to be able to get out and work on how I'll plant in this small space but I think it's possible.

I don't have room to store cages at all but it's worked well with large mesh so far and only loosing a few raspberries to the young blackbirds who figure it out.