Fruit Trees in pots?

sammy_kaye18

Has anyone ever brought the miniature fruit trees that can be kept in pots? 

Pardon the pun but were they fruitful? Did they take well or produce a good amount?

I have seen a deal for 3 trees - cherry, pear and apple and Im wondering about putting them in my sun trap in my garden but obviously dont want to waste money if they arent worth it 

twopenny

They need a big enough pot at least a bit larger by 1" than what they are growing in and enlarged each year.

As for fruitful it depends on what is growing nearby and if it will pollinate them. The apple should be self fertile, cherry and pear will pollinate from ornamental trees of the same type (cherry/pear) if they are growing nearby.

It will take them some years to mature to fruiting.

I had a cherry and apple in pots. They need watering and feeding. They both had problems with aphids that deformed the leaves. The apple went to charity as I had healthy dwarf apple trees growing but the cherry gave a few fruits. When was planted in the ground and is producing like mad.

So yes it can be done but I'd look online for information on how best to look after them.

Farway

I have fruit trees in pots, plum & two apples. All fruit well but I made sure pollination was not going to be a problem befiore I bought them

The two apples are on specific dwarfing root stock, I think I've seen the advert OP refers to and root stock is not mentioned, which makes me wary

The plum is from Lidl but the pot restricts it's roots and I prune accordingly or it would become a monster

However, worth a try and you may need to keep them staked forever

I also sank a 2L plastic pop bottle into the soil as I potted up, so water / feed can get directly to roots and not run off

I do keep my eye on them for pests, wolly aphid or mildew for instance, and remove as soon as I spot any

RAS

Sun traps are not great for fruit trees in pots; they'll need watering twice a day in sunny weather regardless of whether it's warm.

If you are talking fruit trees, you need apple on M27. Don't allow it to fruit until it's the size you want or you will get a 3 food tiddler as best, and don't get a triploid like Bramley or Belle de Boskoop as they'll bust the sky even on M27. 

VVA1 is the best dwarfing stock for plums but must be kept well watered.

There's nothing really dwarfing in the pear rootstocks, although being in a pot will hinder growth.

Look for cherries on Gisela 5. I can just about net mine with the aid of a long cane and it has to be netted as soon as the cherries are the size of green peas or the pigeons will strip it. So it looks like a lolly pop but provides a lot of fruit.