Growing fruit trees in pots or patio containers has a number of benefits:
- You can move the trees into a frost-free garage during bad winter conditions or to avoid spring frosts. (Do not bring them into a heated house though).
- They provide a decorative and fruitful effect on patios, enhanced by an attractive container.
- You can grow fruit trees in very small spaces, ideal for houses with no gardens.
- If you think you might be moving house, you can take the trees with you.
However, there are downsides too. Growing any fruit tree in a container is always going to be more difficult than growing it in the garden - regular watering becomes critical, and trees will occasionally struggle or die for no obvious reason.
Fruit tree species most suitable for growing in pots
Apple trees and pear trees are by far the most suitable species for growing in containers.
Plum trees and damson trees don't always like growing in containers and we don't really recommend it. If you must plant one in a container, make it a very big container, and use plenty of grit.
Cherry trees, peaches, nectarines, almonds and apricots are also feasible - but make sure you have a soil mix with plenty of grit. Given the prevalence of peach leaf curl (which also affects nectarines and sometimes almonds) it is very tempting to grow these species in pots because you can move them undercover over winter, thereby avoiding the worst of the peach leaf curl. Although growing them in pots is problematic, it is arguably less stressful for the tree than growing out in the garden, exposed to peach leaf curl.
Hazels and walnuts are not suitable for growing in containers.
Rootstock choices when growing fruit trees in pots
There are several approaches to choosing fruit tree varieties for growing in containers and patio pots. The most common approach is to use very-dwarfing rootstocks, which will keep the size of the tree down to less than 2m / 6ft or so. In the case of apples this is readily achieved using the excellent M27 rootstock. Click here for a list of our current stock of M27 apple trees.
A more recent approach is to use more vigorous rootstocks than are traditionally used for patio fruit trees, relying on the container itself to restrict the root size. This approach has an advantage that the tree may survive a bit longer if you forget to water it (but it will still need much more attention than a tree in open ground). M9, M26, and MM106 are all useful for container growing, but M26 is probably the best compromise as unlike MM106 it can cope, to some extent, with being over-watered as well as under-watered. This approach is perhaps more suitable if you want a more substantial tree than the usual patio-container tree, e.g. to grow in a large planter.
Another approach is to choose fruit tree varieties which are slow-growing and/or not vigorous. In these cases you could use a more vigorous rootstock than the very-dwarfing rootstocks usually selected for patio-grown fruit trees. Some slow-growing apple tree varieties to consider are: Adam's Pearmain, Court Pendu Plat, Egremont Russet, and Sunset. We also sometimes have Nectarella nectarine trees, and Garden Lady peach trees available. These are both naturally slow-growing varieties even when using the vigorous St. Julien rootstock.
In all cases the tree will need to be regularly watered and fed.
Pot sizes
We find that customers often underestimate the size of pot required for planting a fruit tree. As a starting point you could say that the diameter of the top of the pot needs to be equivalent to at least a third of the diameter of the canopy of the tree - so even a relatively small tree with a 2m canopy would need a pot with a diameter of about 70cm-80cm.
Pots and containers come in all kinds of sizes, and can be described by either volume (capacity) or diameter, and may be round or rectangular. This makes it difficult to prescribe exact measurements, but the diameter across the top is often a good starting point.
- Apple trees on the M27 rootstock can go in a pot of between 18"" - 22"" / 45cm-60cm diameter. Alternatively look for containers with a volume of 40-60 litres.
- For all other new fruit trees the most suitable size pots or patio containers will be those which have a top diameter of at least 60cm / 2ft. In the case of a square container this equates to sides of about 16" / 40cm and a minimum volume of 140 litres.
For dwarf apple trees you can re-pot every few years, increasing the size by 10-20 litres per year until the tree stops growing. However for most fruit trees it is usually better to use the largest size container from the start - aim for somthing in the region of 250L - 500L.
If in doubt, too big is far better than too small. A container with a diameter less than 50cm is unlikely to be big enough, even for a dwarf fruit tree.
Some authorities warn against "over-potting", in other words using a pot that is too big for the current size of the plant, and recommend re-potting every year or so instead. This is good advice for small plants and soft fruit bushes because an over-large pot filled with pure compost will retain far too much moisture. However it is not applicable to fruit trees - and furthermore, as we suggest below, you should use a soil-based rather than compost-based medium when growing fruit trees in containers.
Our plant pot size calculator helps you work out the volume of your planter or container from the dimensions.
If you are using the M27 apple rootstock, you will need to anchor a thick bamboo cane into the bottom of the container to support the tree.
You will also need to make sure that the container is stable since, particularly when the tree is in leaf, it can act like a sail and get blown over in a strong wind, potentially damaging both the tree and the container. Containers with a narrow base are therefore best avoided. If you put a stake in the pot then you may be able to anchor it from the top to a nearby fence.
Note that whilst we supply many of our fruit trees in 12L containers, these containers are not suitable for permanent use - you must transfer the trees to a proper container.
Soil requirements for pot-grown fruit trees
It is best to use normal soil and incorporate a good proportion (20%-30%) of grit to help with drainage. When planting bare-root trees you can incorporate 20% or so of a coarse compost such as John Innes No. 3. For container-grown trees this is not necessary.
Do not use pure compost as it dries out too easily, but conversely, make sure you have enough grit to allow drainage because fruit trees do not like to stand in water.
Put some large pebbles or broken clay pot pieces in the bottom to allow drainage. A decorative mulch on top of the soil will help keep moisture in.
The key thing when growing fruit trees in containers is not to let the soil dry out, so regular watering is needed.
After the tree has reached its final size it is also worth replenishing a proportion of the planting medium every 3-5 years. This is also a good opportunity to carry out some root-pruning, in other words pruning the roots back by about a quarter, which will encourage the tree to continue growing whilst preventing it getting too big.
During the growing season, a bit of plant food helps as nutrients are easily lost from containers over the year. This should be applied in early spring, as trees put on most of their seasonal growth in the period April - June.
We do not recommend using ""organic"" or soil-less composts, these can be successful, but require expert knowledge to ensure the tree stays healthy.
Winter care for fruit trees in containers
The roots of fruit trees growing in open ground are insulated from freezing air by the soil above them, but fruit trees growing in containers have less soil and are exposed to cold air on all sides. If possible wrap the containers in bubble wrap or fleece or sacking to provide extra insulation, and consider raising the containers off the ground.
Also make sure the compost in the pot does not get too wet - fruit trees are dormant over winter and need little or no watering at this time.
Never bring a fruit tree inside a heated house over the winter - it needs to be kept cold to remain in its dormant state.
Possible problems with pot-grown fruit trees
The main disadvantage of growing a fruit tree in a container is that it is actually a very difficult environment for the tree, so the tree will need a quite a bit more attention than if grown in open ground - but as long as you take care you should be successful.
Watering is the biggest issue when choosing to grow fruit trees in containers. Watering is not usually required over the winter when the tree is dormant, but during the rest of the year be prepared to water twice a week, and possibly daily during sunny warm weather. If you go away for a period make sure you get someone to come in and water the tree.
If the tree looks unhappy or unhealthy, the cause is often stress brought on by insufficient watering. As the tree weakens it is less able to fight off insect and fungal infections.
A common misconception is that if it has rained, or it has not been hot and sunny, the tree will not need watering. This may be true for trees grown in open ground, as their roots can extract moisture from rain falling in a wide area around the tree. However the soil surface area of a typical patio container is usually very small, and it would take a deluge of rain to bring enough water into the container.
The smaller the container, the more important it will be to water regularly. In hot weather a tree in a small container could need 2-3 litres of water per day, and it is better to water steadily rather than allowing the compost to dry out between times. Most of the problems we see with container-grown fruit trees are because the container or pot is simply too small.