COLUMN-SHAPED APPLE TREES IN POT OR CONTAINERS

On the Internet I saw a photo of a columnar apple tree in a container. Where can such a tree be placed? Is it really possible to grow it, for example, on a balcony?

Artem Gorbachev, Krasnogorsk

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- The columnar apple tree really opens up amazing opportunities for container culture. A small tree in a 10-20-liter container, even on a balcony, can grow for about 10 years and produce 10-30 fruits annually. But this is provided that conditions for the plant are created no worse than in the ground. Here are the key points for success.

Watering. Experience shows that a 2-3-year-old tree in a 15-liter container needs to be watered every 2 days on average over the summer. But in the heat you will have to drink 2 times a day. It will be useful to add hydrogel to the soil (50 g per pot), the granules of which absorb irrigation water, swell and hold it until the plant needs it.

For planting an apple-tree-column in our experimental breeding nursery, we use high-moor peat (red color, fibrous structure) mixed with garden soil (9:1). On a 10-liter container, add 50 g of dolomite flour and 20 g of a slightly soluble complex fertilizer New wagon (another complex fertilizer is possible). We bring one half of the portion of dolomite flour into the substrate, and the second - onto its surface.

Top dressing of columnar trees in containers

From the second year after planting, it is necessary to feed the apple tree (from early May to mid-June) with a water-soluble complex mineral fertilizer (Terrasol, New Universal). Halve the recommended amount indicated on the package. The solution should well wet the substrate in the container.

Organics are also useful - humic fertilizers or manure infusion (1:10).

As a result, the annual growth in plants of medium-sized varieties should be 15-25 cm.

Warmth and light.

An apple tree is a light and thermophilic plant, so it can only be grown on a sunny balcony (not in a room!). In the country, plants in a container prefer to be near the wall of the house in a place protected from the wind. On hot sunny days, the substrate in the container can heat up above +30 degrees, which is bad for the roots. Therefore, create a shadow over the container or rearrange it. When moving, it is better not to change the orientation of the plant relative to the sun. And keep in mind: trees with fruits can fall even from a weak wind.

Pollination.

For container plants outdoors, this is not a problem, since there is a garden around. In the conditions of a balcony, you must grow at least two apple trees of different varieties, and during the flowering period, transfer pollen from a tree of one variety to another with a soft brush on your own.

OPTIONS FOR WINTERING A COLUMN-SHAPED APPLE TREE IN A CONTAINER

For plants in a container, the main danger is the freezing of the roots (this happens already at -12 degrees).

Glazed balcony is suitable for overwintering. But on especially frosty days, you need to cover the container with any insulating material. You can put a few plastic bottles of water under it next to the container. Freezing water releases a lot of heat. Under shelter, this process stretches for several days, and until the bottled water freezes, the roots will be protected.

It is impossible to bring the plant into heat in winter, and then take it out to the balcony again. Such jumps lead to freezing of flower buds.

An ideal wintering is in a basement or a major garage, where the temperature in winter does not fall below -10 degrees, and does not rise above +5 degrees.

You can leave the tree for the winter and on the street. To protect against desiccation, wrap the entire stem of the plant with three to four layers of black non-woven fabric. And bury the container in the ground 15-20 cm below the upper edge of the container, cover it with soil 10-15 cm from above. Then it is advisable to cover everything with coniferous spruce branches or cut branches, and additionally with old plastic wrap on top. With the onset of frost, sprinkle snow on top. In early April, remove the film to avoid warming up. In the spring (late March-early April), remove the plant in the container from the shelter and put it in the garage or barn until the end of April, and then put it in a permanent place.

TIP: For 2-3 year old apple trees, a 10-12 liter container is suitable. As they grow, a transplant will be needed: for 4-7-year-old plants, a container with a capacity of 20-25 liters is needed.

Reference by topic: Columnar apple trees: secrets of a good harvest