With many types of fruit, it is basically the case that cherry or apple trees, for example, do not grow as old as some other trees in the forest. However, from a purely genetic point of view, there is no reason why columnar fruit should have a shorter lifespan than fruit trees with a spreading canopy.
How old columnar fruit gets depends on care
Tips for a long life of columnar fruit
Pillar fruit is often purchased as an "emergency solution" for growing fruit on a balcony. However, it should be noted that these plants, despite their slender growth habit, have almost the same needs as their more vigorous relatives. So that the service life is not unnecessarily shortened, the following advice should be heeded during care:
- Choose a planter large enough and secure it against tipping over due to the wind
- support the columnar fruit with a stake or other support
- Water tub cultures adequately during dry periods
- Protect columnar apricots and peaches in pots from frost damage
- Ensure adequate nutrient supply through fertilization
Special case columnar raspberry
The so-called columnar raspberry is a special case of columnar fruit. This is often sold in a particularly decorative way tied to a trellis in a pot, but due to its natural disposition it does not automatically retain this columnar shape over its entire lifespan. Like other raspberries, a columnar raspberry grows new canes from the root area and dead parts of the plant have to be removed regularly. Therefore, a pillared raspberry only remains a pillared raspberry that is visually perceived as such if it is steered in the appropriate direction of growth every year with a little effort and fixed to a climbing aid.
tips
While old fruit varieties with large tree crowns can often increase their yield significantly over their entire lifespan, columnar fruit reaches a certain maximum after a few years. On the other hand, the plants usually deliver a very high yield in relation to the plant mass due to targeted selection during breeding.