While naturally grown apple trees often develop very large tree crowns, small cultivated forms are also suitable for cultivation in pots. Nevertheless, a small apple tree in a pot can not only be an ornament on the balcony or terrace, but also bring a delicious yield.

Grow an apple tree yourself from seeds as an experiment

Another motivation for growing an apple tree in a pot can be the sheer fun of plant development. So it is a great experience, especially for children, to pull an apple tree out of a core yourself. However, apple trees grown from a core often turn back into a wild form with a large treetop. However, if the tree is consistently pruned back as a young specimen, it can also be trained to a growth habit that is not dissimilar to a bonsai.

Advantages of growing in pots

Since the apple tree is predominantly a flat-rooted plant, it usually does not feel restricted in a sufficiently large pot. It also survives temporary dry phases well if it is watered extensively in between. Before planting in a pot, it should be provided with drainage holes for excess irrigation and rainwater and a thin layer of gravel at the bottom. In this way, waterlogging, which tends to be harmful to the apple tree, is automatically ruled out.

Grow espalier and columnar fruit in the smallest of spaces

The specialist trade now has various types of fruit available, the growth form of which is adapted to a culture in the smallest of spaces. Columnar apples grow in a strictly columnar shape and hardly ever form side shoots. Trellis fruit is shaped by a targeted pruning so that it forms a flat trellis with light-exposed transverse branches. The following apple varieties are particularly suitable for growing in pots on balconies and terraces:

  • Pillar Apple Red River
  • Pillar Apple Gala
  • U-shaped apple Elstar
  • Column Apple Cox Orange Reindeer

tips and tricks

If an apple tree is grown in a bucket like a potted plant, appropriate winter protection is required. Although apple trees in this country are hardy in outdoor soil, the roots in a pot can easily be damaged by the winter cold. To prevent this, an apple tree in a pot can be protected from the effects of frost in a sufficiently large pit in the ground and lifted out again in the spring.

Category:

Trees