Is there any benefit to growing young fruit trees in containers in their early years, so that you have full control over conditions, fertilizer, sun exposure, etc? and then placing them in the ground after their roots have expanded to fill, say, a 10 gallon container?
I’m wondering if by this time, when the tree is more established, it would then show stronger and faster growth in the ground than if put in at an earlier stage?
I ask this simply because I have noticed that the fruit trees I grow in containers tend to grow a lot faster compared to those I’ve put in the ground. I assume part of the reason for this is because they are getting a lot more nutrients due to weekly fertilization, and because I am able to move the containers whenever and wherever I like to ensure they are in the area that gets maximum sunlight.
But I have noticed the same thing when growing in hydroponics - that things grown in hydroponics generally grow a lot faster than things grown in other ways. So perhaps in the same way fruit trees grown in certain conditions can outpace others?
Anyone ever experimented and done comparisons to see? For those of you who grow in both containers and the ground, or have moved a lot container trees to the ground at various stages of growth, what have you found results in the best performance for the tree?
I grow out in pots and bags and gather notes. Some of our old heritage fruit have zero information. And specifically I want to nail down pollination characteristics so they can be planted in a mutually beneficial spot.
I’m growing all of mine in pots before determining whether or not I’ll keep them in the orchard.
Found out things like how some of my apricots flower too soon along with some peaches so they’ll either need to be in protected location or just grown as ornamentals or protected during frost.
Had i not known that beforehand, it would’ve been in the orchard never producing. I plan on having a special location for the ones who need a little help or having them forever in large pots.
I heard potted trees bloom earlier than in-ground trees in colder climates. Ground is cold and pots are black and warm up faster in the sun than the cold ground.
If I was growing a fig tree from a small twig, I would try to grow it in a pot for a couple of years to lignify it before planting in-ground and dealing with our winters. Maybe other fruit trees too. But I usually can buy fairly big trees and am not worried about the winter with them, just figs. But if I had a twig od a pear or apple, maybe I’d want more coddling.
I grow almost everything in containers for the first few years. Usually until trees are at least a foot or two tall. If I had an open field or lawn I would probably start seeds directly in the ground, but my garden is so tightly packed that small plants can’t compete for water, and an area with full sun six feet above ground might be in full shade at soil level.
I have several apple seedlings in containers that I started this year. They are about 2ft tall at this time and I am planning on putting them in the ground this fall. Would it be better to wait until they went dormant or plant them the first week of Sept I get usually get a killing frost here about the first week of oct and freeze up around the end of Nov.
Trees in pot are less prone to disease that is spread through water from my understanding. Transplant shock delays growth. I would suggest straigjt into the ground if possible. I have one tree that I bought as a bare root and is currently in a pot. The Giant white peach was dying and I tried to get the last crop. It died before that so the tree in the pot goes in this spot. Tree looks good and I can plant it. I didnt loose an entire year and will have a tree that has a pruned structure.
@MiniOrchardDude
I’m in a semi-arid location of southern CA. Disease spread by surface or subsurface water flow is not an issue here. Also, the lowest winter temperatures I’ve recorded in recent years are in the upper 30’s F; thus, I’m in coldhardiness zone 10b. I have serious issues with airborne pests and diseases year-round. Some can be controlled by tree cages and pesticide regimens, others cannot, e.g. the western strain of fireblight. I have been seriously vested in horticulture for decades. On that scale of time, a year or two of observation in a tree pot is not a sacrifice.
Starting trees in containers is the best method for producing the healthiest trees and rootstocks also.
The investment in a premium grade soil mix with a proven track record that won’t break the bank can aid trees in growing twice as fast and twice as.large as in ground trees.
I started my apple grafts from this spring in one gallon pots. They have done well, some are 3’ but the they are requiring daily watering to be on the safe side.
I just started moving them up into 2 gallon root pouches using the heavy mineral soil from my garden with some bark mixed in. The use of the mineral soil should cut down on watering quite a bit. I plan on growing them for about a month in the root pouches on gravel. Then put the root pouch in the ground for the fall, winter, and the next growing season. I like larger liners.
I’ll heel them in with about an inch of the root pouch above the top of the soil.
I plan on growing them at that location until next summer or whenever I want to put them in their final location and removing the pouch.
This will cut down on intense watering, and since all the roots are in the pouch, I can transplant them whenever I want. They dont have to be dormant like bare root.
I use to buy nursery stock this way, its a nice system. Kind of a hybrid of containers and field grown. It also cuts down on wasted time on grafts that may not perform well, weeding out the bad ones before I sink a lot of time and effort into them.
The first grafts I moved up are already showing a positive response. About a week ago.
Once rooted out a little I think I’ll have to water them once a week or at least not have to water them everyday.
I’m glad you linked to these Richard. I’ve always wondered about these pots and didn’t know they were available on the retail market, as I haven’t seen them sold anywhere. I’ve only seen them used by the growers who sell trees to nurseries.
Earlier this year I purchased a kumquat tree from a local nursery, which had clearly just been taken out of one of these tall ribbed tree pots and put into a 3 gallon container. The roots hadn’t grown into the 3 gallon container at all - when I removed the tree all the surrounding soil spilled right out, and I saw the tree had big strong roots shooting down vertically in the exact shape of the tall tree pot which it had obviously just been moved from!
From what I read these pots have advantages for growing: they air prune, and prevent root circling. The one disadvantage is that you have to keep them in a container to hold them upright, so it seems like it would be hard to grow many trees together in them for long, without their crowding each other out?
What size ribbed tree pot do you recommend? Could I put a seedling directly into a 4x14 tall pot? and in your experience how long can they be left to grow in such a pot before they need to be removed? It seems like if starting from a small seedling, you could probably let it grow in the pot for a couple of years before needing to transplant it, by which time it would have developed a big healthy root system? What is your experience?
your comment confirms my suspicion then! It seems it is possible to get a headstart by growing in containers in optimal conditions. Could you mention what trees in particular you have had success with, where they grew twice as fast as large as in ground trees?
That depends on size. The 9"x15" and larger do not need it. The mini tree pots (see link from above page) I stabilize in their 15x10x8 (approx.) trays.
I don’t have experience with seedlings. Dax used the 4x14 (and taller) with great success.
it would’ve been in the orchard never producing. I plan on having a special location for the ones who need a little help or having them forever in large pots.
