I have started playing around with growing fruit trees/bushes in containers (Sweet cherries, grapes, lemon, lime, pineapple, low bush blueberries) this year and have come across a common theme posted online.
*** When repotting your tree/bush/plants only go 1 size up on the pots. ***
I have also seen just about everywhere that the best way to plant your fruit trees/bushes is to plant them in ground for the best overall results and well being of the plant. And when planting in containers most fruit trees/bushes need at least a 15 gallon container to be successful (even larger if possible).
So, based on most of the internet advice, when repotting a 3 gallon tree (new purchase), the next size would be a 5 gallon at most âfor the health of the plantâ.
So now for the questionâŚ
If its best to plant a fruit tree/bush is in the ground (which would be an âunlimitedâ pot)⌠would it not be fine to repot a new tree into a pot of the recommended size for that tree/bush?
And if not, why?
What would the downside be of putting a new 1-3 gallon tree/bush (most common sizes available in my area) into a 15 gallon or 25 gallon container at the first repotting? Assuming space is not an issue.
Main reason I am asking is, this past spring i planted 2 sweet cherries (bare root) into 15 gallon containers (19" wide x 12" high) and noticed recently that the roots are coming out of the bottom of the container. I already have plans of repotting these 2 trees into 35 gallon containers come spring which I am hoping will hold them for a few years.
I am planning on purchasing additional fruit trees/bushes next spring to fill out my garden but donât want to have to repot every year until they get into their final containers. I know they will have to have the soil âfreshened upâ every few years in containers but donât see the point of going thru the stepped containers if not really needed.
Thanks for your assistance with this, I am looking forward to any advice you can give.
In my experience, there is nothing wrong with going straight into bigger containers. I usually will go from a tree pot or 1 gallon container, into a 5g, to 15 or 25g. I typically go to 15 these days because I canât move my 25g pots around with my dolly .
One thing to note is that I use mainly mineral and peat moss based potting soil, so it doesnât go anaerobic at the root zone. I believe the reasoning for gradually going up pot sizes is to avoid root rot from overwatering. I have had this issue with a mineral/peat based soil.
If I had to guess Iâd say it was just easier to write â1 size upâ than something more accurate.
The only benefit I see to gradually up-sizing instead of right-sizing from the beginning is that itâs easier to up-size every two years than to re-pot from a 25-gal to another 25-gal every two-three years.
I never pot up to just 1 size up as recommended by the internet. Also i grow EVERYTHING in pots right now. Over 150 fruiting plants in pots as a matter of fact.
My pineapple guava went from 1 gallon to 15 gallon and within just a month, this is the new growth that Iâve gotten from Kaiteri
I repotted my fig trees from 1 to 15 and 20 as well and theyâre really happy too.
I think if youâre not sure or youâre planting with low quality potting soil, it might be best to just pot up one size so that thereâs less of a chance of root rot but if youâre dealing with a plant who isnât fussy, pot that mofo up to the biggest size fam.
My Mango tree went from 5 gallon to 25 and Iâve gotten 4, maybe 5 flushes of growth in just around 2.5 months.
I also pot my raspberries up from 1 gallon to 15âish and theyâre ultra happy as well.
The only thing i would pot up to just the next size up, would be anything with root rot. But those with healthy roots, i say go for as big as you can. Root rot recovery plants need a drier soil overall to help them recover. Smaller pot = faster drying out time.
The plants actually grow faster and size up faster if you step them up gradually, rather than going from tiny pot to huge pot. A lot of this has to do with overly moist soil conditions. If a pot is too big, a plant canât dry the soil volume out enough and ends up with suboptimal growing conditions. It doesnât even have to be as severe as root rot, the plant just doesnât grow as well. If you pot up gradually, the plant is âin the zoneâ for a much higher proportion of its life. You also waste much less fertilizer and soil by up-potting gradually.
Itâs important to remember that soil in a pot works very differently than soil in the ground. In ground, the moisture will be able to equalize more easily with the surrounding soil. In a container, this isnât the case. Even with a well-drained mix, you end up with a layer of soil that stays saturated for longer than you think after you water. Most plants donât appreciate this. The larger the container relative to the plantâs ability to take up water, the longer this zone stays saturated. Adding gravel at the bottom of the pot doesnât help this, it just moves the saturated layer above the gravel.
Now, if you use a very well drained soil and something super vigorous like a fig, you can probably get away with it. Other than that, plants that jump sizes easily are usually long overdue for an up-pot, which also slowed them down. I grow hundreds of plants each year from seed, cuttings, and grafts, and the difference is super obvious. It also doesnât hurt that itâs easier to manage the 4-dimensional chess of bench space by potting up gradually.
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