Apple trees will happily grow in a container, provided you purchase the right one. But what is the right one? My guide will tell you everything you need to know to successfully get your own apple harvest from pots!
Choosing The Right Tree
The first thing you must do when purchasing an apple tree to grow in a pot is choose a variety that has been grafted onto a dwarf rootstock.
This is where two trees have essentially been stitched together to change how they grow. The roots will be from a tree that grows much smaller, hence the dwarf rootstock, while the upper part is a regular apple tree.
The roots will then control how big the tree grows, so you get an apple tree that doesn't want to grow too large - perfect for growing in pots.
In the photo above, you can clearly see the point where the fruit tree has been grafted onto different roots to change how it grows.
Different Dwarf Rootstocks
Now you know you need a dwarf rootstock, but that isn't all there is; not all dwarf rootstocks are the same. Some grow larger trees than others.
The type of rootstock is labeled with an M and then a number. Here are a few of the popular rootstocks for apple trees and how large they like to grow.
- M27 (extremely dwarfing) Max 6ft
- M9 (dwarfing) Max 8ft
- M26 (dwarfing) Max 10ft
The max sizes above are the limit that these trees would go to in the perfect conditions, by growing in pots you will probably be reducing this again. This all depends on the size of the pot you choose, the larger the pot the larger your tree will grow. If you only have a medium pot then got for the smallest rootstock possible.
Pot Size & Soil
As with most larger plants and trees growing in pots, bigger is usually better. The bigger the pot the more room your tree will have to spread its roots and the more nutrition will be available to it.
The smaller I would go is 45cm or 18", but go bigger if you can. Ensure the pot has good drainage and set it up from the ground if possible to stop it becoming waterlogged.
For something like a tree that is likely to be in this pot for a while you don't want to use pure compost to plant it. You can to use a loam based mix that has more soil and sand in it rather than 100% compost.
A mature plant compost with added John Innes is always a good idea for a tree.
Johne Innes No.3 is what I normally choose. I will also add some blood, fish & bone into this max for some extra nutrition.
Staking
Almost all fruit trees grown on a dwarf rootstock will require staking throughout their entire life. This is obviously harder in a pot than in the ground but it does still need to be done.
Use a shortened stake in a pot, something like a thick piece of bamboo can work well. It only needs to support the lower part of the tree so doesn't need to be too tall.
Tie the tree to the stake with a special tree tie to prevent any damage.
Potting On
In an ideal world you want to move your tree on into a bigger pot every couple of years until it reaches full size, now this wont be possible for everyone but it is the ideal.
When you do pot on make sure to trim any roots that have gotten a little too thick, this will allow for smaller roots to take its place. these smaller roots will be much more beneficial for a tree growing in limited space.
If you cant pot the tree on then you should still remove it from its pot every couple of years, prune the roots and replace the soil with fresh soil.
Columnar Apple Trees
A columnar apple tree is one that is trained to grow up just one main stem with very small side shoots, these are perfect for growing in containers. They are sometimes called supercolums, Pillars or columns.
It is better to buy a tree already grown for this purpose than prune your own but it can be done.
These make great pot fruit trees as the take up very little width, infact they often arent much wider than the plant pot, meaning you can fit many on a patio - and they still crop very well! They also require minimal pruning compared to a regular fruit tree.
Buying Your Fruit Tree
You can visit a garden centre to purchase your fruit tree but options are often limited. If you want lots of choice then going to a specialist online grower like https://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/ is a great option.
You can choose your variety of tree and then choose what rootstock you want or if you want it as a columnar tree.
Look at all the options you get!
Fertility
Another decision you need to make when choosing your variety of tree is wether you get a self fertile tree or not. Self fertile means they don't need another apple tree near them in flower at the same time in order to produce fruit.
If you don't get a self pollinated variety then you will need at least two apple trees in order for the tree to pollinate and set fruit. They will need to flower at the same time, this is why fruit trees are often broken down into pollination groups. Buy two varieties in the same group and they will pollinate each other.
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