On 2/17/2008 1:41 PM, danny22 wrote:
hi all, quick query. my brother bought me two fruit trees, apple and
pear, about five foot tall. problem is, i have absolutely nowhere to
put them in my garden!!! would the survive in huge pots? just for a
couple of years until i move house. i know they're meant to be in the
ground but there is nowhere i could put them in the ground! i really
like them and id rather not have to give them up!

thanks to anyone who can help!

danny

If you have really large pots (e.g., 2 ft in diameter at the top and at
least 2 ft deep), you might be able to keep them for a few years. I
would not leave the trees in pots once their trunks are 3-4 inches in
diameter.

You will need a fast-draining potting mix. Of course, I recommend my
own do-it-yourself recipe at
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_potting_mix.html.

Also, you will have to keep the tops trimmed more than usual so that the
foliage does not exceed the ability of constrained roots to supply
moisture.

I suggest you keep the pots raised on a triangle or square of bricks, to
keep the drain hole at the bottom clear of the ground. If possible, tip
each pot on its side once a year to inspect the drain hole, to make sure
tree roots have not blocked it. (I lost a dwarf kumquat because I
didn't do this; the poor plant blocked the drain and then drowned.)

When you are ready to plant the trees in the ground, dig planting holes
about 1 foot in diameter greater than the diameter of the pots and about
6 inches deeper. You might have to break the pots to remove the trees.
(This can be expensive. The terra cotta pots for my dwarf citrus are
not quite as large as I indicate at the beginning of this reply; they
cost $75 each.)

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/