Celeb gardener Charlie Albone on how to grow fab fruit trees in small spaces
Charlie Albone shares his top tips for growing fruit trees successfully and in the tiniest of spaces.
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Not everybody has the space for a sprawling orchard — in fact many of us only have a balcony to grow plants on, but this shouldn’t stop you from growing fruit trees.
With advances in horticulture, fruit trees can now be grown on dwarfing root stock.
This is basically taking the roots of one plant and sticking it to the trunk, leaves and canopy of another to get the best of both worlds — fruit trees that succeed and flourish in small and limited spaces and thrive in pots.
Other benefits to potted plants is your plants are transportable meaning they can come with you if you move house, or can be moved if you need extra space. Potted plants are easier to prune and it’s simpler to harvest any fruit.
These types of plants are also great as you get full-sized fruit available in all types of citrus, apples, pears and even mangoes and avocadoes.
Planting is simple. Firstly, get the biggest pot you can find. This will be a real benefit as the roots will have more space to grow.
Use the best quality potting mix you can afford as it will have added nutrients and higher organic matter content — both good for potted fruit.
I like to soak the root ball in a seaweed tonic. When the tonic has fully penetrated the root ball you can rest a little easier knowing that this tonic helps to combat transplant shock.
When planting ensure you don’t back fill too high up the trunk as you’ll activate the growth buds on the root stock which will fight with the canopy stock and in turn produce inferior fruit.
Top dress the root ball with an organic all-purpose fertiliser, remembering life in pots suits frequent small doses of fertiliser over a couple of large doses a year.
Finish off the process by mulching your pots as this helps retain moisture and regulate soil temperature and water in well.
Life in a pot requires slightly more assistance than ground stock — water regularly and keep an eye out for pests such as aphids or mealy bugs. Then simply enjoy.