Apple trees

[Masboroughlad]

Anyone know about growing fruit trees?

I have an apple tree growing in a large pot. It is a golden delicious.

Now the tree itself looks very healthy and was covered in flowers which became apples. The problem is that they grow to the size of a marble but no bigger.

Is it a dodgy tree or is there something that I should be doing to make them grow to apple size?!

 

[Ash Bridge]

I can't say I'm a gardening expert, but it would possibly benefit from being taken out of the pot and planted in open ground to allow the roots to fully develop, how long has it been in the pot with the same soil and have you treated it with any type of feed?

 

[northwichcat]

I can't say I'm a gardening expert, but it would possibly benefit from being taken out of the pot and planted in open ground to allow the roots to fully develop, how long has it been in the pot with the same soil and have you treated it with any type of feed?

I'd agree. An apple tree which produces normal sized apples would normally be at least 7ft tall and if it that's tall and in a pot I imagine it'll be potbound (restricting growth) if it's in a pot and that size.

 

[Cowley]

Hi Masboroughlad. If you can go on BBC iplayer and type in - The A to Z of TV gardening, program 1 you'll find an excellent piece on there about growing apple trees. I just looked it up and the programme is only on there until tomorrow morning so catch it quickly.
We learnt lots from it and we're going to give it a go, it showed how you can cut and join different types of apples onto existing trees as they grow. They showed one tree that had 250 different types of apple on the one tree which I had no idea was possible.
Nick

 

[eastwestdivide]

Perhaps thin out the fruit after it has set?
Sounds like the flowers set a lot of fruit, but the tree couldn't nourish all the fruits (pot too small??). If you thin the small apples out early on, the tree will put all its energy into the fewer remaining fruits, making them bigger by the end of the season.

Think I must have been listening to my other half, who's the constructive gardner round here - I normally get the destructive tasks (chopping things down, weeding) and she does the constructive stuff.

 

[Class172]

We learnt lots from it and we're going to give it a go, it showed how you can cut and join different types of apples onto existing trees as they grow. They showed one tree that had 250 different types of apple on the one tree which I had no idea was possible.
Nick

That technique is known as grafting, and you will often find that fruit trees purchased from a shop or nursery have been grafted themselves: the rootstock from one plant and the body from another.

We have a couple of young pear trees which have recently started producing fruit, however the local pigeons have an annoying habit of snapping them off before maturation.

 

[Masboroughlad]

I have fed it and thinned out the fruit but to no avail as yet. It was sold as a patio tree but I guess it could be potbound.

Will have a look at the BBC programme.

Thanks to all of the above for your input.

 

[ac6000cw]

Perhaps thin out the fruit after it has set?
Sounds like the flowers set a lot of fruit, but the tree couldn't nourish all the fruits (pot too small??). If you thin the small apples out early on, the tree will put all its energy into the fewer remaining fruits, making them bigger by the end of the season.

Think I must have been listening to my other half, who's the constructive gardner round here - I normally get the destructive tasks (chopping things down, weeding) and she does the constructive stuff.

That would be my thought too (and like you, my wife is the chief gardener - I'm the labourer, shredder operator and grass cutter ). Also make sure they have enough water (without over-watering so the roots rot) - there is a lot of water in an apple...

 

[Cowley]

I'm the labourer too. I'm usually the one standing next to a destroyed plant with the strimmer in my hands trying to work out if I can sellotape it back together so she doesn't notice.

 

[Crossover]

Sounds like it may be pot bound - we have a couple of (very) mature apple trees in the garden - they are pretty hefty and last year (with the wet and warm summer) produced one heck of a harvest!

 

[SteveP29]

Get it out of the pot and planted into the ground, it will allow the root network to grow, enabling it to become more stable (resistant to higher wind speeds)
Keep the branches trimmed, a few will grow wildly and the tree will look very uneven.

 

[RailAleFan]

Anyone know about growing fruit trees?

I have an apple tree growing in a large pot. It is a golden delicious.

Now the tree itself looks very healthy and was covered in flowers which became apples. The problem is that they grow to the size of a marble but no bigger.

Is it a dodgy tree or is there something that I should be doing to make them grow to apple size?!

I planted a pip from a golden delicious when I was about 7 and it's a good 12ft of solid tree now but the apples it bears are about the size of a golf ball and certainly not delicious!

 

[Bevan Price]

I planted a pip from a golden delicious when I was about 7 and it's a good 12ft of solid tree now but the apples it bears are about the size of a golf ball and certainly not delicious!

Apple trees grown from pips are rarely the same variety as the apples on the original tree - usually a consequence of the grafting procedure. This also happens, for example, if you try to grow plum trees from plum stones, etc.

(Grafting is commonly done to use a stronger rootstock, and/or to control the size of the tree; using a "dwarf" rootstock means that you should be able to pick most of the apples without needing a long ladder. Note also that all fruit trees are liable to take occasional "holidays" - years when they produce little or no fruit; usually this only becomes a problem if the tree shows signs of disease.)

 

[GMT]

Perhaps it needs re-potting, not necessarily in a different pot, if the one you have is at least 45-50 cm. Just trim the roots and and add some goodness (compost) to the soil. Place the tree in the sun and don't over water.

Maybe your tree apple is not suitable for pots and, as somebody has already said, it needs to be planted in the soil.

Happy apples anyway.

 

[LexyBoy]

Where did you get it from? I've never even seen Golden Delicious trees for sale here - they really need a hotter summer than we get to set good fruit, which is why the Golden Delicious you buy are from France.

Anyway, if it's going to be in a pot it will need to be on a very dwarfing rootstock like MM106 - if it was sold as a patio tree then it should be - in a large pot with soil-based compost (John Innes or a mix of topsoil and compost), not "multipurpose". Prune it in winter - there's plenty of good places for advice. Thin the apples when marble sized, and don't let it go dry in summer. I'd also try and keep the pot in the shade - perhaps with smaller plants around it - as most shrubs don't appreciate baked roots.

Could be it needs more time to settle in.

 

[trainmania100]

I have two apple trees in my back garden.

They start off marble sized however continue to grow to the size of normal apples.

It would be best to plant it in the ground, where its roots can spread much further.

When they are in a pot, the roots are restricted and can only take in a small amount of nutrients. When planted under the earth, they are not restricted. Youll find your apples will grow bigger if the tree is bigger.

But my main concern is why have I no raspberries this year,,, last year I had loads on my raspberry bush this year theres none.

Back on point, youll find that you get lots of black holes in apples on a tree if you have lots of birds.

Furthermore, at the end of the season, youll be picking up apples off your garden grass

 

[Crossover]

I have two apple trees in my back garden.

They start off marble sized however continue to grow to the size of normal apples.

It would be best to plant it in the ground, where its roots can spread much further.

When they are in a pot, the roots are restricted and can only take in a small amount of nutrients. When planted under the earth, they are not restricted. Youll find your apples will grow bigger if the tree is bigger.

But my main concern is why have I no raspberries this year,,, last year I had loads on my raspberry bush this year theres none.

Back on point, youll find that you get lots of black holes in apples on a tree if you have lots of birds.

Furthermore, at the end of the season, youll be picking up apples off your garden grass

We're already picking the buggers up off the grass! Looking at our trees though, I think we're in for a reasonable crop again this year

 

[trainmania100]

We're already picking the buggers up off the grass! Looking at our trees though, I think we're in for a reasonable crop again this year

My trees have a reasonable amount on them too this year.
Bit of the sour type though, not too keen on sinking my teeth into them