With the 7 easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden, you no longer need a proper garden in order to test out your gardening skills.
Generally, throughout history, gardening has been a hobby afforded only to those who lived in houses with large gardens. However, as the population has continued to increase, space has become an increasingly restricted commodity and apartments and high rise buildings have started to crop up, relegating such homes to the suburbs only. Hence, many people who may have loved gardening and wanted to pursue it as a hobby, have been forced to give up in this regard.
However, as the title suggests, gardening is now possible on a small scale, with dwarf trees being planted. If you are wondering what a dwarf tree is, such a tree is artificially maintained at a size which is smaller than when it is allowed to grow naturally. The benefit of this is that such trees require much less space as compared to their natural counterparts. If easy gardening is not your thing, or you prefer a challenging hobby, you may be more interested in 10 High Margin Agricultural Products to Grow.
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There are several advantages of growing dwarf trees, such as easier protecting from pests, having more fruit per area than from naturally grown trees, and the crops being ready for harvest much earlier than if grown naturally.
To create a dwarf tree, two trees are merged together in a method known as grafting, which is a popular horticultural technique. Dwarf trees are available for almost all varieties, but it is easier to grow some as compared to the other. While kitchen gardens and mini gardens are generally preferred for growing vegetables, fruits can be grown too and in fact, can compliment the savory items.
If you are considering which containers to use for your dwarf trees, appropriate ones might include wood, clay, metal, plastic or ceramic containers. The important thing to remember is that adequate drainage should be present regardless the material of the container.
Great and consistent care is required for the adequate growth of dwarf trees. Generally, dwarf trees should be kept in the sun, but there are some variants which may prefer partial shade. Pruning should be performed regularly in order to ensure that the shape of the tree is maintained. Pruning is usually carried out before the active stage of the tree, but it is also sometimes carried out during the active stage, in order to remove any excess growth that may be present. For example, for cherries and plum trees, pruning is carried out during winter when the plant is in its dormant stage.
For a beginner, it would be better to grow dwarf fruit trees which are easy to maintain and do not require as much precision and attention as others. For this purpose, our list may turn out to be really helpful. So let’s have a look at the 7 easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden, which we found taking the most often recommended dwarf fruit trees on sites specialized for mini gardening.
7. Mulberry Tree
Mulberries are generally not available in grocery stores. The reason behind this is that mulberries can’t be shipped as it is hard to maintain them once they are picked from the tree. Assuming your mini garden is a hobby and not a commercial enterprise, you should consider growing mulberries as they taste delicious after they are picked. Another reason to pick this fruit is that it can survive in harsh winter weather as well, which cannot be said for many other fruit trees.
6. Plum Trees
We are continuing our list of easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden with plum trees that are the perfect fruit tree for beginners for various reasons, with one of the primary ones being that they are less susceptible to diseases as compared to other fruits and do not require as much water either.
While plums are easy to grow, this does not mean that they don’t need any assistance. Regular pruning is a must while you should also ensure that animals don’t make off with the fruit. Growing a plum tree is a long term investment as it can often take up to 5 years for the plant to actually bear fruit.
To grow a plum tree, place 2-inch compost beneath the canopy of the tree, but ensure that it is kept away from the bark to prevent if from rotting. Build a ring of soil around the tree and water it whenever the top area appears to be dry. Fertilize the tree in spring, while the pruning should be carried out in late winter, when the tree is in a dormant state.
5. Cherry Tree
One of the most popular fruits out there, sweet cherries which rank 5th ono ur list of easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden, are at the top of almost anyone’s list. If you want to grow sweet cherries and the climate where you live is relatively warm, you are good to go. Generally, you can expect to grow up to 14 quarts of fruit in just a single season, assuming a reasonably healthy 6-8 feet tree.
Provide adequate watering for the plant until the tree is properly grown. If the plant is in an open area which receives adequate rainfall, then extra watering may not be necessary. You should also apply mulch beneath the tree canopy to control any weeds that may grow there.
The trees should be fertilized in early spring, just like with plum trees, with a rule of thumb being that you should apply 2 ounces of fertilizer for every inch of diameter of the trunk of the tree.
Meanwhile, pruning of the trees should be carried out in winter when the plant is in its dormant stage, and should be carried out with proper instruments so as to avoid damaging the tree.
When the cherry is ready for removal after ripening, you should remove it along with its stem but take care that you don’t accidentally damage the fruit spur.
4. Apricot Tree
While apricots can handle the cold well, they often flower early and hence, the fruit can be ruined by the frost. They are another fruit which does not require a lot of attention, and since they flower early, you can reap the reward of your hard work quickly as well.
Apricots begin to bloom in spring, and as mentioned earlier, they can bear wintery conditions easily, allowing apricot dwarf trees to be planted at any time throughout the year, though it is a safe idea to avoid planting them in extreme heat as there is a greater risk of the plant wilting in such conditions.
While the pot size should be at least 10-15 inches, they should also be placed several feet apart from each other in order to ensure that they do not interfere with each other’s growth as even dwarf apricot trees can grow up to 8-10 feet in length.
Rootstocks preferred for their growth include St. Julien, Lovell, and Citation.
And now, let’s see the top three easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden.
3. Pear Tree
Up next on our list of easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden are pear trees which should be grown in soil which is slightly acidic while being placed in an area which receives full sunlight. There should be at least an 8 feet gap between the trees planted while the containers should be deep. If you choose semi-dwarf trees instead of pure dwarf trees, then the trees should be planted at least 13 feet apart so that they do not interfere with each other’s growth. Pear trees prefer winter conditions for their growth. Rootstocks used for pear trees include Quince C, Quince A, and EMH.
2. Orange Tree
Wide pots are the preferable options for the growth of orange trees while slightly warm conditions are preferable. Indoor conditions are more suited to their growth, but the availability of sunlight is necessary as well. Free drainage from the pots is vital, and a diameter of 6-9 inches should be sufficient.
Instead of using deep pots or containers which are preferable for most fruit trees, wide containers should be considered for the growth of orange trees, as their root system is pretty shallow. A common and preferred rootstock used for orange fruit trees is the Trifoliate. And now, let’s see the number one on our list of easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden.
1. Apple Tree
One of the most popular fruits in the world takes the first place on this list of 7 easiest dwarf fruit trees to grow in containers or mini garden. Apple trees can bear harsh winter conditions without hampering their growth and can take up to 3 years for their growth. Dry soil is generally considered optimum for their growth and constant drainage should be available. In order to dwarf the plants, you should consider using pots. To ensure adequate growth of the plant, you should ensure that the size of the pot is at least 16 to 18 inches. Otherwise, the growth might be stifled.
The yield of apples is pretty high, and you might be surprised to know that you could get over 40 apples from a plant which is only 3 or 4 feet long. Some of the preferred varieties of apples used for dwarf fruit trees include the red delicious and the Fiji, while rootstocks used for their growth include the Cornell-Geneva and the Malling.
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