When a fruit tree is bred for one quality, such as size, then other traits, such as fruit flavor, climate adaptability and overall vitality, become necessarily secondary. By selecting for size, you will miss out on the tastiest varieties. Some fruit trees are available grafted on ultra-dwarfing rootstocks.
These trees stay quite small, a petite 4 to 6 feet, but because of their extremely small root systems, ultra-dwarfing rootstocks present many of the same problems genetic dwarfs do in terms of short lifespan and overall plant health. Most nurseries offer fruit trees grafted onto semidwarfing rootstocks. If you want a broad variety of choices, opt for a standard or semidwarf variety. The regular and strategic pruning described in this article is the best way to limit the size of a fruit tree.
Ralph, a fruit tree specialist with 20 years of nursery experience, gives pruning classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. For everyone who is posting here. Do not be afraid - LOL. Any tree can be pruned this way. Be aware that the older the tree that you doing this to, the longer it will take it to come around to your way of thinking. If it was healthy to begin with and you make corrections only when dormant, it will come around. For Juancho - you might try a very low chill tree. Some are as low as hours. And everyone - do not take as gospel truth the "rules" we have been force fed all our lives.
Throw out the "zone" consciousness. I live in the High Desert of California and I've been able to grow everything I want here - it just takes some common sense. For instance, I keep things that are for cooler areas under shade cloth all the summer. Tropical things go in the greenhouse or inside the house during winter. That is another reason to keep everything small. Its much easier to move a container grown ' citrus tree inside than protect a ' citrus grown in the ground. Think of it as growing more little ones, than one big one. This will also give you a greater variety of things you can fit in your smaller spaces.
I am in the process of dwarfing and espaliering all my nut trees. You need to be brave. If you love the tree and the tree knows you love it, it will come around. Can you prune Lychee nut trees this way too? Can they be pruned in the same way described in this article? Can they be pruned in the same way as described here?
Create Small Fruit Trees with This Pruning Method - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS
Can apple trees grow normally in tropical place like Philippines and how can I acquire rootstock and scion to start if it is appropriate to grow here in our country? Do these comments get replies? I don't see any replies. I have the same question as Kathleen, below, from last October: Can I use this method with a mature sour cherry? I never get any of the cherries, they are so high that the birds get everything. My neighbor gave me an apple tree. It is one that he grafted himself at a workshop.
When I planted it, it was barely 2 feet tall. That was two years ago. It is now around 6. The trunk is around an inch in diameter. I have not pruned it since planting. The tree is now about the size that a newly planted nursery tree would be.
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As the article suggests, can I make a knee high cut at this time, even though the tree was planted two years ago? Can 5-year old fruit trees, now about 10' high, be pruned to create small trees, or is it too late? Like to read articles on controlling pests organically that invade the apples and other fruits during their different stages of development.
Hate to see flowers falling off and fruits being infested with worms.
Create Small Fruit Trees with This Pruning Method
This is a great article. I'd love to do this. Since fruit trees are kind of expensive, it would be great to see a how-to video on this process. Oh hey, this reminds me of the time when my grandfather took me to his cabin in North Dakota. Over at his cabin he taught about tapping maple trees as well as doing tree removal for the ones that have lost their maple. It was quite a neat experience for me and one that actually helped me out with the job that I have now. Whether you want to learn how to grow and raise your own food, build your own root cellar, or create a green dream home, come out and learn everything you need to know — and then some!
You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. Create Small Fruit Trees with This Pruning Method This revolutionary pruning method will give you more fruit growing options, because nearly any deciduous fruit variety can be trained to stay compact. After fruit was thinned to 8 inches apart, this 5-year-old tree still produced 84 large apples. A knee-high heading prune when planting a dormant tree is critical to size management and creating a low, sturdy scaffold.
Photo by Marion Brenner. In early spring, you may either keep your emerging scaffold as it is and manage with a little hand pruning, or cut lower to place were the orientation of the branches suits you. In early spring, remove any duplicate buds on the same node by gently pinching the bud with your fingers. Around the time of the solstice in late June, remove any redundant or competing branches. During the solstice you should also prune for height.
Head all scaffold branches and reduce their length by half. Apricots, plums and peaches can be pruned by two-thirds. With proper thinning, compact trees produce nicely sized fruit in manageable abundance. Strategic pruning, like that used to manage this espalier apple tree, is enough. Prune Fruit Trees for Small Gardens: The First Cut The first step to growing a small fruit tree is to make a hard heading cut a cut that removes the growing tip when planting. The First Summer In spring and early summer, deciduous fruit trees aggressively expend their energy reserves as they bloom and leaf out.
Tarter fruits such as currants, gooseberries, raspberries and morello cherries are happy in shadier sites. These can all be fan trained against walls or fences too. Whenever you choose any tree or bush, opt for a compact variety if space is an issue. Others, like apples, pears, cherries and plums can be bought on dwarfing rootstocks just check the label or ask a specialist fruit nursery which also keep trees to a manageable size.
As I mention apples and pears, I should also bring in another training method — the cordon. Growing to head height and no wider than 40cm, you can create an impressive collection of varieties in a narrow 3m bed, or grow them in pots. Pruning consists of snipping back any new sideshoots to 10cm in July. Growing in pots is ever-popular, and all the fruits in that impressive list at the start can be container-grown. Good compost is important — a loam-based John Innes blend holds its structure and nutritional status far better than multipurpose compost over the years. Thick, glazed or non-porous walls insulate roots from extremes of heat and chill, plus they retain moisture well.
The larger the container the better, however tempting it is to grow a broad range in lots of little pots. High-potash liquid feed from May till late August will see you well use ericaceous fertiliser for blueberries. A final note on pollination — for maximum space efficiency, choose self-fertile varieties wherever you can. These set fruit on their own without the need for an additional pollinating plant. And there are self-fertile varieties of apples, pears, plums, cherries, kiwi berries and blueberries, too.
Why Not Choose a Genetic Dwarf Tree?
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