Even if you only own a small garden, you don't have to go without fresh home-grown pears. The solution is ballerina or columnar pears. They are bred specifically for care in buckets.
How do you care for a pear tree in a container?
To successfully grow a pear tree in a pot, you need a sufficiently large pot, nutritious, low-lime soil, a sunny location and at least two suitable pear varieties. Frequent watering, occasional fertilizing and regular thinning are also important for a he althy plant.
Which pear varieties are suitable for growing in containers?
Nurseries and garden centers offer special cultivation forms of various pear varieties as small trees.
This is usually a main trunk on which only small side branches grow, the so-called ballerina shape.
Small bushes can also be grown in pots.
What should you pay attention to when caring for the bucket?
- Sufficiently large bucket
- Nutritious, low-lime garden soil
- Sunny location
- Keep at least two varieties
- Water frequently
- Fertilize occasionally
- Lightening regularly
A pear tree in a pot or bucket needs more care than a tree outdoors. Its roots can't spread any further, so you have to make sure the tree gets enough nutrients.
Pear trees in pots also need another pear tree as a pollinator tree. Otherwise the flowers will not be pollinated and will not produce fruit. It is therefore better to plant two containers with pear varieties that bloom at the same time. You can get advice on the right varieties from the tree nursery.
You have to cut back container pear trees often so that the plant doesn't become too big for the pot. You may need to transplant the pear tree into a larger container.
Tips for keeping pots
If you want to care for one or more pear trees in a pot, look for a good location on the terrace. Pear trees prefer lots of sun and little wind.
The plant pot (€12.00 on Amazon) must be cleaned very well before planting, especially if other plants have grown in it before. Germ-contaminated residues can cause lasting damage to the pear tree.
Check pear trees in containers regularly for pests and diseases. When kept in a pot, fungi and lice cause a lot of damage in a short period of time. They may cause the pear tree to die.
Tips & Tricks
You can't expect huge harvests if you grow a pear tree in a container. However, in a warm, sunny location and with a pollinator tree nearby, the container tree can produce some delicious pears.