While naturally grown apple trees often form very large tree crowns, small cultivated forms are also suitable for growing in pots. Nevertheless, a small apple tree in a pot can not only be an ornament on the balcony or terrace, but can also bring delicious yields.
How do you care for an apple tree in a pot?
An apple tree in a pot needs a sufficiently large container with drainage holes, a layer of gravel and regular watering. Suitable varieties are Red River columnar apple, Gala, U-shaped Elstar and Cox orange reindeer. Winter protection is important to prevent root damage.
Pulling an apple tree yourself from cores as an experiment
One motivation for growing an apple tree in a pot can also be the pure fun of plant development. It is a wonderful experience, especially for children, to pull an apple tree yourself from a core. However, apple trees grown from a core often revert to a wild form with a large tree crown. However, if the tree is consistently pruned back as a young specimen, it can be trained into a growth habit that is not dissimilar to a bonsai.
Advantages of growing in a container
Since the apple tree is predominantly a shallow-rooted plant, it usually does not feel cramped in a sufficiently large pot. It also survives temporary dry phases well if it is watered thoroughly from time to time. Before placing it in a pot, it should be provided with drainage holes at the bottom for excess irrigation and rain water and a thin layer of gravel (€7.00 on Amazon). This automatically eliminates waterlogging, which is more damaging to the apple tree.
Grow espalier and columnar fruit in the smallest of spaces
These days, specialist retailers stock various types of fruit whose growth habit is adapted to cultivation in the smallest of spaces. Columnar apples grow upwards in a strict columnar shape and hardly develop any side shoots. Espalier fruit is brought into shape through targeted pruning so that it forms a flat trellis with transverse branches illuminated by light. The following apple varieties are particularly suitable for growing in pots on balconies and terraces:
- Pillar Apple Red River
- Pillar Apple Gala
- Apple in U-shape Elstar
- Pillar Apple Cox Orange Renette
Tips & Tricks
If an apple tree is grown in a pot like a potted plant, appropriate winter protection is necessary. Although apple trees in this country are hardy in outdoor soil, the roots in a pot can easily be damaged by the winter cold. To prevent this, an apple tree in a pot can be protected from the effects of frost in an appropriately large pit in the ground and lifted out again in the spring.
