In the variety descriptions of the plant trade, columnar fruit is often advertised with the dream of growing fruit on your own balcony. However, a few things should be taken into account if you really want to turn the balcony into a miniature orchard.
Can you grow columnar fruit on the balcony?
Pillar fruit can be grown on the balcony if you choose varieties with low growth, ensure sufficient pollination, protect the trees against storms and cold and cultivate them in a suitable plant pot.
Big differences in the growth of different columnar fruit varieties
Basically, first of all, columnar fruit gets its tightly upright growth habit either through the genetic predisposition of the respective columnar fruit variety or through targeted topiary measures. The differences can be enormous: While some fruit trees can actually easily be limited to a height of around one meter, others can reach heights of 5 meters or more within a few years with appropriate care. It is therefore better to find out very carefully in advance about the varieties on offer and their suitability for growing in pots on the balcony.
Yield may also depend on pollination
On a balcony on a very high floor in an urban location, difficulties can sometimes arise with pollination. After all, insects like a beekeeper's bees are needed to turn the flowers on a fruit tree into fruit in the first place. It can therefore make sense to equip the balcony with various flowering plants that attract insects looking for nectar. Certain types of fruit sometimes require several copies of a variety, as this is the only way effective pollination can take place.
Secure against storms and cold
On a balcony, very tall plants are sometimes exposed to extreme gusts of wind. You can secure your columnar fruit on the balcony in different ways:
- with planters as large as possible
- with heavy stones in the bottom layer of the substrate in the pot
- by tying
The slimmer the shape of columnar fruit is created by cutting, the smaller the possible attack surface for gusts of wind.
Tip
When grown on the balcony, columnar fruit not only needs enough sun and water, but also a sufficiently large plant pot. In exposed locations, the pots should be wrapped with some bubble wrap (€18.00 on Amazon) or fleece in winter to protect against frost.
