Many people want to learn how to grow potted stone fruit trees. Although at first glance it seems like a crazy idea, there are varieties that can be planted perfectly in pots provided they receive the necessary care. In this case, we will concentrate on saying what are the potted peach tree maintenance.
For this reason, in this article we are going to explain all the care of the potted peach tree, what are its characteristics and what aspects you must take into account for them to be healthy.
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What is a dwarf peach tree
ANDhe peach tree is a small fruit tree, although some varieties can reach six meters in height. Its leaves are simple, bright green, and the flowers are pink to red. The fruit is a peach, which has a heart that is a seed, and is harvested in the summer. Bare-root trees can be planted in late fall or early spring, while container-grown trees can be grown year-round. Although if you have the choice, the best time to plant is in the fall.
Growing stone fruit trees in pots is not impossible. It is even largely feasible, provided you choose the right variety. Indeed, if you grow a classic peach in a pot, you will surely be quickly disappointed. When your roots feel shrunken, the tree will eventually break the pot. Also, your fruit will be fewer and smaller than normal.
This happens because container planting requires the tree’s root system to cope with the small amount of soil available. So, a variety of dwarf peach known as dwarf peach is required. The most classic are: Bonanza or Suncrest.
A dwarf peach tree is above all a human creation. The dwarf fish, is in fact a graft of a classic variety, known for the quality of its fruits, on the rootstock (root system) which guarantees reduced development.
So in theory, a minnow can expect to harvest 2 to 3 kg of peaches (fairly normal size) when the tree is young and more than 5 kg at maturity. For its part, its dimensions will not exceed 1.50 m high x 1 m wide.
Reasons to Grow a Dwarf Peach Tree
Here are some of the main reasons to grow a dwarf peach tree in a pot:
- Because your garden is not too small for large fruit trees, or you simply don’t have a garden. A terrace or balcony is sufficient.
- because also you can afford to build a mini garden near the house, for example in the patio, to pick fruit if necessary. Even if you already have a garden in the ground.
- Because growing in pots has a big advantage over growing in the ground. This advantage is due to the fact that its flowers are sensitive to frost and keeping it in a pot makes it easy to get it out of the extreme cold at the end of winter, such as against a south-facing wall for example. The same goes for spring, if the weather is particularly rainy and cool, store the peach tree in a dry place, which will preserve the foliage of the peach tree. As you have probably already understood, it is of course also about removing any processing done on the tree to ultimately control the product we consume from start to finish. So, icing on the cake, you don’t need any pruning to pay off.
Potted peach tree maintenance
Peaches are a wonderful and refreshing fruit of deciduous trees. There are currently dwarf peach varieties suitable for high peach yielding container plants. In addition to their amazing fruits, potted peach trees give us beautiful flowers.
The main care of a potted peach tree is similar to that of other potted fruit trees:
- We need to put it in a sunny place. The ideal climate for a peach tree is a temperate climate with few winter frosts, and although it is frost resistant, its fruit can be damaged by frost.
- The ideal soil to grow the peach tree is acidic, well aerated and well drained. In the spring, the peach trees must be fertilized.
- Irrigation of this fruit tree is carried out weekly in summer and every 15 days in winter.always approximate.
- Peach trees are pruned in autumn or winter, and it should be checked whether the fruit breaks its branches due to weight. In this case, we will cut reducing the weight, thus avoiding possible breakage. In addition, we will make a clean cut.
- The most common pests of peach trees are the aphid, the San José louse and the red spider mite, in terms of diseases, powdery mildew and peach leprosy.
It is a temperate climate fruit tree that requires regular watering and fertilizing. In the spring, remove the first layer of substrate and replace it with fresh compost. Includes slow and complete release granular fertilizers with a small amount of compost.
When they bloom, fertilize them weekly with tomato plant food. Pprotect plants from late winter and early spring rains to avoid twisting problemsand if there is a risk of frost, especially dwarf varieties, cover them with wool fibers.
Verticillium wilt is a common disease of peach trees, but it is easily treated. It is enough to apply the necessary nutrients through specific fertilizers. Although unfortunately this is not the only disease, they can also be affected by fungal diseases such as bumps, candidiasis, rust, peach yellow… and pests such as fruit flies, spider mites or aphids.
As for propagation, it can be done by sowing and grafting. By seed, it is only used to create new varieties, since planting the fruit weakens the peach tree and shrinks the flowers. For this reason, multiplication is almost always done by grafting buds on rootstocks obtained from seeds.
As you can see, there are various situations in which it is more comfortable and interesting to plant a peach tree in a pot. However, it is important to know its care well so that the plant can grow in good conditions. Hopefully, with this information, you can learn more about potted peach tree care.