By Malcolmcook
United Kingdom
Early this year I planted 2 dual fruit trees (1 dual apple & 1 dual pear) in pots for my patio. As expected they did not fruit this year, but have both now reached their optimum height of 6 foot. All the leaves are now gone, but I was wondering if they should now be pruned. If so how should I do this
- 19 Nov, 2011
Answers
i agree the trees have to be real happy to fruit etc . id be inclined to cut the bottems out your pots as most trees have realy long tap roots or plant them in the ground if you want fruit . it could just be age . id ask an expert like doctor bob on here or bamboo .
20 Nov, 2011
Firstly, are you sure the pots are large enough? Fruiting trees need a lot of soil/feed, especially in a pot. Can you cut the bottoms out and let them root freely? Do you want to 'standard' the trees (think lollipop) or go for a more open look? Either way, you can create the shape and size you like anytime between now and February. Cut back to a flowering shoot. Fruiting spurs are already appearing on my apples from the current mild weather, but I will resist pruning until later, in case any frosts etc take the new spurs with them! A friend of mine prunes his fruit trees regardless of weather and they seem to be okay ...
19 Nov, 2011