pruning container fruit trees

11 years ago

im just looking for some advice on pruning some of my container grown fruit trees, specifically a dwarf mop head "Rose Chiffon" peach, and a "Montys Surprise" and "Golden Delicious" apple, both on M9 dwarfing rootstock.
Ive had the peach for 2 years, and didnt prune at all last year, which resulted in a poor yield this season. Would i be right to take it back by about 1/3, and concentrate on thinning out the bushy head?
WIth the apples, the Montys Surprise is a single leader thats put on over half a metres growth this year, all straight up. I dont want it getting any taller as it already reaches the eaves on the gge. I assume i have to take the top off, but how much, and will that enourage branching?
The Golden Delicious has about 4 branches and i assume that here id just generally reduce by about a third?
I should add that theyre all in 50 lt containers and that the peach is also due to be repotted in fresh compost this winter.
hoping someone can clarify this for me as the more i read, the more confusing it gets!

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vetivert8
10 years ago
A peaches usually fruits on wood it grew last season and some of the dwarf peaches seem to be reluctant to put on new growth.

They also flower heavily and set very little. A little intervention with an artist's paint brush (soft sable for picking up pollen) may be required.

Unless the tree put out heaps of new growth for developing a decent fruiting framework, there might not have been enough to prune or to otherwise train. Mop-top is cute but doesn't seem practical for long-term production. The fruit are too close together for healthy development. Not all the grafts take or stay alive. Probably a modified vase form - using spacers or even gentle guy-strings down to a wire 'belt' around the container to train it - could be the most attractive and productive. (Contact your local bonsai club for help.)

They get pruned in late summer to avoid getting silverleaf disease.

About now would be a good time for a nitrogenous fertiliser to promote more growth on the peaches. Then again in mid spring. You could also add Nitrophoska or another suitable slow-release. Because the trees are container-grown they are more intensively watered and will be quite quickly flushed free of nutrients they need. Little feeds every three months would be better than a single big feed.

You could also consider something like dilute 'worm juice' or one of the other organics for adding the trace elements. Alaska or one of the seaweed fertilisers could be good.

When you do your repotting check on the root growth. Some of the root stocks are very slow to colonise the potting mix. You may find that it's barely made any new growth and most of its growing space hasn't been used.

Some of the potting mixes are a mix of big bark 'pebbles' and a lot of fines leading to a cluggy mass that doesn't drain too well. The 'Tui' brand has added grit which makes for a good root-encouraging brew. Not sure about 'Yates'. Some of the Dalton's mixes are pretty good for longer-term container growing. I'd be wary about any with added water crystals unless I knew I was shockingly irregular about watering.

Be prepared to add those extra slow release granules a little ahead of the time span given on the bag. Buried under the surface mulch, of course.

With the apples - you might need to add a support framework to the container for tying the branches to for training. 'Monty's' has big apples and will need a strong branch framework to hold them without losing branches to weight and wind. Perhaps a spindle bush or modified espalier in keeping with their living space.

The leader needs to be pruned in summer (which promotes fruiting wood over new growth wood).

Before pruning decide what form you are striving to build for your young plants. What you want to see in winter when the leaves drop. Remembering that fruiting spurs tend to develop on more horizontal branches than vertical and wide crotches are stronger than narrow.
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pruning container fruit trees

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vetivert8

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