There is potential for zinc toxicity if you plant in galvanized pots ....... especially if soil/water pH are on the acidic side. There is plenty of potential for you to have complete control over your plants ht and width, but controlling its mass requires a little more finesse. IOW, your trunk is going to get thicker and thicker over time. You'll need to learn how to maintain your plants root system, because vitality, growth rate, and branch extension are all negatively affected by root congestion. At the approximate point where root congestion progresses to the stage where the entire root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, limitations related to said congestion start affecting the plant and become progressively more limiting until there isn't much left of the plant. Usually, the plant succumbs to insect infestation or diseases as congestion worsens. BTW - potting up (as opposed to repotting, which includes root pruning) is not a cure for root congestion. It temporarily/partially leaves some of the associated limitations, but ensures those limitations will ALWAYS be in play until such time that you or someone familiar with root work actually gets their hands in the root mass and corrects the congestion. Al

I’m here in the Pac NW too. I began buying/ pot planting fruit trees about 7 years ago, using the pot up method. I usually buy 2 new fruit trees each year. Switched over to Smart-pots / Air Pots 3 seasons ago for my new purchases. The air pots/smart pots have worked out 150% better than regular/old school potting. The rooting/root ball issue doesn’t occur in air pots. Also, it self prunes and keeps my tree sizes in check. I can’t be trying to bring in certain trees in the winter if they have grow to 8‘ , 10’ , plus. If you are ok with full size maturity than fine. But in my situation, I want to be able to harvest fruit easily (low hanging) and basic maintenance is easier done with a smaller dwarf tree that has been kept in check. Btw, my dwarf fuji & dwarf honeycrisp apple trees were switched over to air pots and they fit under the roof overhang. By keeping them in the air pots and by pruning the main stem during dormancy period, I keep them under 8’ and they can get protected from too much rain and frost through the winter. My dwarf meyer lemon tree is only in a 3 gallon smart pot. I can easily move it into my house in late fall. If I had gone the pot up method, I would’ve eventually had to move a pretty heavy pot into the house. I bought a Leprechaun Dwarf Nectarine tree 3 years ago that is frost tolerant so that sits outside all year, here in the Pac NW. It sits in a 20 liter air pot which I think is slightly larger than a Home Depot orange bucket. Since it self prunes/roots, I‘ve never had to do anything. I do basic branch pruning after harvest and I get boatloads of nectarines that I usually give away half of what I harvest away. When it comes to Dwarf Fruit trees, IMHO, air pots/smart pots are the only way to go. Now with my vegetables garden, other than my kratky portion of my plants, the rest I do use the root pouches too and they work great. IMHO, since veggies are seasonal and I grow a lot, the root pouches are a perfect way to go, but for fruit trees since most people aren’t buying a ton of trees, spend a few bucks for a few air pots / smart pots, i think is the better route to go. Best of luck

knoxvillegardener I don't think there are any reliable set guidelines but there are lots and lots of opinions. I am never at a loss for an opinion so I will give you mine. I put fig cuttings in 5 gallon pots. The next year they go into 15 gallon pots. The size of the pots for blueberries depends on the size of the plant. Blueberries like damp well draining acidic soil. I purchased 5 gallon size 3-4' plants from Willis Orchard and put them right into 15 gallon pots. If you are planing blueberry plugs I think you could get away with 3-5 gallon pots. MY BLUEBERRY SOIL MIX 1 Part Perilite. 1 Part Potting Soil. 2 Parts Small Pathway Pine Bark. 2 Parts Sphagnum Peat Moss. 1 Tablespoon Cotton Meal per gallon. 1 Teaspoon Granulated Garden Sulfur per gallon. Could be more if the pot is small but mine are in 15 gallon pots.. 1 Tablespoon Granulated Ironite per gallon. 1 Tablespoon Down To Earth All Natural Fertilizers 4-3-6 Acid Mix per gallon. After they start leafing out I fertilize every 2-3 weeks with Miracid For Acid Loving Plants at about 50% of the recommended dose. I give them a small drink of water just before and just after I fertilize so I donÂt shock the roots. Not sure how necessary that is but thatÂs what I do and it works for me. If the leaves start to turn red-ish I water them with a mixture of 1 Tablespoon white vinegar to one gallon of water and that usually does the trick. To stay on the safe side stay away from fertilizers with nitrates and donÂt add any calcium or lime to your soil mix. I plan on adding a small hand full of Granulated Garden Sulfur and Cotton Meal under the mulch each dormant season to maintain the PH. The plants are nice and healthy growing well and producing fruit so I guess they must be happy.

Except for some of the smaller types like superdwarf cavendish bananas won't do well in pots. No matter how big the pot. And you'd have to use a decent soil so that would be expensive. Some bananas sucker more than others. The ones in my front yard produce few suckers but the same banana in the backyard suckers like crazy. I think it's wetter in the back, shadier for sure. Dig up the pups, trade them off, leave them in unlocked cars in parking lots-wait, that's zucchini isn't it?-ah, same principal. Tally HO!