North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

I can answer number 2, at least for general purposes.  Use actual soil, not
a soil-less potting mix.  I have had the best results with potted fruit when
I used river silt from a local gravel pit.  It is sold by most sand and
gravel places I've found, though you usually have to get a minimum of a
yard, and it's cheaper if you pick it up yourself.  It's a good idea to
screen it to get any roots out that might grow into weeds.
Add organic matter, or even mulch the pot.  The soil heats, cools, and dries
more evenly and has minerals that the soil-less mixes lack.  Just add
organic matter on a regular basis and use a mild, complete fertilizer like
fish.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, more, plus word on my grape book at
http://www.bunchgrapes.com



on 5/16/02 5:51 AM, Tom Olenio at tolenio@sentex.net wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> Is there anyone on the list with experience with apples in potted culture?  
> I
> have a few
> questions I would like to ask;
> 
> 1) What is the optimal size for the container?
> 
> It has to be large enough for the tree, but small enough to move into an
> unheated structure come
> Fall.  I also wonder if a deeper container is better than a larger shallow
> container.
> 
> 2) What is the optimal soil mix for the container?  The tree will be in this
> container for a
> while, and starting with the proper soil mix would seem to be make or break.
> 
> 3) Will apples grown in containers fruit at some point?  Will this be the
> average amount of time
> till fruiting or longer?
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Regards,
> Tom
> --
> Thomas Olenio
> Ontario, Canada
> Hardiness Zone 6a
> 
>