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gardenathome

How Much Fruit Do You Get From Your Fruit Trees In Containers?

gardenathome
13 years ago

Hi, guys! Wondering for those of you who have fruit trees planted in containers for years, how much fruit do you get from the trees each year? Some approx. figures would be great as we're considering to purchase several more trees based on posts we have read from other GW members but have no space to plant in the ground.

While we were told that dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees will produce similar sized fruits to those planted in the ground, how many fruits do you actually get? 30, 50, 100 per year? :-)

If you own some fruit trees in containers, please let us know. We'd love to know what we can expect if we were to plant some fruit trees in big pots. Thank you so much! :-)

Comments (26)

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    No too much at times, since I sometimes I never let them growm because I do not eat them..

    I enjoy the fragrance and the growth more than the fruit.

    If I wanted to, I could get at least several lemon on my ponderosas that are only 2 feet high which has happened before.

    I have gotten at least 14 oranges, seedless, sweet and juicy on my washington navel just for fun, to feed to my co-workers.

    I have gotten up to 6 grapefruit on my "oro"..

    But, not way as much as you can get on a full grown tree in the dirt outdoors though..

    Mike.:-)

  • tsmith2579
    13 years ago

    In a 12 month period, I usually get more a 5 gallon bucket of calamondin fruits. The first 2 years my Ponderosa lemon fruited, I got about 25-30 pounds (10-15 lemons) each year. Last year a hail beat off the fruit. This year it is over-achieving and I should double those amounts.

  • tsmith2579
    13 years ago

    In a 12 month period, I usually get more a 5 gallon bucket of calamondin fruits. The first 2 years my Ponderosa lemon fruited, I got about 25-30 pounds (10-15 lemons) each year. Last year a hail beat off the fruit. This year it is over-achieving and I should double those amounts.

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    This tree had 14 oranges at once before picking most.

    {{gwi:585921}}

    This short ponderosa has had up to 7 fruit huge size at once.

    {{gwi:571994}}

    This blood orange has had up to 8 on it at once on such a short tree. About 2 feet tall..

    {{gwi:585923}}

    Just a taste of what you can get in a container, even up here in the North East..

    MIke..:-)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    13 years ago

    Hi, Mike. You had better get those plastic tags removed from your trees, unless you are able to loosen them every few months. That's an ideal way to do permanent damage to your terrific plants.

    They might be loose already, but look tight to me.

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    Hi My mentor..:-)

    Those are older pictures I took a while ago and I remember you telling me to do that back then...I did, thanks to your idea.

    Rhizo, thank for being on top of things and your comments are always appreciated..

    Mike..:-)

  • deewillis
    13 years ago

    hello!

    since we are in citrus subject. I have a small grafted lemon, it has been blooming and fruiting. It now has 4 tiny lemons but one of them turns yellow...what did I do wrong? too much water or not enough fertilizer?...I like to has at least 1 perfect lemon this year? Please help!!!!Any of your helps will be appreciated.
    Dee

  • gardenathome
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi, Tsmith2579! That sounds lovely! How large a pot are you using? :-)

    We're looking to grow some citrus and other fruit trees for the fruit vs. ornamental value and so would love to hear more from other GW members on their experiences with growing fruit trees in containers!

  • tsmith2579
    13 years ago

    rhizo, the Cal is about 11 years old. It is about 7-8 feet tall and 5-6 feet in diameter. We bought it on a trip to the Florida Keys at a mom & pop nursery on the south end of Seven Mile Bridge. We could actually see the bridge from the nursery. The Ponderosa must only be 5 or 6 years old. It was given to me as a cutting from Jan Lotz at one of our swaps. It is about 7 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter (limbs). The Key lime is about 6 years old. I grew it from seed. It is about 6 feet tall and about 4 feet in diameter (limbs).

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    Tsmith,

    If your Ponderosa is only 5-6 years old, how big was it when you aquired it now that it is that tall?

    I have some that are almost that age, that never got about a couple of feet! I am sick of it. They are very healthy, and produce blooms and flowers, but do not want to grow taller..

    Thank a lot.

  • tsmith2579
    13 years ago

    Mike, the Ponderosa was an unrooted cutting less than a foot tall that I was given at a Fall swap in either Sept or Oct. It sat in the greenhouse all winter as a green stick. In late spring it sprouted leaves and grew 2-3 feet the first year. Your next question is what did I feed it and what type soil. I fed it with 90 day slow release pelletized fertilizer such as Osmocote. It released a small amount of fertilizer every time I watered. I use a sandy loam which drains well. In warm weather, 85* plus, I have to water every day. We counted 27 lemons last Sunday, some are golf ball size, and it is covered with another flush of blooms. It sits about 12 feet from the driveway and I can smell the blooms when I get out of the pickup.

  • bonechickchris
    13 years ago

    Hi Mike!

    I live in the North East too, and have been looking for a good place to buy a Blood Orange. Yours is obviously doing very well. Would you mind telling me where you bought the tree from? Christy

  • gardenathome
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    How many plums or peaches to expect for those trees grown in containers? :-)

  • ashleysf
    13 years ago

    Mike, the size of your tree depends on the rootstock - what i have noticed is that all my "True Dwarf" citrus (Four winds) do not get taller than a few feet in 5-6 years. They lack "vigor" in growth rate, though they are healthy and productive. But, the semi-dwarf citrus are well over 5 ft tall in their second year. I don't grow a "standard" size citrus, but can guess that they are even more vigorous.
    BTW/ I have a 10 year old "ultra dwarf" clementine that is only 2 ft tall.

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    Thank you tsmith! I would love to see a few pictures of your trees either here or in private e-mail..Your trees sounds so beautiful.. Thanks for the tips too.

    Christy, I got mine at Logees....It is in Conn..
    Quite expensive though, but worth it..I am also getting one at 4winds...

    Ashly, thnak for the info..I never even gave this a thought..I just assumed all dwarf citrus still frow taller..That would explain it..Some of my "ponderosa lemon" trees look like bonsia..lol

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    13 years ago

    I'm hoping to grow around ten oranges on my tree.
    Because it is in a container, I will pluck some of the extra fruits to encourage those
    that remain to develop better. I have heard that it is less stressful on a containerized
    tree if you limit the crop. Since I must protect my tree during the winter, I think it will
    be best to strike a balance between fruit production and vitality.

    Josh

  • gardenathome
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi, Greenman. Is that for the 1st year? Do you expect it to bear more fruit as it ages?

  • Andrew Scott
    13 years ago

    Hi Gardenathome,
    I waited to post this since I have not had my Meyer for a whole year yet BUT, my tree is about 6ft tall and 4ft wide. When I got it it had 11 lemons. Since then I lost one from it falling over during a windstorm. It bloomed in the spring and now I have hundreds of lemons that are almost marble sized. I really don't know what will hold but I expect there to be at least 30 fruits, if not more. The good thing is that it bloomed in February and continued till beginning of April. Now it can have all summer outdoors to develop the fruits. I expect them to still be green except for the 10 fruits that were large when I bought it. I can't wait. I love the flavor of these fruits!
    Andrew

  • fotograf
    13 years ago

    While citrus is young count the leave and divide it on 20. that is how many fruits you may leave on them to bear. On adult trees 10 leave is enough for photosintesing for one fruit. The better plant is doing with foliage - more fruits you will collect. So pay attention on a mineral fertilising of your trees and they will pay you back with the fruits!!
    That lemon of mine lost all leave in december and fruits never turn yellow - I had to collect them in april, so it could grow new leaves.
    {{gwi:585926}}{{gwi:585929}}

    This Meyer got 7 lemons
    {{gwi:585932}}{{gwi:585935}}

    {{gwi:585937}}
    This wild citrus is 5 years old, does not grow at all, but give me 2 fruits every year!!
    {{gwi:585939}}{{gwi:585941}}

    And it is very rare that you will collect more fruits than volume of your pot every year

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    Wonderful work fotograf!!!! Magnificent!! Very proud you can that that fruit for the size pots and trees! Thank you for posting.

    I would love to see more pics of the fruitage of everyones labor..

    Mike..:-)

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the tips on fruit, Fotograph!

    Josh

  • gardenathome
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi, Fotograph. Thank you for the tips! Very interesting information. :-)

    Hi, Andrew. We're looking forward to growing fruit trees in containers too. Very exciting! :-)

  • apartmentfarmer
    12 years ago

    half a dozen peaches on my stick tree!

    Here is a link that might be useful: my container peach harvest!

  • boson
    12 years ago

    Hi,

    here is my strawberry guava fruiting in a pot for the first time. I have kind of neglecting it and never repotted into a larger pot. So it's rather dwarfy and scraggly.

    Tomas

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • houstontexas123
    12 years ago

    hey fotograf, looks like you got yourself a nice little bonsai lemon tree. ;)