Columnar fruit treesis an interesting proposition for owners of small gardens, balconies and terraces. These plants have a very narrow, columnar habit, which allows them to be planted with a spacing of only 1 m, and also to be grown in pots. They can bear fruit wonderfully and enjoy their unusual appearance, as long as we follow a few simple rules for their care. Here are the bestcolumnar varieties of fruit trees , the secrets of their cultivation andopinions on where to buy such trees
Columnar fruit trees can be grown in pots
Columnar fruit treesis a group of varieties of fruit trees with a columnar habit. They produce a strong conductor and numerous shoots growing from the conductor at an almost right angle. Usually, the circumference of these trees does not exceed 80 cm, and the height can be from 2 to 3 m, which allows them to be planted at intervals of only 1 m. Thanks to this, they can be successfully grown in very small gardens and in pots on balconies and terraces.
In Polandcolumnar fruit trees , although still treated as a novelty and curiosity, have been cultivated for over a dozen years. As early as 10 years ago, in the gardening press, the first mentions of columnar fruit trees appeared, and to this day the possibilities of their cultivation in Poland have been quite well known.
Columnar varieties of fruit trees
There are columnar varieties of various types of fruit trees - apple, cherry, plum and pear trees. However, the most popular werecolumnar apple varieties , the so-calledBallerina. The peculiarity of columnar apple varieties is the fact that they do not produce long shoots, but only shoots growing out of the conductor. In our climate, they do not require pruning at all (pruning may be required in warmer climates where growth is more intense). Allvarieties of columnar fruit treeshave a slow growth rate, and pruning does not cause them to grow excessively. They start fruiting early, already in the second or third year of cultivation. For more abundant fruiting, it is worth planting several varieties of the same species that will pollinate each other.
Among thecolumnar apple varietiesit is worth mentioning first of all 'Bolero', 'Flamenco', 'Polka' and 'W altz'. All these varieties are licensed. If we think about fruits that are suitable both for direct consumption and for longer storage, let us first of all plant the 'Bolero' and 'W altz' varieties. In the case of the former, apples have a yellow-red skin, they are sweet, and they reach harvest maturity from around mid-September.A little later, at the end of September, you can start harvesting the fruits of the 'W altz' variety, which are dark red and their flesh is juicy and sweet. An interesting fact is the Ballerina 'Mezzo' apple tree, in which two columnar apple varieties - 'Bolero' and 'Flamenco' are grafted on one trunk.
Forcolumnar cherry varieties , available are: 'Silva' (early, large, light red, sweet), 'Victoria' (late, dark red, large) and 'Queen Mary '(late, fruit large, red, hard). All columnar varieties of cherries are self-pollinating, they look very decorative in spring during flowering.
Column-growing pear treesare 'Decora' - with large, green fruits with a red blush, as well as 'Saphira' - with greenish fruit that turns yellow when ripe at the end of September.
Of thecolumnar varieties of the plum , two are worth mentioning. The first is the 'Imperial' columnar plum - resistant to diseases, it bears profusely, giving fruits with purple skin and yellow flesh that easily separates from the stone.The second is the columnar plum 'Fruca' - giving dark, navy blue fruit covered with cutter, with a yellow flesh that easily separates from the stone.
Growing columnar fruit trees
"Columnar fruit treesare available both in pots and in pots. open root (dug out of the ground). The former are a bit more expensive, but available all season from spring to fall. The latter are cheaper but we can plant them, just like ordinary fruit trees, in the spring before the vegetation starts or in the fall, after the leaves fall. "
The cultivation requirements of columnar fruit treesare similar to that of other varieties of fruit trees, with the difference that they can be planted in a small spacing (every 1.0 m) or grown in pots. When growing plants in pots, remember that due to the limited amount of soil in the pot, they are more prone to nutrient deficiencies and overdrying. Therefore, it is necessary to water regularly and fertilize a little more.When transplanting plants into a larger pot, remember to pour a few centimeters of a drainage layer made of coarse gravel, small pebbles or expanded clay on its bottom, and to fill the pot with fresh, fertile, humus soil.
Despite the best efforts of nurserymen to grow varieties that are as frost-resistant as possible, it should be remembered that dwarf varieties with slow growth, and therefore also columnar, usually have weaker frost resistance than varieties with strong growth or varieties grafted on a strongly growing rootstock. Fortunately,columnar fruit trees , thanks to their compact habit, are quite easy to wrap for the winter with, for example, agrotextile. Even better results are achieved when covered with straw mulch or wrapped with a double layer of corrugated cardboard.
Those grown in pots can be hidden in cool rooms, protected against frost. If they are to spend the winter outside - the root ball must also be protected against frost by wrapping the pot with insulating material, e.g.straw or jute. It can also be covered with polystyrene or wrapped in agrotextile. We should also remember about protection against spring frosts, because spring frosts in an orchard cause damage to trees much more often than winter frosts. In practice, when frost is forecast, plants in pots are hidden indoors or wrapped in agrotextile at night. Although it is troublesome, it guarantees that the trees grown on balconies and terraces will bloom beautifully and then bear fruit. In gardens it is enough to choose a warm and wind-sheltered position.
Columnar fruit treesbasically do not produce long shoots and do not require pruning. Possible correction cutting or removing frozen shoots does not cause excessive plant growth. An important procedure, however, is bending the shoots that grow out of the guide diagonally upwards. All side shoots should emerge from the conductor at an almost right angle. You can use ordinary clothes pegs (the same as for hanging laundry) to bend the shoots.
It is also worth remembering about thinning the fruit buds, becausecolumnar fruit treescan bloom beautifully, very abundantly, but then they are not able to feed such a large number of fruits. Thinning the fruitlets will make the fruit smaller, but it will be bigger and better in taste. It will also avoid the tendency to alternate fruiting every other year.
