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stock size on pear tree

primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817
in Plants

Hi guysimage just seen a bargain conference tree it is on a Colt stock. Will it grow too big to keep in a large pot?

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  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,268

    Colt rootstocks are used for cherries, not pears - think it must have been wrongly labelled, Primrose.

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817

    How about quince stock or is that the braeburn apple they had there.

  • primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817

    The fruit trees look healthy and are budding they have conference pears, morello cherry,and braeburn apple  but I really would like them in potsimage

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,268

    Yes, quince rootstocks for pears, just looked it up.  You don't want Quince A, vigorous rootstock, tree 10-16 feet.  Quince C will give you a tree 6-10 feet tall, which might be ok in a large pot, though I don't have any experience of this.  (Just looked it up on the RHS website - they recommend Quince C for a pear in a pot.)

    M27 is the very dwarf rootstock for apples but in pots they do better on M26 or M9.  As regards braeburn, it's not self-fertile so you'll need neighbours around with apple trees or crab apples to fertilise it.  I don't know where you are in the country, but it isn't successful in the north as it needs plenty of sun to ripen the fruit.

    Gisela 5 or Colt are apparently both suitable rootstocks for cherry trees in pots.

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • primrosecottageprimrosecottage Posts: 817

    Thanks Liriimage  I'll go back tomorrow and check the labels nothing is a bargain if it's not right (am I trying to convince myselfimage)

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,268

    I guess you're right Primrose... very tempting though!  image

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Ediblescape brogdaleEdiblescape brogdale Posts: 8

    Feel like I am butting in but conflicting advice surrounds either putting a very dwarfing tree in a pot or putting a more vigorous variety in a pot and allowing the pot to dwarf the tree! If you consider the growing life of compost to be 8 weeks (ish) then it is necessary to add a slow release fertilizer like osmocote, also the process of tapping out has to be done every couple of years (mid winter)... pull it out of pot/barrel bash the hell out of the root ball and re-pack and the trimming of roots to match whatever you prune from the top tree (apple and pear only).

    I am with the very dwarfing side of things.. QC pear , VVA plum, M27 (maybe M9) apple) and G5 cherry.

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,268

    Definitely not butting in, Ediblescape!  All comments welcome.  image

    I agree, growing a tree in a pot is a bit of a full-time job!  I was trying to answer Primrose's question about rootstocks, and as you'll have seen from my answers I had to look up some of the info.  Personally I've only ever grown fruit trees in the ground.

    The RHS reckons M27 doesn't have enough "welly" if you grow an apple in a pot - I suppose because it needs constant care even in the ground.  Does that sound right to you? 

    I was hoping someone would post on here who grows lots of fruit trees in pots...  image

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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