Ornamental and pot grown trees are always popular with gardeners. They provide a convenient way for anyone to enjoy planting their own trees even when space is restricted or there is no ground in which to plant. Anyone can successfully plant pot grown trees though there are a few basic pointers to bear in mind. Here's a few tips to help you get started whether you're planting an ornamental tree or a fruit tree.

Tips for successful pot grown trees

Choosing the right trees

When you are looking to grow trees in a pot, you must keep in mind that they naturally aren’t going to have as much space or freedom to grow as they would when they are grown in the ground. This means that you don’t want anything that will outgrow the pot too quickly.

The best way to overcome this problem is by choosing trees that are slow growing. Things like Japanese maple, specially crafted dwarf varieties, and laurustinus make good choices. Moreover, if you choose something too large, it will be difficult to keep it upright.

The best compost

It is vital that you choose the right compost for your pot grown trees if you want them to thrive. For the most part, loam-based compost will yield the best results and there are a couple of reasons for this.

For starters loam-based compost allows for much greater stability which you’ll need to ensure that your tree stays upright. Moreover, it also provides excellent nutrition. Just be sure to line your pot with several broken pieces of terracotta before adding your compost as this will prevent compost from flowing out of the drainage holes when you water.

Repotting

While you should choose a tree that isn’t going to easily get out of control, it goes without saying that you will eventually have to repot your plant. The best way of determining when it is time to change the pot is to check the roots. If they fill the pot, you need to choose something larger.

Each time you repot, go for something that is at least 2 inches wider than the previous pot. Doing this will mean that you only need to repot around every two years. Just make sure not to overwhelm the roots with soil as this can affect their growth.

Watering

Keeping trees in pots requires you to pay close attention to how much water the plants are getting. You don’t want to allow them to dry out but at the same time, you don’t want to risk drowning them. The problem is that since potted trees are exposed to things like wind and heat much more than those in the ground, it doesn’t take much for them to dry out.

To counteract this, you may need to water daily during hot weather and don’t be afraid to water heavily. That said, you will need to ensure good drainage in your pots to avoid drowning the plant.

Tree protection

To properly protect your potted trees, you will need to perform regular maintenance. During the spring, we would advise scraping away at least 5cm of compost and replacing this with some fresh. This is also a good opportunity to add in some fertiliser.

When winter comes, you’ll need to ensure adequate protection as the roots will be prone to frost damage. You can use bubble wrap or hessian around the pot and secure this with twine. Of course, there is always the option of moving the tree into a greenhouse for additional protection.

Pests

There are several pests that commonly affect trees that are grown in pots so you should be prepared to deal with these as they arise. Of course, prevention is better than cure so keep an eye on your trees and deal with infestations before they start to get serious.

Some of the most common pests you might encounter include vine weevils, snails, and slugs. They will eat the leaves causing the tree to look unhealthy. Regularly check under the pot as this is where infestations usually begin.

Know when to move trees to the ground

If you find that you are struggling to grow your trees in a pot, it could be that they would be better off in the ground. The idea of potted trees is incredible especially considering the aesthetic aspects but for the health of your tree, it is important to know when it’s time to move it.

Provided that the roots aren’t tangled, you should move the tree to the ground when it becomes too large for any pot or if you notice that the maintenance is becoming too much. Ensure that you gently tease the roots out to make them as branched as possible.

If you're looking for ornamental trees to grow in pots check out the great selection we have available in the nursery right now. You can see them here.