Minarette fruit trees: potting advice

[ddiogyn]

Hallo,

I'm planting an apple, pear and cherry tree, one per 40L flexi-tub. Could somebody please advise me on what sort of potting mixture to use?

Thanks

[FB.]

I would use equal amounts of shop-bought compost and garden soil.

If the compost is home-made, I'd use one part compost to two or three parts garden soil.

[ddiogyn]

Thanks FB.

Garden soil as in soil dug from my garden? The unpaved part of my garden is overrun with weeds; if i cleared an area of weeds, would the underlying soil be ok to use?

Thanks again

[FB.]

Yes, ordinary soil mixed with compost.

I find that pure compost just encourages masses of growth and no flowering, whereas a mix of soil and compost encourages a better balance or growth and fruiting.

Additionally, I find that compost seems to easily get filled with air as it dries and makes it difficult to re-hydrate when it dries.
Mixing soil and compost seems to improve water holding without becoming soggy like wet compost and the soil/compost mix seems to re-hydrate more easily.

Too much air (from dried-out compost) is bad for roots and they won't grow.
Likewise, too much sogginess (of saturated compost) can rot or suffocate the roots.
Pure compost seems to suffer from both extremes. A mix of soil and compost doesn't suffer from either extreme.

[ddiogyn]

Thanks for the thorough explanation FB! Finally, should i add some bonemeal into the planting hole to stimulate root growth?

[FB.]

A small amount would be useful but not essential - there should be plenty of nutrients in the compost.

[ddiogyn]

Thanks so much FB!

[rustylady]

The unpaved part of my garden is overrun with weeds

You really need to clear the weeds, even if not planning to grow anything worthwhile in the soil. Otherwise they will seed and grow in your pots and tubs. How big is the area? Would it not be worthwhile clearing the weeds and using it as growing space?

[ddiogyn]

It really is quite a waste of good garden space - slightly larger than 4 by 8 metres - i have spent a small fortune on Roundup in the past, but they just grow back. I would really love to use the area for growing, however, although i'm south-facing, there is a very large tree just beyond the back, on council property, which shades the entire area for most of the day. The area gets only about 3-4hours late afternoon sun when the sky is clear, and perhaps an hour or so in the morning. Am at a loss thinking how the area can be used productively

[rustylady]

What sort of weeds are they? I would suggest pulling off the topgrowth and then giving the area a good digging over. Sounds like you could have a really productive bed there if you give it a bit of work.

[FB.]

The plot that you speak of would be able to grow a surprising amount of things. I'd mostly opt for fruits - and for varieties that ripen early, so that although they take longer to ripen, they can still ripen before autumn.

Suitable fruits would be cooking apples, early eating apples, Scottish-origin apples (suited to cooler/duller climate), alpine strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cooking cherries - maybe more.
Taller plants are able to reach higher and get to the sunlight.
Besides; the weeds seem quite happy, so why can't other plants be happy there?

Get started by removing the weeds. Right now would be a great time to cut them down as the drought will have weakened them quite a bit already.

When the next rain comes, you can then dig the ground over (a fork may be easier than a spade) and pick out all the weed roots that you unearth.

Leave it a few weeks, but pull up any small weeds that start to grow in the meantime.

Then perhaps during August, when it rains again, dig over the soil again and remove any more roots that get unearthed.

Keep at it and you'll have a perfectly usable plot.

[ddiogyn]

@Rusty

There used to be mainly 'Doc leaf' plants and dandelions, but the Roundup eliminated these and the area is now colonised by stinging nettles, brambles and grasses.

@FB

Thanks. I must say i would like to grow some proper fruit trees (as opposed to the minarettes i have in containers). I'll have to enlist help to get the area sorted...

[chrisguk]

Isnt 40l a big tub for a minarette? Id start them out in smaller pots, and then repot into large tubs 2 years down the line