dwarf cherry and plums

[davidmallon]

hey people need some advice and looking to get very small dwarf plum and cherry trees for a small back garden and was wondering if anyone knew of 1)a good fruit tree nursery and 2)advice on the breed of trees to get. as ive said its a relatively small yeard and the trees are to be planted in the corners. i dont want anything bigger than say 2m in height. any advice would be much appreciated

[rustylady]

Whereabouts are you David? If you add your location to your profile it will show on your posts and helps a lot when giving advice.

[davidmallon]

will do im in northern ireland in a place called ballynahinch

[Two_Sheds]

looking to get very small dwarf plum

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ees_61730.html

[Two_Sheds]

looking to get very small dwarf ...cherry trees

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ree_57445.html


FB is your man

[davidmallon]

had a look throught hose threads twosheds still dont know what to go for, obviously self fert ones arent as good so would want two varities of each that pollinate each other for both

[FB.]

If you have at least 2ft of good, fertile, moisture-retentive topsoil with adequate rainfall, then a dwarf rootstock such as Pixy for plums and Gisela for cherries would reach the kind of size you want.

If your soil is shallow, infertile, or prone to drying in summer, then you may want the next rootstock size up - St.Julien A for plums and Colt for cherry.

If your soil is very shallow, infertile and droughty, even the very vigorous rootstocks will be dwarfed.

Whichever variety is on the rootstock is up to you, but if you choose a popular variety (such as Victoria plum) you should also expect it to have more problems, since the most commonly grown varieties encourage spread of disease from one tree to an identical tree (i.e. if you buy a Victoria plum and someone within several hundred yards also has an old one, then you can expect yours to soon acquire the diseases which the old one has picked up during its lifetime because yours is equally prone to disease as theirs).

So I always recommend growing more unusual varieties as they are usually less prone to disease and easier to grow "organically" or spray-free.

Generally speaking, cherries prefer warm, sunny, low-rainfall locations. Plums prefer locations with adequate rainfall/soil moisture and really struggle if there is a water shortage - poor growth and split fruits.

Neither plums nor cherries tend to be as disease-resistant or as long-lived as apples or pears.

On a strong rootstock, pears can live twice as long as apple trees, while apple trees can live twice as long as plum trees. Of course, this is not a guarantee.

Also, my experience of cherries is that as the first fruits of the year to ripen, they just end up as eagerly-sought-after food by starlings and blackbirds, and then as bird poo on the washing hanging in the garden, while the pips rain down from the rooftops like hailstones.

Plums end up feeding the wasps.

I wouldn't rush to grow either cherries or plums in my garden again. Even my early-season apples (some of which are also somewhat prone to wasp damage) are planted well away from where wasp activity may cause a problem.

[davidmallon]

hmmm thanks fb i have some starlings that live on the roof of my house so maybe plums and cherries arent the way to go them , hmmm dunno what to go for now, :?

[FB.]

Birds aren't too bad for attacking plums.
Cherries can be netted, but it's not very attractive in a garden.

[Two_Sheds]

If your soil is shallow, infertile, or prone to drying in summer, then you may want the next rootstock size up - St.Julien A for plums

That's the one I've got in my front garden. She's 3 now (I think) and 5ft tall. I got two plums off it last year (I think it's President)

I just need to take a branch off, because the bigger branch has decided to grow horizontally for 2ft, then up, and its unbalancing the whole tree. I might prune it to the pyramid shape, so I can reach the fruits

[FB.]

That's the one I've got in my front garden. She's 3 now (I think) and 5ft tall. I got two plums off it last year (I think it's President)

I just need to take a branch off, because the bigger branch has decided to grow horizontally for 2ft, then up, and its unbalancing the whole tree. I might prune it to the pyramid shape, so I can reach the fruits

Yes - I probably should stress that the opening poster asked for no more than 2m in size, so my size guide was based on the size required and giving various soil/rainfall scenarios.
As you've found, in dryish soil/low-rainfall regions, St.Julien A is 1.5-2m in size. With adequate moisture it can easily get twice that size. Apple rootstock "MM106" and Pear rootstocks "Quince A" and "Quince C" are also very sensitive to soil moisture and behave like St.Julien A (1.5-2m) on dry soils.
However, if grafted with an especially vigorous variety (e.g. Bramley) they will get larger.

[Two_Sheds]

As you've found, in dryish soil/low-rainfall regions, St.Julien A is 1.5-2m in size. .

That's perfect for me (5' 2")

Thank you

[FB.]

That's perfect for me (5' 2")

Thank you

Of course, if unpruned, most trees or bushes will slowly get bigger throughout their lives.

What makes me laugh is people fret about how big a fruit tree might get, yet without a second thought they happily plant other types of tree or even hedging which usually get far larger far more quickly.

In reality, apple trees are bushes, which - if left unpruned for many years by lazy gardeners - like any other bush, can eventually get quite large (especially when in good quality soil).
Take a look at apple trees growing by the roadside - often having grown from a pip thrown from a car window; they are usually medium-sized bushes.

[purplekat]

That is a very good point, loads of people grow beech hedging, a beech tree left unpruned can get to about 160ft but many people keep them to about 6ft with regular pruning

Of course, if unpruned, most trees or bushes will slowly get bigger throughout their lives.

What makes me laugh is people fret about how big a fruit tree might get, yet without a second thought they happily plant other types of tree or even hedging which usually get far larger far more quickly.

In reality, apple trees are bushes, which - if left unpruned for many years by lazy gardeners - like any other bush, can eventually get quite large (especially when in good quality soil).
Take a look at apple trees growing by the roadside - often having grown from a pip thrown from a car window; they are usually medium-sized bushes.