planting of fruit trees in patio containers

[shrek29cdo]

I've just purchased a dwarf apple,pear & cherry trees from Lidi, what I would like to know is can I use any compost to fill the containers? we had advice from my wife's friend who said we would need to use innes no,3 as ordainary would be no good, all advice gratefully received. shrek29cdo.

[rustylady]

Depends on what you mean by "ordinary" - if you mean multipurpose compost then I would agree that John Innes would be better for fruit trees as it's heavier so will make your containers more stable.

JOHN INNES POTTING COMPOST No.3 - a richer mixture for final re-potting of gross feeding vegetable plants and for mature foliage plants and shrubs in interior planters or outdoor containers. Quote taken from this site About John Innes No.3

[FB.]

I prefer an equal mix of garden soil and a general-purpose compost.

Compost on its own tends to be too lightweight so pots blow over in the wind.
Also it's difficult to rehydrate pure compost if it has been allowed to dry out.

If the potting medium is too fertile you may end up with rampant growth at the expense of fruit. This will depend on the rootstock: very dwarf rootstocks need fertile soil but medium vigour rootstocks and high-vigour rootstocks will grow strongly and not fruit if given too many nutrients - especially if given excessive nitrogen.

Do you know which rootstocks they are?

[orangepippin]

We recommend John Innes 3 mixed with ordinary topsoil.

What size containers are you using?