Dwarf Apple Tree for a pot

[hamesy]

I'm after a small dwarf apple tree for my plot that will be planted into a pot. Never had an apple tree before, so what do you recommend?

[FB.]

M27 rootstock is often used for pots.
I prefer M9 or M26 rootstock because they will better tolerate not being watered for a few days in summer, or recover better after damage.
The crop will only amount to a carrier bag at most, once the tree is mature (say ten years).

Don't buy a variety which you can get from the shops; it'll probably be prone to disease (most shop-types require spraying) and you might as well just buy some from the shop.

Vigorous varieties, triploid varieties and varieties which predominantly tip-bear are not so easy to manage as restricted forms.

Have you considered whether you prefer apples in summer, autumn or winter?
For eating off the tree, for storing, for cooking?
Do you prefer any particular flavours or textures?

[orangepippin]

If you choose an apple tree grafted on M9 or M26 rootstocks you will need a large pot - a large planter or a half-barrel size. If it is grafted on M27 then something in the 60L+ size will be suitable. Make sure it cannot be blown over (a tree in full leaf creates a lot of wind resistance).

All the above will need some kind of support, a heavy-duty bamboo cane for example.

Growing any fruit tree in a pot is always more challenging than planting in open ground, so I would choose one of the more reliable varieties.

[hamesy]

Thanks for the responses guys I'll have a look at the M27 rootstock, especially been as you both recommend it.

Best place to buy and when would it be best to buy one, ie, winter, autumn, spring, summer?

[FB.]

If it's containerised you can buy at any time.

If how evenly-branched it is matters to you, you might want to hand-pick one from a local nursery or garden center (although it might cost a bit more). Not all young apple trees will be nicely-branched and not all nurseries produce to the same quality.
A one-year maiden will be cheapest, but will be little more than a 2ft tall twig and will need growing-up with formative pruning for another year or two before it is ready to start cropping.
A two-year or older tree ought to be reasonably well-branched.

I think it's considered normal that M27 will often produce fruit a bit smaller than on other rootstocks (especially if the tree gets a bit stressed through drying out or running out of nutrients in the soil), so maybe be wary of varieties which produce small fruit.

You could also consider grafting one of your own.
Just after Christmas Blackmoor Nurseries often offer rootstocks for sale for a couple of quid each (plus a few quid postage) but rootstocks may not show for sale until that time:
Blackmoor Nurseries

With fruit trees, there is always a trade-off to be made among the various features because no variety is perfect. Different parts of the UK have their different problems with pests or diseases, so what grows and ripens well in one area may not do so well elsewhere.

At the moment, I notice that Blackmoor only have a few 2yr old M27 potted trees available, and they are mostly the variety "Discovery".
In my experience, Discovery is not a particularly vigorous variety anyway, and on M27 I could easily envisage a "runt-out" problem with such a weak pairing of scion and rootstock.
I find that Discovery grows best when grown in fairly dry, fairly infertile, slightly alkaline/chalky soil as a very big tree on a very strong rootstock. Discovery/MM111 half-standard tree would be an excellent combination - but not for a pot!

I think Spartan on M26 would make a great potted tree, as - for me at least - the tree can still produce good quality fruit even when conditions aren't ideal; many varieties - a lot more than "the books" say - will suffer from bitter pit if not well-managed.

Winter Gem on M27 could also make a good potted tree which can continue producing decent fruit. Winter Gem is quite a strong grower and probably a bit too strong-growing to chance it on M26 in a pot.

Perhaps also Ellison's Orange on M26, which never gave me any trouble with bitter pit - although Ellison can be prone to codling moth "maggots" damaging the fruit, and mine suffered quite badly from canker (but others have grown it successfully in other parts of the UK).

D'Arcy Spice on M26 (it is so weak it will barely grow on M27 or M9) would also be useful for a potted plant which copes well with neglect because it is slow-growing, very sparing in its water use, tolerant of severe drought and infertile soil, but very quick to start blossoming and doesn't seem to suffer bitter pit - although it's not the most reliable or heavy cropper.

[hamesy]

Thanks for the advice. I've had a look on Blackmoor Nurseries website and they've got some trees that I'm interested in. If it wasn't for yourself and orangepippin I would have just gone down the local garden centre and picked any old tree

[orangepippin]

If it wasn't for yourself and orangepippin I would have just gone down the local garden centre and picked any old tree

There's a lot to be said for that too!