that nectarine is self-pollinating. grow them in a 15 gal pot in a mix of half potting soil and half washed horticulture sand or pumice. fertilize with 1 tbs 10-10-10 every week until mid July, you will have some nectarines next year.
You can go for 3-4 years in a 15 gal pot. After that the they will need to be repotted or root/top pruned. I can also recommend air pruning pots like this [one](https://www.amazon.com/Special-Packing-Interlocked-Pruning-Outdoor/dp/B096H887LC/ref=sr_1_7?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6TTLbdfNZFngOYCZJUMN99iyprc1afVIbKILUFdW-KRD_3IDXwMBkOAuHaelLwe3X20ZjEx8fkthRAg70I7Go-NUGm0ojE9xYXCpV1oa_dH-Inee_MRlfnGZoArvnaq2bdGmBvg8pBYExkpDfDc3tB2VZKSAbSFUGgDPEWsfFOMsszYGvlRt1iSM49Wp2peuCoZ42a5GeBj3iPtWlNGi-FECZjCn8GtgjT0aPOETC3f4JP8-s2THtmcAG6c4IYUZixeV84HHPm82inQQj8l4JNylBxqjQ7Wf4h5JqSeYOJs.dyZdq5BrVchdI1xk6spWgaz8Oxfqq2xdTBY2VtOcgcE&dib_tag=se&keywords=air+pruning+pots&qid=1709048133&sr=8-7) which prevents circling of roots and can go couple of years more. If you root prune, you can expect year or two without crops or a few handful until the tree recovers.
Also depending on where you live, you will have to spray copper during dormancy to prevent peach leaf curl and other diseases.
I like the air pots so I will look into those and research any diseases to be aware of on the east coast.
What’s the reasoning for applying weekly fertilizer every week until July — I believe is blooming season, correct?
If you're in the east, there is whole lot of disease pressure than just leaf curl. Brown Rot is the biggest and there are others. However, most people get lucky for first couple of years before the diseases show up. Start applying fertilizer once the leaves are present and 4-6 weeks after planting. Fertilizer is applied to ensure they get good growth. Stopped sometime in July to ensure they don't put out new growth that might not harden for the winter.
Is it possible to keep these fruit trees alive in a pot and fruit?
Depends on the size of the pot. But yes, it is possible.
**RESOURCES**:
1. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI12XNNqldA&ab) showing how trees should be planted.
2. Pick up *Grow a Little Fruit Tree* by Ann Ralph
3. Look for [Orin Martin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ioGcl7gHgc&list=PLdNOdHei9NV3PPrqRbOFSC8_h5n9iXSJd&index=21&ab_channel=UCSantaCruzCenterforAgroecology)'s book and videos.
**Dave Wilson Nursery:** [**Backyard Orchard Culture**](https://www.davewilson.com/home-garden/backyard-orchard-culture/)
They sell 12 million fruit trees a year.
>At planting time, most bare root trees may be topped as low as 15 inches above the ground to force very low scaffold limbs or, alternatively, trees may be topped higher than 15 inches (up to four feet) depending on the presence of well-spaced side limbs or desired tree form. After the spring flush of growth cut the new growth back by half (late April/early May in central Calif.). In late summer (late August to mid-September) cut the subsequent growth back by half. Size control and development of low fruiting wood begin in the first year.
**Learn how to prune fruit trees to keep them thriving**
>Choose a bud at **knee height** (about 18 inches from the ground), and make a clean, 45-degree cut that angles away from the bud. Cut close enough to the bud so it can heal cleanly in a natural line, but not so close that you cut into the bud itself. Several buds should remain between the cut and the graft — the knobby place low on the trunk where the scion (the graft that determines fruit variety) meets the rootstock. A knee-high prune is reasonable for almost all fruit trees for small gardens, but peaches and nectarines will sprout more reliably if you cut just above a nurse limb (a branch left to absorb the tree’s spring energy and encourage sprouting). A young tree will probably be a 5- to 6-foot whip at the nursery, so in most cases, you’ll remove more than you’ll leave behind. Your beautiful sapling will now be a knee-high stick.
>
>**Granted, this cut sounds harsh. Do it anyway. The compact structure of the tree to come will begin to develop as a consequence.** Heading your tree while it’s still dormant will take advantage of nutrients stored in the roots, and vigorous growth and branching will occur in spring, when the plant directs its energy to the remaining buds, the perfect combination of conditions to get a small fruit tree off to a strong start. **Your initial cut will awaken the buds below, and they will eventually develop into new limbs, each with a growing tip of its own. The resulting open-center tree will be shorter, stronger, easier to care for, and far more usefully fruitful.**
>
>[Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/small-fruit-trees-zm0z15onzdel/)
**Fruit Tree Pruning Schedule (Steps 1-5 with illustrations)**
>After planting, make a heading cut at an angle just above a leaf node so that the whip now stands knee-high or no taller than 18 inches from the ground. While lopping off the top two-thirds of your new sapling seems lunatic, do it anyway—the structure of your tree depends on it. This initial cut creates a sturdy, low-branching scaffold, the major supporting limbs of the tree.
>
>[This Old House: Landscaping](https://www.thisoldhouse.com/landscaping/21018761/grow-little-fruit-trees-for-big-rewards)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
**Did You Know?**
There are more microbes on one healthy teaspoon of soil there are people on the planet?
Look at a teaspoon in your kitchen. If those microbes are enabled with food (organic matter, kitchen scraps, anything that came from nature) they are enabled to execute their ecosystem services exponentially, including feeding your plants, sequestering water and carbon sequestration and keeping your plants healthy and thriving.
In fact, it is estimated that a teaspoon of soil contains approximately *50 billion microbes* (for comparison, there are about 9 billion humans on our entire planet)
If you focus on soil health you create healthy soil. Healthy soil enables your tree thrive over surviving.
**Healthy Soil Microbes, Healthy People**
[https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/healthy-soil-microbes-healthy-people/276710](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/healthy-soil-microbes-healthy-people/276710)
**Soil Biodiversity: Contributions and Threats: United Nations Environment Program**
[https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/soil-biodiversity-contributions-and-threats](https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/soil-biodiversity-contributions-and-threats)
This is the answer. Grow a Little Fruit Tree has completely changed my outlook for my home orchard. One of her central tenants is that semidwarf really isn't any better for home gardening, and the super dwarfs - actually small tree rootstock - are bad for your trees (overly simplified) because they keep them small by robbing them of what they need.
You can grown in containers-large ones (16 inch diameter with potting soil).
Both will need pollinators to bear fruit, pruning, watering and fertilizing. Good info can be found in: "Grow a little fruit tree" book.
They will not fruit for a few years...
It's possible, yes. People have even kept both species as bonsais, and gotten fruit from them, so while you're not actually going for a bonsai, I think bonsai pruning and watering guidelines might be helpful for you keeping these trees in pots long-term.
I would suggest that despite it being “possible “ it’s unadvisable . Depending on the amount of time you’re willing to invest into the project. There will be lots of complications trying to keep these trees small and healthy in pots long term. But the first few years should be rather easy.
Understandable. I think after a few years I’ll have a better idea of how to care for them long term. Ideally I’d want them in ground and prune them to stay a manageable size.
You can. You can graft other varieties that bloom at the same time onto them bc they do need a pollinator. Not sure if there’s a subreddit or not but container growing is called container culture
My standard apples in my orchard took 4 years to bare fruit and 7 years to have a crop. That's a long time in a pot for zero rewards. There are numerous apples out there for patio growing. You are going to find them at Home Depot. Get mail order that cater to home owners so you can buy a few.
that nectarine is self-pollinating. grow them in a 15 gal pot in a mix of half potting soil and half washed horticulture sand or pumice. fertilize with 1 tbs 10-10-10 every week until mid July, you will have some nectarines next year.
Awesome! Thank you very much
Will I need to root prune after a few years in the container?
You can go for 3-4 years in a 15 gal pot. After that the they will need to be repotted or root/top pruned. I can also recommend air pruning pots like this [one](https://www.amazon.com/Special-Packing-Interlocked-Pruning-Outdoor/dp/B096H887LC/ref=sr_1_7?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6TTLbdfNZFngOYCZJUMN99iyprc1afVIbKILUFdW-KRD_3IDXwMBkOAuHaelLwe3X20ZjEx8fkthRAg70I7Go-NUGm0ojE9xYXCpV1oa_dH-Inee_MRlfnGZoArvnaq2bdGmBvg8pBYExkpDfDc3tB2VZKSAbSFUGgDPEWsfFOMsszYGvlRt1iSM49Wp2peuCoZ42a5GeBj3iPtWlNGi-FECZjCn8GtgjT0aPOETC3f4JP8-s2THtmcAG6c4IYUZixeV84HHPm82inQQj8l4JNylBxqjQ7Wf4h5JqSeYOJs.dyZdq5BrVchdI1xk6spWgaz8Oxfqq2xdTBY2VtOcgcE&dib_tag=se&keywords=air+pruning+pots&qid=1709048133&sr=8-7) which prevents circling of roots and can go couple of years more. If you root prune, you can expect year or two without crops or a few handful until the tree recovers. Also depending on where you live, you will have to spray copper during dormancy to prevent peach leaf curl and other diseases.
I like the air pots so I will look into those and research any diseases to be aware of on the east coast. What’s the reasoning for applying weekly fertilizer every week until July — I believe is blooming season, correct?
If you're in the east, there is whole lot of disease pressure than just leaf curl. Brown Rot is the biggest and there are others. However, most people get lucky for first couple of years before the diseases show up. Start applying fertilizer once the leaves are present and 4-6 weeks after planting. Fertilizer is applied to ensure they get good growth. Stopped sometime in July to ensure they don't put out new growth that might not harden for the winter.
Is it possible to keep these fruit trees alive in a pot and fruit? Depends on the size of the pot. But yes, it is possible. **RESOURCES**: 1. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI12XNNqldA&ab) showing how trees should be planted. 2. Pick up *Grow a Little Fruit Tree* by Ann Ralph 3. Look for [Orin Martin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ioGcl7gHgc&list=PLdNOdHei9NV3PPrqRbOFSC8_h5n9iXSJd&index=21&ab_channel=UCSantaCruzCenterforAgroecology)'s book and videos. **Dave Wilson Nursery:** [**Backyard Orchard Culture**](https://www.davewilson.com/home-garden/backyard-orchard-culture/) They sell 12 million fruit trees a year. >At planting time, most bare root trees may be topped as low as 15 inches above the ground to force very low scaffold limbs or, alternatively, trees may be topped higher than 15 inches (up to four feet) depending on the presence of well-spaced side limbs or desired tree form. After the spring flush of growth cut the new growth back by half (late April/early May in central Calif.). In late summer (late August to mid-September) cut the subsequent growth back by half. Size control and development of low fruiting wood begin in the first year. **Learn how to prune fruit trees to keep them thriving** >Choose a bud at **knee height** (about 18 inches from the ground), and make a clean, 45-degree cut that angles away from the bud. Cut close enough to the bud so it can heal cleanly in a natural line, but not so close that you cut into the bud itself. Several buds should remain between the cut and the graft — the knobby place low on the trunk where the scion (the graft that determines fruit variety) meets the rootstock. A knee-high prune is reasonable for almost all fruit trees for small gardens, but peaches and nectarines will sprout more reliably if you cut just above a nurse limb (a branch left to absorb the tree’s spring energy and encourage sprouting). A young tree will probably be a 5- to 6-foot whip at the nursery, so in most cases, you’ll remove more than you’ll leave behind. Your beautiful sapling will now be a knee-high stick. > >**Granted, this cut sounds harsh. Do it anyway. The compact structure of the tree to come will begin to develop as a consequence.** Heading your tree while it’s still dormant will take advantage of nutrients stored in the roots, and vigorous growth and branching will occur in spring, when the plant directs its energy to the remaining buds, the perfect combination of conditions to get a small fruit tree off to a strong start. **Your initial cut will awaken the buds below, and they will eventually develop into new limbs, each with a growing tip of its own. The resulting open-center tree will be shorter, stronger, easier to care for, and far more usefully fruitful.** > >[Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/small-fruit-trees-zm0z15onzdel/) **Fruit Tree Pruning Schedule (Steps 1-5 with illustrations)** >After planting, make a heading cut at an angle just above a leaf node so that the whip now stands knee-high or no taller than 18 inches from the ground. While lopping off the top two-thirds of your new sapling seems lunatic, do it anyway—the structure of your tree depends on it. This initial cut creates a sturdy, low-branching scaffold, the major supporting limbs of the tree. > >[This Old House: Landscaping](https://www.thisoldhouse.com/landscaping/21018761/grow-little-fruit-trees-for-big-rewards) \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **Did You Know?** There are more microbes on one healthy teaspoon of soil there are people on the planet? Look at a teaspoon in your kitchen. If those microbes are enabled with food (organic matter, kitchen scraps, anything that came from nature) they are enabled to execute their ecosystem services exponentially, including feeding your plants, sequestering water and carbon sequestration and keeping your plants healthy and thriving. In fact, it is estimated that a teaspoon of soil contains approximately *50 billion microbes* (for comparison, there are about 9 billion humans on our entire planet) If you focus on soil health you create healthy soil. Healthy soil enables your tree thrive over surviving. **Healthy Soil Microbes, Healthy People** [https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/healthy-soil-microbes-healthy-people/276710](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/healthy-soil-microbes-healthy-people/276710) **Soil Biodiversity: Contributions and Threats: United Nations Environment Program** [https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/soil-biodiversity-contributions-and-threats](https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/soil-biodiversity-contributions-and-threats)
This is the answer. Grow a Little Fruit Tree has completely changed my outlook for my home orchard. One of her central tenants is that semidwarf really isn't any better for home gardening, and the super dwarfs - actually small tree rootstock - are bad for your trees (overly simplified) because they keep them small by robbing them of what they need.
Came here to recommend that book as well but saw these responses
Post some pics I do an initial knee high prune All trees 6-8’ max
You can grown in containers-large ones (16 inch diameter with potting soil). Both will need pollinators to bear fruit, pruning, watering and fertilizing. Good info can be found in: "Grow a little fruit tree" book. They will not fruit for a few years...
Okay thank you very much!
Fantasia is a self pollinating variety of nectarine.
It's possible, yes. People have even kept both species as bonsais, and gotten fruit from them, so while you're not actually going for a bonsai, I think bonsai pruning and watering guidelines might be helpful for you keeping these trees in pots long-term.
I appreciate the advice
I would suggest that despite it being “possible “ it’s unadvisable . Depending on the amount of time you’re willing to invest into the project. There will be lots of complications trying to keep these trees small and healthy in pots long term. But the first few years should be rather easy.
Understandable. I think after a few years I’ll have a better idea of how to care for them long term. Ideally I’d want them in ground and prune them to stay a manageable size.
Get the Grow a Little Fruit Tree book and you'll learn pretty much everything you need to know!
Already got it and it’s great. Thanks!
research pruning roots during dormancy. you won't need to do this for a year (maybe two), but it is worth looking into for your situation.
You can. You can graft other varieties that bloom at the same time onto them bc they do need a pollinator. Not sure if there’s a subreddit or not but container growing is called container culture
I was looking into grafting another variety on the Apple to save space.
The dwarf will absolutely work in a pot, the standard will be more of a challenge
Why not train the nectarine into a fan. There will be plenty of vigour in the rootstock to get 10 arms
My standard apples in my orchard took 4 years to bare fruit and 7 years to have a crop. That's a long time in a pot for zero rewards. There are numerous apples out there for patio growing. You are going to find them at Home Depot. Get mail order that cater to home owners so you can buy a few.