Dwarf Fruit Trees
Dwarf fruit trees are much smaller than regular fruit trees, yet the fruit that grows on dwarf trees is full-sized. Dwarf fruit trees produce fruit within two years after transplanting; long before regular sized trees reach maturity. The great thing is you can harvest most of the fruit without a ladder.
Chelse’s Greenhouse offers many varieties of fruit trees to choose from:
- McIntosh Apple Semi Dwarf Tree
- Granny Smith Apple
- Semi Dwarf Bing Cherry
- Semi Dwarf Montmorency Sour Cherry
- Dwarf Fantasia Nectarine
- Dwarf Elberta Peach
- Dwarf Bartlett Pear
- Dwarf Superior Plum
Planting Tips
Fruit trees can be transplanted spring or fall. Select a tree with a strong trunk and good branching. Plant it as soon as you bring it home. If you are planting several trees, place them at least 12 feet apart.
Some varieties of fruit trees need other varieties of the same fruit nearby for good pollination. For example a neighbor’s apple tree will be sufficient to pollinate a dwarf apple tree, but if you have no fruit trees growing nearby, you must purchase and plant at least two varieties of apples.
Dig a hole wider and deeper than the root ball. Place the tree gently in the hole. Dwarf trees are produced by grafting full size trees onto dwarf roots. The place where the graft was made shows clearly as a bulge. This bulge must be above the surface of the soil. If it is not, the portion of the trunk above the graft will send out roots and you will have lost the dwarf quality of your tree.
Check the level of the graft before you fill the hole, and if necessary add more soil to the bottom of the holes to raise the topsoil around the root system. If you have a heavy clay soil, the use of wet peat moss mixed with the soil can stimulate tree growth. The soil should be moist but not water-logged. Pack the soil closely around the roots with your fingers so there is complete contact between the root and the soil. Tamp down tightly, adding soil to bring the ground up to level. Fertilizer is not needed at planting time, and probably will not ever be needed.
Fruit trees will rarely require watering except in a drought. Then one watering once a week at night with a repeat watering the next morning will be sufficient. Too much water can harm the root system of your tree and may prevent it from bearing fruit.
When fruit comes, you will have to do some thinning. Most fruit trees provide an abundance of fruit that the tree cannot support. Pick off some of the young before it matures, leaving a space between the remaining fruit of 4 to 5 inches.
Dwarf trees will need pruning to maintain their vigor and continue fruit bearing. The tree can be pruned to its natural shape or trained to a flat space saving space against a fence or wall.