You Can Grow a Mini Fruit Tree on Your Patio
Every year around this time, I prepare to move my lemon tree out of the living room and outside for the season. In the fall, when nighttime temperatures drop below 40 degrees, Daisy (yes, she has a name) rolls up into my living room, where she overwinters under a grow light, and then once the temperatures stabilize in the spring, she returns to live on the patio. Since I live in the Pacific Northwest, this is the only way to preserve a lemon tree; they are simply not designed for real winter outdoors. But even if you don’t want to or can’t place trees inside your home or greenhouse for the winter, you can still turn your patio into a mini orchard .
Typically, when you buy trees or shrubs, you plant them in the ground and expect the plants to grow and become quite large. But if you don’t have the space to plant a large tree or shrub, you may want to consider getting a tree or shrub small enough to stay in a pot. Fewer and fewer dwarf trees and shrubs are being grown all the time, and no matter what kind of fruit you like, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be a variety small or micro enough to stay in the pot.
These potted plants, which should not exceed six feet in size, can live on your patio as long as they receive enough sunlight, water and warmth in the summer. In fact, your patio can provide an opportunity to better control the environment for your potted plant. You can provide shelter from storms, control humidity levels to prevent disease, and relocate it if its original location is not suitable.
At the very least, you and your microtrees should be very happy on your patio during the spring and summer. The problem occurs in winter. When purchasing plants, you should always pay attention to their winter hardiness. For example, cacti cannot survive the cold winter outside, but pine cannot cope with this. During the winter, plants are typically dormant, meaning they are focused on root growth rather than leaves, fruiting, or flowering. These small trees and shrubs are especially vulnerable because their roots are not in the ground, but in a pot, so they lack the insulation that the ground can offer.
The first way to solve the problem of winter hardiness is to transfer the plants to a greenhouse for the winter – this is exactly what nurseries do. Of course, most people (including me) don’t have enough of a greenhouse. The second best option is a place in your home where the plant can get enough light, water and heat to survive the winter. Since your home inevitably heats up so much that the temperature stays above forty degrees at night, your tree is fine. These plants only need to stay near a window or under a grow light. A third location could be a garage or other unheated building, because even if the temperature drops below forty degrees, if it stays consistently between 20 and 40, the plant will remain dormant, not exposed to wind or freezing, and will be able to survive. Just because a plant is dormant doesn’t mean it doesn’t require care; you will need to check the humidity levels every few weeks. Do not allow the soil in the pot to dry out.
If you can’t move your plants inside, you’ll need to find ways to seal them outside, and you have a few options. Remember that the walls of your home provide some protection from wind and generate some heat, so placing the plant next to a wall is a good start. You can create a cage around the plant using chicken wire and fill the cage with straw. Straw provides insulation while still allowing air flow, and straw is unlikely to transfer disease or virus to the plant. You can also add compost or wood chips around the pot itself; this will recreate the insulation the soil provides to protect the roots. You can even buy blankets made from wood , which provide a breathable insulating layer. It should be remembered that, like a blanket, this insulation only helps to mitigate winter conditions, not improve them. For some trees, such as citrus trees, this heat simply may not be enough. For this reason, choose your patio fruits carefully, depending on what growing zone you live in and whether you have the ability to make these plants your winter roommates. There are some very winter-hardy citrus fruits available now, but you might be better off with blueberries or patio apples.
If your plants are going to live outdoors, you should choose a heavy ceramic or concrete pot that will provide some insulation from the cold. But if your plant moves indoors with you all winter, you may be impressed by how beautiful plastic plant pots have become. Modern, self-watering and most importantly lightweight, they will make moving your patio indoors and outdoors much easier.
To find the right tree or shrub for your yard, you should start with your local nursery. However, don’t be afraid to buy a plant that is shipped to you; I constantly look through the One Green World catalog because they feature hardy tree varieties that my local nursery doesn’t carry.