| Show ME dwarf fruit trees suited cuite d to gardens smaller plants produce more easy to handle while dwarfing dwar fing of fruit trees is a sommon common practice in europe there has been comparatively little interest in this practice in this country says ays W L howard a university of callognia Cal Calil Lornia professor of in home fruit growing in california he outlines the advantages of this method of cultivation in small orchards and home gardens europeans he says have perfected special methods of training known as espalier and cordon with numer DUS variations which cause the trees s treated to be smaller than normal climatic conditions of western and southern europe are very well adapted to fruit growing and the people as a whole are f far ar more garden minded than we are since however land is scarce and the average citizen with a tiny garden wants to grow as many things as possible dwarf fruit trees seem to have been the answer small deciduous trees most if not all of our deciduous trees are reduced below their normal size in three general ways by heavy pruning especially in summer by partially starving the roots by confining them in pots or boxes or by grafting them upon the roots of other trees that naturally grow more slowly or remain smaller the me use of dwarf or partially dwarfing dwar fing stocks is the method chiefly employed both here and abroad although careful pruning is important in holding down excessive wood browh h and in keeping dwarfed trees both small and fruitful although pears are commonly grown as dwarfs in this country d dwarf wa rf apples are seldom seen in europe peach trees are reduced in size in order to adapt them to cold foggy climates by growing them against walls or under glass the small need for such special purpose A one of 0 the easiest ways to train dwarf fruit trees in espalier fashion trees in this country accounts for their scarcity dwarfing Dwar fing a tree is popularly supposed to shorten its life this is not necessarily true although in practice dwarf trees are often permitted to overbear and consequently do not live so long as they might otherwise do under expert management such as english and french gardeners give their trees dwarf pears for example may live to an age of 75 years dwarf apples the paradise apple a natural dwarf serves as astock a stock for reducing the size of any variety of apple grafted upon it on this stock trees may be so much reduced in size that they can be grown in 10 or 12 inch flower pots if planted in the grou ground nd they will range in height from three to six feet the height depending upon the variety the training they receive that is the kind of pruning 0 has much to do with their size the apple is a natural half dwarf varieties grafted upon that root attain about half their normal nize dwarf apples are trained to various vari shapes the young trees are often set two or three feet apart and made fast to a three wire trellis for no particular purpose except the ornamental na eff effect act they give they are generally tilted over a at t an angle of about 65 degrees and kept pruned to a system of spurs they will begin bearing the second year this is a favorite method of training in the english fruit gardens but the trees bequir require e much detailed attention it would be safer for the ama amateur beur to set them about four feet apart dwarf apple trees usually bear too heavily but if judiciously thinned will produce larger fruit than the same variety does on standard roots even with only fair treatment dwarf apples should live for 25 years provided they are kept fertilized are properly pruned and are not allowed to overbear the last being the most imp important under ideal conditions they will live much longer |
