The 10 Commandments of Potted Fruit Tree Care
Curious about owning a potted fruit tree?
Caring for fruiting trees like Meyer lemon trees or olive trees is a rewarding and exhilarating experience. But the care that these plant varieties require is a little different from your standard flowering plants or ornamentals. It's essential to maintain houseplants that thrive, especially when they can bear fruit.
Potted Fruit Trees, including evergreen varieties, have the potential to reward you, not only with burgeoning, fragrant blossoms but also with actual ripe fruit. Whether this is your end goal, or just a pleasant byproduct of these aesthetically enchanting plants, perhaps reminiscent of olives waiting to be turned into oil, you’ll want to care for them according to some basic tenets. Read on, and be inspired!
1. Give them all the light
Fruit trees need bright sunlight to thrive. Ample, direct sunlight is their main source of energy, and everything from their photosynthesis to the lushness of their foliage to blossoming and pushing forth fruit depends on it. These plants do best in full sun but will tolerate some shade. Place your plant in an area that receives as much direct light as possible—most fruit-bearing plants need a minimum of 4-6 hours a day of direct sunlight. Regular pruning can also help in ensuring the plant gets adequate light and maintains healthy growth.
2. Water regularly and healthily
All plants need water to survive, but fruiting plants often require more water than standard indoor houseplant varieties. However, it's essential that the soil is well-drained to prevent root rot. Higher temperatures, especially if the plant is placed outside, direct sunlight, and features of the weather, like wind, all affect the rate at which your plant uses the water you give them. Some fruiting plants may also be drought-tolerant, meaning they can withstand periods without water better than others, but it's still crucial to monitor their moisture needs closely. Both of our potted fruit trees, Olive and Meyer Lemon, should be watered when their top two inches of soil are dry to the touch. More on that later, but to start off, plan on checking those moisture levels regularly.
3. But Beware of Overwatering
We know, we know. Determining how much water to give your plants, and how often, can feel like baffling arithmetic. Give them water, but not too much, lest you awaken some monster in the roots of your plants. But we can simplify it for you: if the topsoil of your potted fruit tree is wet, it does not need more water yet. We know that it can be tempting to douse it anyway out of boredom and the wild love and longing to connect that all of us plant folks feel with our green friends. But re-channel that energy into...
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4. Probe That Soil!
At Léon & George, we are avid fans of sticking our fingers in dirt. And it’s not just because we’ve never fully matured out of our sandbox days-- it’s because probing your plant’s soil truly is the best way to measure its moisture and determine if it needs water. When planting in pots, choosing the right soils is essential, especially if you're aiming for a Mediterranean feel, which often requires specific soil types.
If you’re squeamish, wear a gardening glove (we’ve never been ones to turn down an opportunity to accessorize). But do stick your finger down into the top two inches of your plant’s soil-- at least once weekly is best— and gauge its moisture. This hands-on method also allows you to detect any pests early on, ensuring that your plants remain healthy and vibrant.
If the top two inches of soil are dry, rejoice! It’s time to water, and you can use another fun accessory, like a sweet watering can.
5. Don’t Overthink It
Ah, our favorite tenet of all. So easy to say and so challenging sometimes to truly practice. The fruit trees on offer at Léon & George are low-maintenance by nature. They need only a few things to thrive, like light, water, love, and occasional plant food.
It can be hard not to get a little meddlesome with your plants. Are they happy? How do you know, since they can’t talk? They look happy, but are they for sure? These concerns are totally normal, and we experience them, too. Still, for the good of your tree, keep it simple and avoid:
Plant Food Spikes. Fruiting trees want food in liquid form. So say chin chin and offer them their fertilizer in a draught (aka, water soluble) rather than a spike.
Musical Chairs. We love re-arranging decor, but this practice is best exercised with things that are, well, not alive. Your plant will not appreciate being shuffled about regularly. So find a spot that satisfies its lighting needs, and stick with it. Your plant wants nothing more than to “bloom where it’s planted.”
Repotting just for fun. Especially during the warmer months, it is not advised to re-pot your plant. Summer is the time of fastest growth for fruit trees, and they want to direct their energy toward that growth, rather than toward adjusting to a new container. So don’t throw a hitch in your plant’s giddy-up unnecessarily by attempting to repot during the summer. Instead, sit back and watch as it manifests gorgeous growth for you!
6. Watch Out For Bugs
It’s unlikely that your plant will experience any issues with insects. After all, olive trees are naturally pest resistant. Thank you, Mother Nature! Still, there are easy ways to eradicate insects should you experience an unexpected visitation.
There are plenty of pest-control products for fruiting outdoor plants available, and you can use them with confidence, because they will not have an adverse affect on your plant. If you prefer to explore an all-natural solution, neem oil is a great alternative, and you can learn all about it and other natural pest remedies here. Just make sure not to apply neem oil to your tree on particularly sunny days, which can cause leaf scorching, not unlike the sunburn we’d get if we oiled up on a super-hot day.
7. Be Patient
Can’t wait until your potted evergreen tree, perhaps an Olea europaea, proffers a tumble of olives for your martini? We get that! But gardening is a meditative pastime. It takes time, lots of light, fertilizing during the growing season, and consistency for fruit trees to bear fruit, and it can sometimes take up to a few years. In the meantime, be patient with your tree, enjoy its grace, its gorgeous silhouette, and the strength of its branches. Every phase of a plant’s growth is beautiful, and if you learn to enjoy them all, you will never be disappointed. Your Meyer lemon bars will come in time. Until then, enjoy every moment of your plant’s evolution. After all, it’s because of your love and care that it is growing at all.
8. Treat Overwatering Briskly
We’re not pinning this on you-- freak rainstorms have been known to occur, as have overzealous garden hoses. So not to worry, if you’ve overwatered, there is a simple solution: it just requires a little elbow grease.
Your plant is in a plastic nursery pot, which is situated within its ceramic pot on top of a level consisting of a foam block. Using containers that have drainage is adequate for plant growth, and this system helps ensure just that. Don your gardening gloves and grasp your plant as low as possible on the base of its trunk. Be careful to support the plant as you lift it, still within its plastic pot, out of the ceramic planter.
See standing water in the ceramic pot? Say good riddance and dump it out! Then leave your plant, still clad only in its plastic pot, in a sunny spot to dry. Don’t water again until its top two inches of soil are dry to the touch, at which time you can return it to its ceramic pot.
9. Tune In To the Rhythm
Unsurprisingly, your fruiting plants will respond to seasonal changes. These plants are often fast growers that produce fruit when given the right conditions. And when the weather beckons you to the beach, tempts you with a summer treat, or calls for celebratory fireworks, it’s also signaling to your plants to grow, baby, grow!
During spring and summer, your fruit trees will want to be fed plant fertilizer about every two weeks. It's essential to fertilize your plants consistently during these periods. Your tree won’t want to be repotted, and it will desire more water. So if you’re reaching for your Evian facial spray, your plant might crave its equivalent. Probe its and allow soil to dry out to be sure before watering.
The same logic goes for colder months. If visions of sugarplums are dancing in your head, your plant is likewise ready to dream and rest. And if (and only if!) temperatures are freezing or below freezing, your plant will want to go inside, just like you.
10. A Word on Winter and Frost
Citrus trees, with their ornamental stems and vibrant blooms, are particularly vulnerable to frost and should not be left outside in freezing or near-freezing conditions. As autumn turns colder and if your location experiences freezing temperatures during the winter, you as a gardener will need to bring your tree inside, either into a garage or inside your home. The tree will go dormant during the winter. During this time, its stems might seem less lively and it may not be in its blooming best. But don’t worry! It’s perfectly natural, and the plant will awaken and revive as the season moves into spring.
We understand that even though our fruiting tree collection is right outside your door, it’s still a new frontier. Don’t be shy- we’re here to help! Our Plant Doctor service offers unlimited guidance for your Léon & George plants. So if you have questions that haven’t been answered here, just reach out. Log into your Léon & George account, upload photos of your plant as a whole and close ups of any areas of concern, and tell them a bit about what you’re seeing. Good things happen when we work together, and we answer inquiries punctually and thoroughly.
FRUITING TREES AND BUSHES BY LÉON & GEORGE
Luxurious greenery for vibrant, brightly lit spaces. Order online at leonandgeorge.com