Tips for caring for columnar fruit

Pillar fruit is very popular with many because it can really be planted in any garden. Here are a few tips for caring for columnar fruit today.

Numerous fruit plants are sold in specialist shops as so-called columnar fruit, which means they can be planted in any garden to save space, but can also be kept in pots on terraces and balconies. The most popular columnar fruit varieties include apples, cherries, pears, plums, blackberries, apricots and kiwis. But also combination plants like e.g. apple-pear-column are offered more and more often in the garden centers and also gladly bought by numerous hobby gardeners.

In addition to the correct planting of columnar fruit, care is definitely important. Because if you don't pay attention to a few things here, you won't be able to look forward to a bountiful harvest. So here are our tips on how to properly care for columnar fruit.

Care for columnar fruit properly - Our tips

Tip 1 - Cut back:

Pillar fruit is easy to maintain, which in turn speaks for its popularity. Especially since the columnar fruit plants do not grow extremely high and therefore only require minimal pruning or pruning. An ideal time for this is spring, if possible after the frost days.

You can even shorten long-growing side shoots until August. By the way, this supports the compactness of the plant.

Tip 2 - Stabilize the plant:

You should support the growth of columnar fruit with a stake that you place in the immediate vicinity of the plant. Use a stronger bamboo stick for this, for example. The plant can then stabilize itself around the post.

Tip 3 - Fertilize:

If you plant columnar fruit outdoors, you should always add a little fertilizer to the soil when planting, as this will make it easier for the trees to grow.

You should then regularly fertilize the plants in spring and autumn with organic fertilizer (compost, horn shavings or manure). Simply work the fertilizer in around the plant stem. On the other hand, columnar fruit that you keep in planters should be given a liquid complete fertilizer several times a year.

Tip 4 - Protection in winter:

During the winter months you should always place columnar fruit kept in tubs on a sunny, well-protected south wall and provide them with sufficient protection, e.g. cover the tubs with polystyrene and the fruit column itself with garden fleece. Alternatively, you can also overwinter the tubs in a frost-free, light-flooded room. (Link tip: Overwintering potted plants - tips and hints)

Pillar fruit planted outdoors, on the other hand, should be piled up on the trunk with leaves. You should cover the fruit column itself with garden fleece.