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Quickest growing fruit tree?

Hi all,

I'm looking for, preferably, a fruit tree for my garden. The two salient requirements are speed of growth and density/coverage.

Are there any recommendations?

It doesn't necessarily have to be a fruit tree - just something that will afford some privacy and coverage in tandem with speed of growth. I've already discounted conifers and eucalyptus.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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Posts

  • What are the maximum and minimum heights and at what height do you want the foliage to begin, Matt?

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • What do you mean, 'its packing material?' I fill sickimage

  • Hi Bob, I wouldn't really want anything too tall - perhaps 7m in height maximum. Minimum height I suppose would be 3m. 

  • Hello Matt.

    Fruit trees on vigorous rootstocks will grow the most quickly, so you would be looking at MM106 for Apples, BA29 for Pears and St Julien for Plums. Of those a Pear might be the best choice because they have the largest leaves for coverage; either that or something like a Bramley Apple which is a triploid variety so has greater vigour.

    Any of these you could keep in bounds by light annual pruning and you can have a trunk clearance that suits you.. I'm not saying they would achieve the same annual rate of growth of a Eucalypt but as far as fruit trees are concerned they would be the quickest. 

    Hope that helps. 

  • Hi Chris,

    Many thanks for the advice! Very much appreciated.

    I've had a look on a few websites and the MM106 Bramley Seedling looks like the best bet for. Would you happen to know if I'd need other apple trees in the garden to pollinate it? Both my neighbours have apple trees and I dare say quite a few houses in the local surrounds do also. 

    Finally, if I were to order one online, when would you say the best season/month would be?

    Many thanks again!

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    http://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/

    Is this you Chris? 



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Because the  Bramley is a  triploid it needs two pollinators in the same Pollination Group in order to produce fruit. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hello Matt.

    If there are other apple trees nearby it should crop and ornamental crab Apples do the job as well. If you want to be 100% sure then plant a small crab apple or a small apple tree of a good pollinating variety elsewhere in the garden. Even a small cordon would do. 

    It's OK to plant at any time during the winter as long as the weather is fairly 'open'. If you order a tree olivine it will likely come as bare-root which is generally considered the best for transplanting. But it will need to be planted out again fairly quickly. If you go to a  local Garden Centre you will probably be able to buy one in a container which will then of course 'keep' for as long as you need to. Make sure they know the rootstock 'though as Garden Centre stock doesn't always carry this information on the label.

    Chris. 

     

     

  • Nutcutlet:

     

    Yes, it is! 

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Thought so.image

     



    In the sticks near Peterborough
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