Hi there, I have two M9 apples (Rubinette and Lord Lambourne) that I purchased from the Apple Festival last fall and want to put them in oak half-barrels. I'm looking for some guidelines for a soil mix and fertilizer, and whether I need to drill holes in the bottom of the barrels for drainage. Also, any suggestions for a trellis/support for the grafts. Should a support structure be cemented into the bottom of the barrel or is this overkill? I have in mind the apples in barrels at the Botanical Gardens Thanks.
Hi. I am far from your Botanical Gardens, but maybe my suggestions will help you anyway. Try to find nursery-type, bark-based media for such a large container. A fertilizer to use is Osmocote® Outdoor & Indoor Smart Release® Plant Food (19-6-12); this can simply be scraped into the surface, so that irrigation water passes over it. Or an organic fertilizer, such as Pro-Gro 5-3-4 would also serve as a slow-release product. You need drainage, so unless water finds an easy way out as is, then drill sufficient-sized holes, maybe 3/8 inch diameter. For support, how about a six-foot bamboo stake through a hole in the bottom, and secured to the top of the barrel with wire and a couple nuts and bolts?
And the message board being what it is, I have the opposite advice. Fill your barrel with plain dirt from your yard or wherever you can get it and do not add any organic matter to the soil. Leave enough space at the top to add 3-4" of shredded mulch or miniature bark. As it decomposes, this mulch layer will provide all the nutrients your apple tree needs, as they prefer low nitrogen. Make sure it's where you want it to be when you fill it up, as it will weigh a ton afterwards. For the support stake, just stick the bamboo pole or 6' piece of 3/4" copper water pipe in the dirt; no need to fasten it to the bottom. Applenut
