Growing Dwarf Fruit Trees: What to Know

One unfortunate fallback of growing a fruit tree is that it takes up a lot of space on your property. Plus, non-self-pollinating varieties need to be grown alongside another tree to achieve pollination (which eventually leads to fruiting), requiring even more space. 

Fortunately, there is a solution. Dwarf fruit trees are ideal for those of us with limited ground space or who want to grow fruit trees in containers. Their smaller footprint makes them viable in small spaces and easier to take care of. It’s like a win-win situation.

In this article, you can expect to learn:

• What dwarf fruit trees are and how they are made

• How tall dwarf varieties of fruit trees normally grow

• Five examples of popular dwarf fruit trees you can grow

• Guidelines for caring for dwarf fruit trees, including planting, watering, pruning, and preventing plant diseases and pests

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What is the Easiest Dwarf Fruit Tree to Grow?

Curious what type of tree is best? From apricots to citrus trees to the humble pear tree, there’s no shortage of options. That said, these are some of the best dwarf fruit trees for beginning growers:

Dwarf Apple Trees

Dwarf Lemon Trees

Dwarf Peach Tree

Dwarf Cherry Tree

Dwarf Fig Tree

What Exactly Are Dwarf Fruit Trees?

A dwarf fruit tree is a fruit tree that is much smaller than regular fruit trees when it reaches maturity. In other words, a dwarf fruit tree is smaller than a regular fruit tree despite being fully grown and capable of bearing fruit. You can think of them as “miniature” fruit trees. So essentially, dwarf nectarines are the same as regular nectarines - just smaller.

Dwarf fruit trees are more or less “made” through a process called grafting.

Grafting Dwarf Fruit Trees

Grafting is a method of asexual plant reproduction that conjoins parts from two different plants so that they grow together to form an entirely new, hybrid plant. Horticulturalists, nursery workers, or gardeners normally use grafting to strategically combine different plants with desirable characteristics that they want the grafted plant to possess.   

I’ll give you an example. In the case of dwarf fruit trees, the focus is to create a tree that remains small when it is fully grown and mature and that produces edible fruits. Therefore, with a dwarf apple fruit, a portion of a fruiting apple tree is grafted onto the rootstock of a different dwarf plant. 

The portion of the apple tree is selected for its ability to bear delicious apples. On the other hand, the dwarfing rootstock is chosen for its hardiness, drought tolerance, disease resistance, soil adaptation, and, most importantly, its size. 

How Tall Do Dwarf Fruit Trees Grow? 

Every dwarf fruit tree is a little different. However, in general, dwarf fruit trees reach maturity at around six to eight feet tall. 

On the other hand, semi-dwarf trees can grow to be between 10 and 12 feet, and standard fruit stress can grow up to 20 feet tall.  The size of the tree depends on the type of tree as well as other conditions in your home garden.

How Long Does it Take a Dwarf Fruit Tree to Bear Fruit? 

When a fruit tree bears fruit depends on a lot of factors, like age, local climate, and its growing conditions. However, in general, fruiting is not a rapid phenomenon. Patience is important when it comes to fruit trees.  In general:

• Dwarf fruit trees begin to bear fruit two to three years after you plant them. 

• Semi-dwarf fruit trees can take four to five years to start fruit production.

• Standard fruit trees can take as many as seven to ten years to reach a mature enough age to bear fruit.

Again, this depends on the type of tree you grow.

5 Best Dwarf Fruit Trees to Try 

The beauty of gardening is that you can grow whatever makes your heart happy. But if you’re interested in a few recommendations, here are five dwarf fruit tree varieties that you can grow in a smaller backyard or in containers. 

Cameron Select Apple Tree

The Cameron Select is the dwarf variety of the Honeycrisp apple. It grows up to eight to ten feet tall. It’s happiest in USDA zones three to six. It bears bright red fruits with white flesh that have a crispy, sweet, and juicy flavor. 

This dwarf variety is not self-pollinating, meaning it requires a second apple tree to achieve pollination.  

Belle of Georgia Peach Tree

The Belle of Georgia is a dwarf heirloom variety known for bearing large yields of white-ish fruits that blush with rose colors when ripe. This dwarf will reach maturity at around eight to ten feet tall and bear smaller, sweeter, and firmer fruits. 

Stella Cherry Tree

The Stella is a semi-dwarf cherry tree variety. Unlike other cherry varieties, it is self-pollinating, which is super convenient. This means you won’t have to grow a nearby cherry tree so they can pollinate one another. 

When fully mature, this small fruit tree can reach upward of ten feet tall. It produces small, red, and sweet fruits. It’s best grown in USDA zones five to nine. 

Dwarf Meyer Lemon

The dwarf Meyer lemon of the best citrus varieties you can grow in a limited space! It bears orangish and yellow fruits that have a round shape and generally sweeter flavor. 

This small tree will grow to be four to six feet tall and is self-pollinating. It’s best suited in USDA zones nine and ten. However, they can also do well in containers if grown in colder zones, but they must be brought inside. 

Celestial Fig Tree

This is a small to medium-sized variety that bears small and sweet fruits. It can grow up to ten feet tall as a standard size, but responds well to pruning if you want to keep it smaller. 

This fig tree can be grown in the ground or in a container. The advantage of growing it in a container is that it can be moved inside a greenhouse during the winter because fig trees do not love super cold temperatures. However, in USDA zones eight through 11, they can be grown outside all year.  

Caring for Your Dwarf Fruit Tree

Soil Type

Dwarf fruit trees can be tolerant to a wide variety of soil types. However, all fruit trees will require a minimum of 18 inches of soil to be healthy. Soil pH should range between 6.0 and 7.0. When the pH is below 5.0, you’ll notice that your fruit trees won’t grow very well. 

To determine your soil pH, you should perform a soil test. From there, you can determine how much lime you need to amend the soil to get the pH into the optional range. A soil test can also determine which nutrients are in the soil. This can guide your compost and fertilizing requirements.

Regardless of the soil type, all soil should have adequate drainage. Avoid planting your dwarf fruit trees in low spots where the soil can flood and become waterlogged. 

Watering Needs

After planting, fruit trees require two to five gallons of water per tree. When watering fruit trees, use a watering hose to add the water slowly and evenly around the base so as not to disrupt the soil and expose the tree’s roots.  

Moving forward, when rainfall is insufficient, water each tree with five gallons of water per week. Always avoid overwatering fruit trees to avoid problems like root rot. 

Sunlight Requirements

Fruit trees are most productive when grown in full sun. Full sun is more than six hours of daily direct sunlight. 

Fertilizer

Most of the nutrients a tree requires are in the soil. However, if the soil lacks fertility or if a tree has become affected by pests or diseases, fertilization may benefit the tree. 

Spring is the best time to apply fertilizer. This is when the tree is most rapidly growing.  

When using commercial fertilizers, also follow the manufacturer's instructions on the label. Always protect your hands with gloves. Regarding storage, store your fertilizers in their original containers away from food or drink storage, gasoline, or other flammable liquids.  

Weeding

To optimize the growth of your dwarf fruit tree during the spring and summer growing months, routinely remove weeds that are growing under the tree. That’s because weeds compete for nutrients and water as well as create problems with plant insects

Applying bark or wood chip mulch can help inhibit weeds. With fruit trees, you want to avoid straw or fabric mulch. 

If herbicides are used to control weeds, always avoid contacting the trunk with the herbicidal product. 

In the late summer or early Fall, you can allow the ground cover to establish itself to help prevent freezing and insulate the soil. 

Pruning

Pruning helps counteract fruit trees' counterproductive tendencies. For example, fruit trees naturally tend to grow too many shoots and branches, which ultimately creates too much shade and affects fruit growth. 

Therefore, the tree must be strategically pruned to open up the canopy and control for size and shape.  

The best time to prune fruit trees is in the late winter or early spring. Pruning in the summer is also possible, but too much pruning during the summer could weaken the tree. 

Pests and Diseases

Insects can devastate your dwarf fruit trees. Unfortunately, natural resistance to insects is harder to come by than disease resistance. However, apples and peach trees generally experience less insect damage in unsprayed conditions, which is why apple trees are the most commonly recommended fruit tree for hobbyist gardeners and homesteaders. 

When you need a greater level of protection from nuisance plant insects,  insecticide application is the best option. When applying insecticide, always follow the manufacturer’s mixing guidelines and safety recommendations.  

A large number of diseases can impact your dwarf fruit trees. The exact diseases will vary based on your geographic location. For example, overhear in the Northeast, apple scab is a common disease that affects dwarf apple trees. The most effective method of preventing plant disease is selecting a variety with a strong resistance to disease.

Remember, for dwarf fruit trees, the disease resistance characteristics come from the dwarfed rootstock. 

Can You Grow Dwarf Fruit Trees in Pots?

One of the main advantages of dwarf fruit trees is that you can grow them in pots. This is possible because of their small size and their limited root depth. 

If you plan to grow a dwarf fruit tree in a container,  remember that as it develops from a small grafted tree to a mature dwarf, you’ll need to change out its potting mix and upgrade the size of the container to accommodate the growing tree. 

In addition, if you are reusing a pot from an old plant, make sure to clean the pot before planting. This will set your fruit tree up for success and can help prevent spreading plant diseases 

Benefits of Dwarf Fruit Trees

Let’s be honest: one of the best parts about growing fruit trees, whether they be dwarfed or full size, is the delicious fruit they can bear once they reach a mature age and are well taken care of. But the delicious fruits aren’t the only benefits that come with dwarf fruit trees. 

• Dwarfs make it easier to harvest fruits during harvest time

• They fit into smaller landscapes 

• Dwarf fruit trees can be grown in containers

• Easier to prune and maintain than full-sized fruit trees

What Are the Primary Disadvantages of Dwarf Trees?

• Dwarf trees cannot support themselves once they begin to bear fruit. 

• If trained or pruned too late, they will end up much larger than you planned.

• Some dwarf trees require two different varieties of blooming at the same time to pollinate.  

Final Thoughts

If you have always wanted to grow your own fruits but have never had enough space for a couple of full-sized fruit trees, then a dwarf fruit tree may be your ticket to a fruity future. 

The main advantage of dwarf fruit trees is that they can be grown in smaller backyard spaces and even in containers. Their smaller size also makes it easier for them to prune, train, and harvest when they bear fruit.

Don't let the intimidating size and maintenance requirements of standard fruit trees deter you any longer. Try a dwarf fruit tree! Thinking of someone else? Fruit trees make great gifts!