Watering and Feeding

As container trees have a limited amount of water and nutrients in their compost, they generally need watering and feeding more often than those planted in open ground. This is particularly true in hot weather, when they may need watering at least twice a day.

Top-Dressing

Every spring, you should top-dress the tree before it starts into growth. Remove the top layer of compost and replace with fresh compost enriched with fertilizer. Top this off with a mulch of bark chippings to help retain moisture. After you have finished, prune back any dead, damaged or straggly stems to revitalise the tree so that it will produce healthy, vigorous growth.

Re-Potting

Every 3 to 5 years, the tree should be re-potted completely:

• Carefully lay the tree on its side and, with one hand supporting the root ball and stem, knock it out of its pot by sharply tapping the base.
• Remove the top 5 cm (2 in) of compost and any mulch material, then gently tease out the roots, cutting back by up to one third any that are coarse and large.
• Soak the root system, and then fill the container (either the original or a larger one) with fresh compost mixed with a slow-release fertilizer.
• Re-pot the tree so that the fresh compost reaches the soil mark.
• Firm in well, water thoroughly and then mulch.