fruit trees

[Kacey52]

So do the fruit tree bonsai's really produce fruit? I'm still trying to decide what my next tree is going to be and this one http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/product3078.html
looks really neat IF it actually does produce the fruit. Anyone have any experience with this??

[froggy]

If you're keeping it indoors, you're going to have to manually pollinate the flowers, if it's outside, there should be enough bugs to do the job.
Other than that, i see no reason for it not to bear fruit...

One thing to remember though, the fruit will not miniaturize, just because the tree is a bonsai - a pear on a 24" bonsai will be the same size as on a 24' tree (just an example)... So you don't want to keep all fruits that could develop, it would drain a lot of energy from your tree...

[applestar]

Victrinia posted some excellent advice about flowering and fruiting bonsai in this thread:
http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... hp?t=32211

Also, although tangerine wouldn't survive freezing temperatures outdoors in winter and need to be kept indoors with good light (possibly/most likely supplemental light), you'll want to acclimate it to stronger sunshine and keep it outside during the warmer months for overall health and better (meaning sturdier and shorter internode) growth habits.

I don't have specific experience but I have been growing a number of seed-started citrus trees for a while now. I'm hoping to eventually turn some of them into bonsai. For me whether they fruit or not and whether the fruits would be good to eat are secondary though.

[Kacey52]

Thanks for the info Two more questions - 1 Would it get enough pollination from being outside just in the summer months? I live in Michigan, so like zone 5. and 2. So the fruit in the picture is just made to look smaller? If so I may consider another tree. The only reason I would get this one would be for the little tangerines it would produce.

Also, to applestar I recently acquired a lemon tree from a friend. He grew it from a seed, from a lemon he got from the grocery store. It's probably about 4ft tall. I'll be putting it outside as soon as it's warm enough. I'm real curious to see if it'll produce some lemons

Thanks again for the help!!

[Gnome]

Kacey52,

So the fruit in the picture is just made to look smaller? If so I may consider another tree.

I believe that you are referring to what froggy wrote:

One thing to remember though, the fruit will not miniaturize, just because the tree is a bonsai

This is true, bonsai techniques do not alter the size of flowers or fruit. To grow miniature fruits you need to start with the appropriate plant material. For instance while you can utilize bonsai techniques on a standard size apple tree the apples it bears will be full sized. To produce fruit in scale with the tree you would want to grow a crab apple. If the tree you are considering is advertised to produce small fruit then that should be what you get.

Norm

[froggy]

Norm is way better at explaining himself than i am - thanks...

[bonsaiboy]

The only thing that you must remember with citrus fruits is that they need full sun in order to survive, and especially to fruit. Exposure to anything left will cause them to go into a 'pause mode'; that is they will not grow or do anything.