Red leaved dwarf Peach

[Ade Shattock]

I have ordered a bare root dwarf Peach tree 'bonfire' that should arrive by Monday, I will keep it in a pot so that I can move it around and protect it in winter but Im not sure what soil to put it in, Ive had suggested ericaceous compost while others have said no, use JI no3.
I know it will need good drainage but can you help with the soil please.
Any other tips for growing these would also be helpful.
Im not sure if this is the best Peach for this country, probably not but it was the foliage that caught my eye first.

[Chrisg]

Can't be much help, my dad has a couple of peach and apricot trees and doesn't tend to do anything special for them. The peach has been slow but he gets apricots every year.

[charlie]

If its a form of Peach tree I have one in my alkaline soil but its been slow getting going whereas the Apricot has gone berserk, could just be the respective plant qualities as the Apricot was a much better plant when it went in, my feeling is acid soil is not required but that they do like good drainage.

[Ade Shattock]

I asked up at Hilliers and they suggested JI no3 with plenty of drainage so Ive got a good layer of gravel at the bottom with JI no3 mixed with perlite and more grit.
Its the first time I have bought a bare root tree and I was surprised at the lack of a rootball, a few odd roots and thats it so we'll see if it takes off ok.

[Chrisg]

I noticed the same with the root ball on the ones I bought, much smaller than you would expect. I was very dubious, but sure enough they kicked straight into growth and I had cherries the first year and apples the next. Apparently you should start them off in smaller pots and re-pot to ensure all the growth doesn't just go in the roots.

[Chad]

Old fashioned JI3 would be ideal; but where do you find it?

As discussed elsewhere modern composts are not the same as they used to be. If you have access to ‘original blend’ then JI3 would be fine on its own. If you can only find stuff of the quality I can access then JI3 will need remedial additions.

If it is already has sharp grit drainage should be OK; if it has pea gravel then it will need significant [maybe one part in 4] extra very sharp sand or horticultural grit. I wouldn’t use perlite for this unless the pot isn’t to stand outside. Perlite is very good for drainage but very light, and for a small tree in a pot you want a weighty compost to help to stop the pot blowing over in the wind.

If the ‘loam’ component of your JI3 is a traditional loam made from, for example, stacked turf, then it will have a high organic. If the loam looks like sub soil then there is room to add a bit more of something organic. Used in dilution even the ‘peat free’ composts seem to be OK for this; though I’ve gone back to a peat base with potting bark.

I would add a granular slow release feed as well, but then I’m lazy with after care.

Pot size is a difficult judgment. I agree you don’t want to overpot; but you don’t want to have to repot during the first season. Look at the top growth you have and chose a pot that looks to be in proportion. With very few roots initially you may be tempted to under-pot to be in scale with the roots. If you do that you may need to re-pot mid season.

Not letting it dry out once in growth is your biggest challenge, and a larger pot gives you some safety margin for that.

Chad.