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Will a Silver Birch survive in a pot?

ktranter73ktranter73 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I’m thinking about buying a Silver Birch, it’s established 4.5 -6m tall. It will be delivered in a 55L pot. I was thinking about transferring to a 150L pot and burying this in the ground. The reason is because it be only around 2.5/3m away from a wall and I want to restrict root/height. Will the Birch survive?

Posts

  • ktranter73ktranter73 Posts: 3
    Thanks, 
    I wasn’t sure if it would just simply restrict growth or if it would eventually suffer as you point out.

  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    I kept one in a half barrel for 5 years but then had to donate it to a friend with a big garden. Beautiful trees. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Better to pick something that can grow normally, rather than trying to make something fit the site.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I have a friend who has a silver birch happily growing in a five litre pot; after six years it’s just a very small tree. 
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited May 2022
    That's quite a large, mature tree and likely to be costly.  If you want to keep a tree in a pot, look for a younger tree which will be more forgiving for being constricted, but it won't like it forever.  Perhaps you want a large mature tree to block off a view?  There may be a shrub with tree-like proportions that might suit that situation, in the ground, without the roots posing a problem to your wall.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Anything can be grown in a pot, but some things will struggle, and mature trees certainly will.
    I would choose something else. 
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • ktranter73ktranter73 Posts: 3
    So, is the consensus that if transferred from a 55L pot which it is currently in to a 160L pot and buried in the ground although not the perfect situation it will still be able to maintain its current healthy condition for a considerable time if watered regularly (as in a pot).
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Read the reviews of tree watering rings to see if one would be beneficial.
    Rutland, England
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    Bonsai is an interesting hobby. I have a couple of small trees i've been trying to keep alive and looking good for years.
    IMO, if you want to grow a 'normal' size tree, it needs to be in the ground, and you need to have the conditions and room it needs. If you try to grow it in a pot, you will need to use bonsai techniques to keep it alive.
    Sunny Dundee
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