NYC Terrace Tree Help

2 years ago

Hi, I've just moved into an apartment in Brooklyn, NYC with a terrace. I'm hoping to put a tree in a container on the terrace. It's a 10.5ft x 9ft space. There is a semi open covering at the top that is 9ft 7in. The terrace receives about 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Ideally the tree wouldn't be overbearing on the space and I would love for it to flower in the spring time. What size container should I look for for this tree? If it's in a container and I trim the roots and foliage each year should I be worried about the tree outgrowing the space?

Any thoughts on trees that I could choose for the space would also be appreciated. I've been thinking of some kind of dogwood or dwarf cherry tree (two I've come across are Prunus jacquemontii ‘Hiromi’ and Prunus ‘Little Pink Perfection’). Thanks!

Featured Answer

BillMN-z4a

2 years ago

I see you're already in the Container Gardening Forum with this.

For a potted tree, you'll want to use Al's '511' or 'Gritty mix'. They drain exceedingly well to help prevent root rot and plants roots love the extra oxygen they get with the coarser mixture and flush watering, so it will grow great. You'll need to add nutrients when you water, if you use those mixtures.

Plan for a deep tray under the pot to collect the water that drains through. You'll have to figure out how to collect that water for disposal.

Keep in touch and give us progress reports and don't be afraid to ask questions, you'll have a million of them. ;-)

bill

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
how many stories up.. and how much wind...

and i dont know how to figure this out.. but how much winter wind..

im thinking trees are not what you want.. you either want a shrub in tree form.. quite a bit less potential..

or better.. a houseplant in tree form...

i would be concerned about a wind storm when you werent there... and the pot becoming airborne... and that aint good from height... NYC has enough problems.. without your plants flying around.. lol ...

welcome to the forums...

ken

ps: intense root pruning is bonsai .. and you dont need the balcony for that... the root mass of a tree can be 2 to 3 times the size of the tree you see above ground.. your idea to constantly prune it to fit in some pot... leads you back to learning bonsai...
BillMN-z4a
2 years ago
It's a good idea to check the weight capacity of your balcony. Especially in an older building.

400 lbs. of potted tree plus 5 friends averaging 160 lbs. each could put you over the limits.

FYI.
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Nick
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks for the comment, Ken. I'm on the 7th floor of my building. I'm not really sure how much wind there would be in the winter time. It can get a little windy up here while I've been here for the past month. I'm not sure if the plant could get airborne lol, but I would be a bit worried about it tipping over and causing some damage.

There are some cherry blossom type shrubs that I have seen online. Maybe I'll look into those.

Regarding bonsai, i need to make sure it doesn't reach its full maturity height because I only have 9ft to work with. As I understand, with root pruning and keeping it in a specific size container, it wouldn't reach full maturity and I could keep it at a reasonable height for years. My goal isn't to get into bonsai, but if I can keep it reasonably short using bonsai techniques, I would learn to do that.
Nick
Original Author
2 years ago
BillMN-z-2-3-4, good call, the terrace isn't an freestanding balcony. It's a cutout of the facade of the building so there is a floor of the building right underneath the terrace. I'll see if I can find weight limits out there
BillMN-z4a
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
And just to calculate:

Soil weighs more after watering the plant.

Approx. 120 lb/ft³ for moist soil. So, a pot that holds 4 cu ft. (2'x2'x1' deep) could weigh >480 lbs. not counting the weight of the pot. :-)
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
2 years ago
Think in the 4th dimension of time also.

What if you can enjoy a tree or dwarf conifer there for a decade. Like till 2023. Then it will have outgrown your place and you'll have to sell or give it to a plant collector.

It will be like telling the kids their bad dog went to the farm but its true.

I have had this thing for about 4 years btw. Someday it may outgrow that space and the kids will have to deal with it.