My wife and I are just getting started with our permaculture project on our plot of land, planning and purchasing for our fruit forest. We live abroad and there are no real organic options for tree nurseries here. We are curious to hear others thoughts on the optimal age / maturity of potted fruit trees to be purchased. They are available here at a variety of sizes / price points. My concern is that I don't want to get anything too mature, as it has been growing in a fertilizer-pesticide environment for longer and because of the potential of being root bound. On the other hand, buying the smallest available trees / saplings (often only 6 mos to 1 year old I would estimate) seems like it might be going to the other extreme. The difference in the price for 6 months sapling vs. the 2 year sapling, for example, is such that it economically makes more sense to get the 2 year sapling. The question really though is whether a 2 year or more old sapling (citrus trees, tropical trees, and a variety of other fruit and nut trees) would be ill-advised given the potential to be root bound from the pot. Does anyone have any experience with optimal trunk diameter of potted plants to be transplanted in the ground. I'm sure this also depends on the size of the pot they used, but if anyone knows anything about that as well, the more info the better!
Thank you in advance.
