How large can a tree get in a pot?

[Primalclaws1974]

My mom was recently given an orange tree in a pot. My uncle had planted it from a seed of a fruit bought in the store. It is at least two years old, and stands about four feet tall. Because we live in Iowa the plant has to be brought in six months out of the year. It is already in one of the biggest pots I have ever seen. How much bigger can it survive in a pot?

 

[ChanellG]

It depends on the tree and the pot, as well as where it's grown and how it's cared for. Has your uncle grown a fruit tree from seed this way before? It's possible to get a plant to grow from fruit seed, but it's not likely the tree will bear fruit, unfortunately.

 

[Chuck]

My mom was recently given an orange tree in a pot. My uncle had planted it from a seed of a fruit bought in the store. It is at least two years old, and stands about four feet tall. Because we live in Iowa the plant has to be brought in six months out of the year. It is already in one of the biggest pots I have ever seen. How much bigger can it survive in a pot?

An orange tree can top out at 30+ feet. A rule of thumb is 1 foot of container for every 3 feet of tree. I once had a Myers lemon in a 3 foot diameter pot x 3 feet deep and it became so root bound at about 10 feet tall that it started getting sickly and finally died. When it died and I dumped the container over it was so root bound it was a wonder it lived as long as it did.