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nafex - Re: [nafex] Multiple fruit trees IN SAME hole - so that they fuse

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  • From: Alexander Brands <abb7@Lehigh.EDU>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] Multiple fruit trees IN SAME hole - so that they fuse
  • Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:03:57 -0500


Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:18:33 -0500 (EST)
From: Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>
Subject: [nafex] Multiple fruit trees IN SAME hole - so that they fuse
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org


What would happen if you planted 3 varieties of, for instance, sweet cherry in the same hole, all on the same rootstocks; but not plant them 12" to 30" apart, but just 3" apart. Undoubtedly, they would eventually fuse (inosculate). Since you would, typically, maintain the tree with pruning, why couldn't you control the tree's ultimate structure so that the most dominate variety or varieties do not prevail over the least vigorous with a pruning program?

I'm thinking of planting all of my cherries in the same hole; then all of my pears in another; etc.

Steve,

The trunks may fuse, and you would wind up with something similar to a multi grafted tree, but why would you do this? What would be the advantage over a multi grafted tree? What's the advantage over spacing them further apart? It doesn't seem like you'd save that much room over spacing them in a 2 foot circle or whatever.

My preference would be a bona fide single trunk, rather than three trunks fused together, mostly because I think the interface between the trunks is likely to be a source of problems. How do you imagine the top of the fused region? It seems to me that once the trunks are in contact at the bottom, you will always have an area, analogous to a tight crotch with included bark, that will collect debris and water, never drying out, and prone to rot or fungus. If one of the trunks does die, it seems like that would be trouble for the other trunks once to starts to rot. If they were really inosculated, it would leave the other two with an open barkless strip for the length of the fusion.

Alex



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