North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Steven Covacci <filtertitle@aol.com>]

I ended-up, after years of thinking about it, executing the multiple trees in 
one hole strategy.


This is my take on it, with some questions - in case if you have some 
experience or ideas with these sub-points:


-Where using dwarfing rootstocks (in my case, sweet-cherries, apples, pears 
and mountain-ashes only), the same clone of rootstock is used.
Concern: I don't even know why I'm using dwarfing rootstocks on the apples 
and Asian pears (rounded form), or maybe on any of these for that matter.  I 
feel that I could just literally hack the trees down to no higher than 8' 
every few years (like I saw my neighbor did to an apricot - and is doing 
fine).  Dwarfing rootstocks will be a problem in a drought.  Before it's too 
late, I'm thinking of burying the graft-unions of these and exchanging the 
benefit of early precociousness and less frequent need of pruning for 
peace-of-mind in increased drought-stability and tree longevity.  


-Where not using dwarfing rootstocks (sour-cherries, plums, 
peaches/nectarines and apricots - rootstocks buried), further conflicts of 
growth-vigor will be expected.
Concern: limited.


-I plant the trees in triangles at 2' apart from each other.  This will mean 
that larger-trunked species (plums, for instance) may eventually fuse at the 
very base.  I feel that all three will function as a single tree - none of 
this competing for nutrients idea, because their roots will fuse in time 
(inosculate).  So the 3 cultivars will not compete any more (or less) than a 
tree conceptually subdivided into three parts (the part facing- East, West 
and South).  
Concern: I hope that this will not mean that debris will get trapped 
in-between the interface of the trunks and cause moisture to get trapped.   
Also, can a fourth tree be added which is facing north - how will this be 
productive, unless it will only be if it can tower over the other three that 
do get direct light (east, west, south)?


Thanks,
Steve