I first saw these on a TV show I watched. I think it was yard crashers or something like that. They are fruit salad trees. They are peach, nectarine, plum, and cherry, or apple. Maybe they do different fruits, for different trees. I am so intrigued by these, and want to buy one.. or two. I heard they are half off at one of the nurseries here. Has anyone got one of these trees? And what do you think of it so far?
5 in one Apple tree 3 yrs ago we bought a 5 in one apple tree from Jung nursery. We thought it would be fun to get 5 different varieties from one tree. Also we save on space. So far we have only gotten one kind of apple from one side of the tree We have pruned it, talked to it, threatened it with no change. Again this year we are only getting apples off of the same branch's. Last spring I attended an Apple tree class where they taught you how to prune them, and graft branch's together. The guy that teaches the class has over 200 varieties of apple trees. I was super interesting. But then he had us tell what kind of apple trees we had. I told him we had a 5 in one. He looked right at me and said; that is not an apple tree. Then he asked if we were limited to space. I said no but thought it would be fun to grow. He said that if we wanted apple trees that produced apples we should just buy single varieties and plant them. Since the 5 in one apple tree has done so poorly we will stick to planting just single varieties. But they are intriguing, and if you have a limited space I would think that they would be worth a try.
We purchased a 2-in-one apple tree this past winter. Not to have two different kinds of apples, really... but because 2 trees are needed for pollination. Hopefully next year, it will bear fruit.
We've had an orange and lemon (semi-dwarf) mix planted out back for probably 12 yrs or so. The last 2 or 3 yrs it has been a prolific orange producer. We only see maybe 3 or 4 lemons per yr from it. Sorry your apple tree did not pan out too well, that would have been something to see.
So I am gathering that this concept is more for novelty, and only strongest fruit tree in the bunch will produce... Well maybe I will have to rethink this.
Hi Chloe, I read this yesterday but didn't have time to respond, but I think it is more of a novelty than a need. If you don't prune and spray you won't get fruit. therein is another problem.....which branches are which fruit and how much of each branch do you prune? You may easily prune off all of one variety. If you are interested in any apples I would recommend the newer varieties that require less spraying to get a nice(r) crop. Liberty, Freedom(my favorite), Macon,and Macfree are the ones, I think, that are available. check a few of the fruit tree catalogs for whatever they market. We have these, and a few more, and they still require some spraying, but it is less and the fruit is nicer. Also look for the dwarf size if you are lacking on space. Or one of the catalogs had a tree that bears on the main stem. It is for a patio or very small space. I think it is Stark Bros.
If the concept of multiply grafted trees, leads you to doing your own grafting, then the idea works. Much like starting asparagus. If it only leads to a nurseryman growing from seed, then, it only works for the nursery-man.
