|
| Hi all,
I'm thinking of planting a dwarf or semi-dwarf apple in my front yard, and I'm considering a multi-graft tree from Dave Wilson. I'm wondering how the tree will look in a few years when it's grown. Will it have a nice apple tree shape? Or does the multi-graft tend to look a little "frankenstein-ish?" Thoughts and/or pictures? Thanks!
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by windfall_rob vt4 (My Page) on Wed, Nov 14, 12 at 14:36
| It will depend on what is grafted to it. If vigor or growth habit of the scions differ markedly...well, it will show in the tree's visual "balance". To some extent you can moderate this with pruning. I have found I get much better balance on trees when I graft them in "layers" over a few years. Starting with one cultivar and changing over the central leader each of the following seasons. As pointed out by member harvestman this works best if you place the most vigorous at the bottom and reduce vigor going up. |
|
| I have a multi-grafted apple with anna, dorsett golden, gordon, and fuji that has been in the ground for only one year and you can definitely identify that there are different varieties on it. The leaves differ in size and shape. The most vigorous graft (anna) is also the thickest caliper and the fuji has the thinnest caliper. At least on my tree the anna and Dorsett golden has grown much more. This means that you will have to do several things to ensure that one combination of your tree does not overtake the combination. First thing is to give the least vigorous graft the best sun exposure. Then summer prune to keep the tree balanced. Hope this helps. I have included a link to a helpful video. |
Here is a link that might be useful: How To Plant A Multiple-Budded Fruit Tree
|
| Forgot about some pics taken before I summer pruned. Here you can see that the leaves are slightly different in size and shape. [IMG]http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w418/Goyo626/IMAG0366.jpg[/IM G] [IMG]http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w418/Goyo626/IMAG0365.jpg[/IM G] The last pic shows the differences in caliper between the varieties. Anna on the left circled in blue. Fuji on right circled with yellow. [IMG]http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w418/Goyo626/IMAG0366-1.jpg[/ IMG] Hope this helps. |
|
| Sorry Here are the pics.
|
|
| Thanks, everyone! Those pictures are really instructive. Looks like I should stick with a single variety, as I don't think I can do all the work it would require to keep things balance -- much less graft my own! |
|
| It is not too much work if you keep an eye on it and keep it in check from the start. It is simple maintenance, it took me three minutes to summer prune it and I over thought it. However, if you don't think multi-grafted fruit trees are appropriate for your situation you may also want to look into planting multiple trees in one hole. I have never done it but I am sure more knowledgeable and experienced people can help you if you are interested in this type of planting. I have included a video which explains the basics of this type of planting. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Plant 3 Fruit Trees In 1 Hole
|
- Posted by foolishpleasure 7B (My Page) on Sat, Nov 17, 12 at 18:19
| I ordered one tree 4 in 1 Big RED delicious, YellowGolden Delicious, McIntosh and Northern spy from Miller and wondering too how is going to look. I don't care about the shape as long as I have delicious Apple for my Kids. |
|
- Posted by nw_gardener 8 (WA/Kirkland) (My Page) on Sun, Nov 25, 12 at 21:28
| Goyo626: That was a very useful series of photos. I have a 3 in one tree - a Golden Delicious, a HoneyCrisp and a mystery variety grafted onto a single tree. The tree has been in the ground three years now and I have not had any of the varieties flower yet - I hope to get some this spring. The Golden Delicious is much more vigorous than the other two; I have been cutting back the new growth but the caliper of the graft is still growing faster than the others. What kind of pruning style are you following? I am trying to maintain an open center because that is how the tree was originally when I purchased it. Should I be trying to create a central leader instead? |
|
| TBH I am very new to growing apple trees and have no professional experience. I am trying to keep the tree in balance and not allowing anyone variety to dominate the combination. For what it is worth I am keeping the tree open-centered. I have had a difficult time trying to find articles and journals, which discuss multi grafted trees since most of the scholarly journals are for commercial growers. I am confident that more knowledgeable posters can help you with your questions. |
|
- Posted by nw_gardener 8 (WA/Kirkland) (My Page) on Thu, Nov 29, 12 at 2:37
| Some images to illustrate how I have my tree pruned today. Image 1 shows the tree as of a couple of days ago (apologies for the bad MSPaint editing :) ). As you can see from the image, the left "branch" of the tree is a Chehalis variety (and not Golden Delicious as I thought it might be), the middle is a HoneyCrisp and the far right branch is a mystery variety. The Chehalis is by far the most dominant.
The second image is of the area where the respective varieties have been grafted on the trees. You can see clearly how the Chehalis has the thickest branch cross section followed by the HoneyCrisp and then the mystery variety.
Should I aim to keep the tree pruned so that each variety is allowed to develop to its own side with no central leader? Any suggestions as to how I can better control and/or balance the tree out would be very welcome. Also, as mentioned this tree has been in the ground just over 3 years now without a single flower. I understand that could be due to my soil/growing conditions, but I do have a pear and a plum in the same area and they seem to be doing okay (and they give me fruit in the bargain) so conditions do not seem to be terribly hostile. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.