Well I was agreeing with you to set the record straight! Leroy, listen to what Scott says. Not many have as much experience with stone fruit in a small orchard setting. I recently obtained property that has two tart cherry trees, and the deer did the same thing! I just discovered it last Saturday. Looks just like your tree.
Yes that is a 3 in 1 planting as described by Dave Wilson Nurseries. One of many methods used in Backyard Orchard Culture. Each tree is more of a scaffold than a whole tree. I myself prefer to graft, but those look really awesome when grown out and maintained properly. Still too much work for me!
I know about the method but wonder if itās a good idea to do so for a MI grower. Also, the OP seems to have plenty of space 
I would say no itās not a good idea, youāre right about that. We have too many fungal problems around here. Grafting is a better method.
Why would the 3 in 1 be more prone to fungal problems than a stand alone tree? All inside branches are pruned off and any overlapping branches are pruned off. Just curious because I have 5 sets of trees planted using this method, 1 cherrry, 1 peach, 2 sets of apples and the 5th is plum, plumcot and nectarine. This was sort of done out of necessity last year. I didnāt have the space last year that I have now. The trees were planted in the spring knowing that I was going to have a large number of oak trees removed from the front and back yard that fall so had to keep them clear of the area the tree work was going to be done. I was also trying to keep the trees from being too spread out because currently most of the maintenance is being done with the help of family for now since I am not there most of the year. I do intend to learn and practice grafting in order to add more varieties in the future, but I am not at that stage yet. This years trees were planted with normal recommended spacing now that the tree work is done and I have more space in the front and back yards.
Yep, I have a plum with branches that size that got rubbed and it looks exactly like that. The branches do fine.
Myself, Iād cut it below it if there are nice buds showing below. Just because:
#1 itās a cherry and trunk canker is always a lurking fear. The rubbed wood heals but leaves such an uneven scar, Iād worry about canker later.
#2 And because I had a new cherry die back that far (after transplanting with apparently bad bagged soil) and it came back beautifully after I chopped it to one living bud. They make a new leader very soon and itās strong. Yours would be fresh and new with no wounds to worry about.
But I am also less experienced, so weigh the advice accordingly! 
Thank You. I will take that into consideration. Iāll be going up there in a couple months to get an in person look at it.
If I do decide to cut it down to a bud below the damage is that something I can do in the summer or best to wait and do it next winter when the tree is dormant?
If itāll be a couple of months, Iād probably wait.
I should not have said anything since to each his own.
I personally do not like a 3 in 1 hole planting approach just because Iād spend 3 times an effort to prune three trees for the production of one.
Stone fruit esp. peaches grow like weeds. You will be busy trying to prune 2/3 off of each tree all spring and summer long.
Each of your tree will have one or two scaffolds heading outward, right? Would that make each of the three trees quite imbalanced esp.when loaded with fruit?
Iām just getting started so I have yet to see how they are going to turn out. It may turn out that the 3 in 1 donāt work out and I wind up having to pick which variety I like best and taking the others out.
Less air flow between trees. You will have fungal problems on all of your trees if you donāt use preventative sprays. Itās tougher to work with 3 in 1 as keeping them apart means pruning 2-4 times a year, and at times air flow will be compromised. As itās tough to keep up. The trees will not grow at the same rate either. You will have to figure out how to deal with that. The best way is to place the vigorous types to the north, and the less vigorous to the south. Hard to know this without tonās of research. Iām not saying you canāt do this, it can be done. I myself would not want to because balancing grafts is hard enough, whole trees are extremely difficult. Letās revisit this in 5 years, and you will see how it is.
Maybe I will change my mind about it?
Itās decent advice, cherries branch well anywhere, peaches, not so much, not at all sometimes. Hard to believe they are related!
I have been growing fruit a long time, but about 7 years ago added a lot I never grew. One thing I have learned is one must be patient. Rushing things is never a good idea. Itās much better in the long run to shape and train plants before fruit production. Which many times delays fruit production. Fruit trees are anything but easy to grow. They require much attention, pruning, shaping, spraying, thinning fruit, feeding, and protecting. A lapse in any of these results in failure to various degrees.
2 Likes
Thank You for all the information. None of the information I have found online discuss down sides of 3 in 1 growing so itās good to learn about the potential down sides.
1 Like
We all help each other. Once you come back here, I would love to see the orchard, . I will have tonās of scion for you once you learn to graft. I have over 20 stone fruit cultivars in a suburban yard, so I know about fitting things in! Everybody swaps here, itās an amazing place! You will get stuff from all over the country. I grow many items that only growers have, no nurseries sell them. Peaches, strawberries, blackberries that you can only get from growers.
Iām definitely appreciative of the help Iāve received here. I have some decisions to make, but Iām more informed to make them now. I am looking forward to trying new things.
The cherry tree has been pruned back to just above the shoot you see in this picture.
