Hi Everyone,
I’m strategizing how I will use my limited sunny space for both garden and orchard; zone 5b, near Denver. I’ve been doing some intro looking into grafting, knowing I can’t plant as many trees as I would prefer.
Is it a good strategy to graft a couple varieties on a tree to reduce the number of trees I am planting, or in my climate (or in general), am I better off having less varieties with dedicated trees?
Shortened up this post, since it hasn’t seen any activity
Multi-graft, especially if you’re new and don’t really know what you want.
Having a tree with a balanced array of varieties takes some careful pruning, but it’s very easy to have a few branches here and there with a special variety. It aids in pollination, and makes it easier for you to find out what varieties you like/work well in your area. Dedicated trees are for commercial growers who want a lot of one specific crop.
Even if I only had two trees, I would graft their branches on each other to improve pollination and give me backups.
I’m no expert, but my strategy would be to get an interesting variety on appropriate rootstock and get it in the ground now. You can figure out if/what you want to graft later. For example, if you are interested in 4 different apples, chose the most interesting variety and get it in the ground. By the time you figure out grafting strategy, your tree may be a year or two older. If you lose interest in grafting, you’ve still got a good single variety tree growing.
I would multi graft. But I know some in your area had hard times with trees. So choice of trees is more critical than the grafts you choose to use. Hit me up next year for wood except for apples. I don’t grow apples.
Ok, thanks everyone! Sounds like I should go for it.
I like the idea of planting a desirable variety and then figuring out the grafting plan. Provided I choose an acceptable tree on an root stock that is good for my area (fire blight resistant, drought tolerant, cold hardy), does it matter if I choose the ‘most resistant/tolerant/cold hardy’ variety, to give me the upper hand? For instance, Contender peach might be a bit better than a Red Haven, but I’d probably prefer first planting the Red Haven (jucier!). Is that a mistake, whereas the contender should be the base tree?
Drew51, that is a really awesome offer, and I am deeply appreciative! By ‘choice of tree’ were referring to rootstock or the ‘base tree’ variety?
Now… last question. I have a mature apple tree that does not have very good apples. I’d like to graft honeycrisp (among others) to it. Is there any reason I should try to squeeze into my planning a newly planted honeycrisp tree, or just bypass that and go straight for the graft on the existing mature apple, knowing it is established, and likely large enough for me to graft several varieties?
Thanks!!
Yes, one that will work for your area. Many late frosts hurt peaches and plums. Mostly I saw a good choice as if grafts don’t work well you still have a good base to try others.
I would graft. You will get fruit earlier. As a rootstock it’s not broke, so don’t fix it.
Ok, thanks Drew! I was thinking of grafting, regardless, but if I can turn this into a real productive apple tree, then using exclusively it frees me up for more garden/orchard space. Looking at it today, it’s probably 25’ wide and 15’ tall currently, so I feel like it has a lot of real estate.
I would seek advice on grafting that tree. I don’t know jack about apples. I was thinking if you could cut each scaffold way down and do bark grafts. I know those work well on stone fruit.
Leave a feeder branch with leaves. Apples are easier than stone fruit, so that’s good. I did some mulberries the last few years and they seem pretty easy too. Peaches no, man I lost grafts like 2 years later. I do have a few good ones, but I tried so many times! Plums are easier but not as easy as apples and pears.
That tree is a great resource. Room for several varieties. You can have a “survival of the fittest” test on that tree. Graft a dozen varieties, some of them are bound to do well. I’ve seen many posts here about fruit tree heartbreak in your area. Give me a shout next winter and I can send scions.
Drew, I was curious if grafts were more susceptible years down the road (versus first year), and it sounds like that has been your experience on peaches. Good to hear Apples and Pears are pretty straight forward (the only two fruit trees already established), and also that plums are not particularly challenging. Plums tend to be more consistent here, and lacking space, that will work out well.
I read your other thread about peach trees, I have some thought about your fruit tree adventure.
I would start with pome fruit i.e. apples and pears first for a couple of reasons. They are easier to care for and they are more cold tolerant (trees and fruit buds). Choose the right rootstocks and varieties for your climate. You are likely to be successful and motivated.
Grafting apples and pears are easy. There are old thread which forum members did drastic prune off and regraft a mature apple tree like yoyrs. They were done successfully. You can look those threads up.
In the mean time, learn more about stone fruit. Some people in your area said peaches are doable but it is not as easy as growing them in other areas. The big issue seems to be late frost or late freeze that kill fruit buds. That probably why you did not see any fruit set on your former peach tree.
If you still want to go ahead with peaches, I believe you have alot of anwers re. varieties and rootstocks already. Sometimes handling different kinds of fruit trees at once can be overwhelmimg, mostly when all diseases and pests show up together.
Sparty, that’s a generous offer, and greatly appreciated!! Sounds like I don’t have much to lose testing out different varieties. Leaves are just starting to break bud, so it sounds like I might be able to do some test/sample grafting this year, so next year I can take advantage of your offer with better confidence!
I’ve read some of the posts about mile high girl, and maybe there are others with significant heartbreak. No doubt, it is a more challenging and temperamental climate to work within, and I already have the expectation that fruit production won’t be consistent. Despite the not-so-good story from those in CO, there are some fruits, such as Apple, Plum, and Sour Cherries seem to be somewhat reliable here. The neighbor across the street has some (probably) 50 year old trees in his orchard that have done well (not sure how consistent, but evidence you can grow here)… he’s just sold the place and the former owner was an arborist that brought over the trees from Italy We also had good luck with berry bushes, such as gooseberries. If the fruit doesn’t grow one year, there is still skiing or biking 
Thanks for your thoughts mamuang! My wife and I were thinking about it this morning. She is pretty anxious to get some trees going, and I was saying the same as you about picking a few things this year, and adding.
Pears are actually pretty hard to produce here. I think it is more about the flowering than the fire blight, though both are an issue. I think if I can do some test grafting on the apple, add a plum this year. She’s really wanting a peach in the ground, so maybe we will pick one Maybe next year, work on getting the blight out of the existing looking pear, or maybe chop the ugly thing and graft. Yep, lots of great information coming from this forum to help us along the journey!
