Has anyone ever tried to graft, parallel along the trunk, two trees together before planting? The idea being to have multiple varieties in a single space? If so; what were the results?
I mean, you could. You could also multi graft one tree, or plant two trees in the same hole. Out of all these options, multi grafting works best, but only if you can keep the different varieties balanced. Two trees in one hole is popular, but I’m of the opinion it only works in areas of low humidity and abundant sun.
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Well, I have abundant sun and no humidity! I’m in the high desert.
I was considering two trees in one hole, but I wasn’t sure what the appropriate spacing would be. I’m considering it with two prune plums on St Julian a roots.
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If you prune them so they are not growing into each other then you can plant them as close as you want. I have done that several times. Let one tree take one side and the other take the other. If looks like they will fall over with all the branches on one side but the roots entangle into each other and keep both trees propped up.
… It sounds like Iowa City has gotten a lot drier and higher since I lived there many years ago. Just kidding, I assume you are from there or some such.
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If they are two close, wouldn’t the trunks grow together and cause issues? Hence my though about just starting with a shared graft.
I’m outside of Reno, NV, so a long ways from Iowa!
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It’s hard to plant that close, the roots are in the way. About six inches is the closest I have been able to plant. Maybe in 20 years they might grow into each other. And if they did it would not make a lot of difference, no harm.
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Mother Nature sometimes grows trees so close that their limbs actually braid together, makes them incredibly wind resistant.
So if you plant them and braid two limbs together, you can also have a very strong twin! I’m doing this with some of my top worked plum trees where my grafts are bark grafts, inherently weak, but become stringer when I braid them together above the bark grafts!
Dennis
Kent, Wa
Dennis
Kent, Wa
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Grafting two trees together right next to each other would be difficult. Any movement via wind would rip the graft apart during the healing process. You could braid limbs together easier. But then a tie around the two trunks would take about 30 seconds and do the same thing.
I have two J plums planted about 3 feet apart… that are doing very well.
I have 2 persimmons that I grew the rootstock from seed that are very close… just inches… and one has Kassandra the other Nakita’s Gift and they are both looking very happy and growing well.
I had 2 Eu Plums planted about 3 ft apart… and they did very well that way for 4 years. One of them got black knot, 2x, and then died one spring. The other is still doing very well and sending limbs out into the space that was made available by the one that died.
Such does happen in nature… they can deal with it… just expect to some degree less fruit from each one… as opposed to giving them both their own space.
I know of a place on the Natches Trace where there is a Shagbark Hickory, Persimmon and Black Walnut all growing in very tight proximity and all producing fruit.
I would recommend planting them 2-3 ft apart.
I would avoid planting one on the south side and the other on the north… the one on the north side would get shade during peak sun… Plant them so that both can get as much of the Southside sunshine as possible.
One just east or west of the other… and both will get plenty of southside sunshine. One may get a little shade in the morning and the other get some shade late evening… but both will get lots of southern side sunshine most of the day.
TNHunter
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I wonder if you can start off at bottom like in your pic, but constantly continue extended the top of the tree grafted into each other to form the top part of this kinda tree:
then let stop at some point when you just want angled/side scaffold branches only
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that pic is kinda interesting as it seems the trees were ~6ft apart, but somehow those parts extended and grew into each other hehe. Very cool.
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That’s one cool archway. Great suggestions in here. Thanks to all.
I like that idea. I grafted a few apple root stocks this year. I was trying to decide a permanent planting spot for them but don’t have the room. Two per hole planted close would work nicely for me.
No doubt you can, it’s simply a matter of trimming both central leaders so that the cambium layers match on both sides of each leader as they are pulled together. Then applying a strong tie on both ends of the graft to secure them together while you apply a wet paper towel over the graft. Then wrapping over the damp towel with a plastic bag to hold moisture over the graft while it callouses. Then using a strong wrapping material to apply pressure over the entire length of the graft. Best done I think in very early spring to take advantage of the full growing season. Process is nothing more than a union graft. Online you can find many videos illustrating this method.
Dennis
Kent, Wa
Very likely two lower limbs were rubbing against each other as wind swayed the young saplings, eventually when they had cambium contact an absence of wind allowed the healing to occur forever joining the two before the next storm. That’s what seems most likely. I see similar union grafts on most hikes I take here in the region. But this example is involved with the oldest trees I have witnessed.
Dennis
Kent, wa