And no, before you jump to conclusions, I’m not about to launch into a tirade against GMO’s.
What I’m talking about is this horticultural fad for ‘fruit salad trees’.
Nurseries started selling fruit trees with multiple grafts several years ago.
The promise of different kinds of fruit on the same tree was a novelty for space-limited gardeners: you could have your lemons, limes and oranges all at once, right?
The appeal has grown along with the selection of multi-grafted trees.
Now you can get stone fruits, as well as the ever-popular citrus specimens.
However, every person I’ve ever spoken to, and every anecdote I’ve ever read, has suggested that you’re better off just buying separate trees.
Firstly, grafting is a tricky business even for commercial horticulturalists, and if you’ve got multiple branches grafted on, the risk of infection is much higher.
Some people who own fruit salad trees have found a few of the fruiting parts will die off, perhaps because the grafting was not clean enough, or perhaps because the often young, singular root stock cannot cope with the burden of 2-4 grafts.
Secondly, if the grafting is successful, it is often common for one of the branches to ‘take over’, reverting the plant to what resembles a single-graft fruit tree.
To successfully grow a fruit salad tree, the gardener will need to keep a close eye on the graft, and try to ensure each branch grows evenly through regular pruning.
It’s also wise to choose a plant with fewer grafts than more, and varieties that are more similar to each other: you’re more likely to have success with, for instance, a lemon/lime tree, than a four-graft peach/plum/cherry/apricot tree.
They will need to be inspected carefully for any insect invasions, as with any fruit tree, and given small amounts of appropriate fertilizer monthly.
If this all sounds like a headache to you – it does to me – you’d be better off biting the bullet and purchasing several separate fruit trees, which will allow you to cater for each one individually.
There are some excellent dwarf varieties on the market that can be easily grown in pots: I’d suggest that for anyone who needs to keep their garden compact.
Fruit salad trees sure make a fun experiment, but if you’re after something hardy and dependable, I’d stick to the classics.
Do you have a gardening question for Jess? Is your garden the pride of the street?
We’d love to hear from you! Email jess.cockerill@fairfaxmedia.com.au or call 9550 2409.
