Stonefruit grafting....

[bwhite829]

So...after watching videos and doing research it appears multiple stone fruits can be grafted onto one tree. I know storebought trees don't do well but was wondering if hand grafted trees do well if proper care is taken and they have similar chill requirements?

I'm in Pensacola and have a yellow plum, red plum, and will be getting a santa rosa semi dwarf or full size au rosa depending on if I want to go full size or not and if there is a difference between the 2. I have heard great thigns about santa rosa but am unfamilar with the au rosa.

I have limited space and MIGHT be able to squeeze in one more tree in the middle of the yard. My question is A: as long as its a peach, plum, apricot, or nectarine I can graft interchangeably if I understand correctly.

I tried backyard orchard culture last year and they didn't do well and I pulled them up. I'm wondering if it'd be better to have 4 full size trees that are multi budded or try the backyard orchard thing again with different kinds. I love fruit but get bored with having an abundance of one type of fruit at one time. I think the multi budding would much more suit my tastes and give me a crop throughout the year without the expense of buying so many different trees.

Also, how does one source scion wood other than just randomly asking people? Is there a scionwood trade here in the fall and winter after pruning? And if not there should be

Thanks!

[ReptileAddiction]

I do not recommend multi grafted trees. Grafting your one would be just like buying one. Branches do not grow at the same rate, even more so if they are different varieties so the trees are a hassle to maintain and are generally short lived. What would work much better and take the same amount of space would be planting 3-4 in one hole. This method generally works a lot better. What you do is put the trees all together in one big hole spaced about 1 foot apart in a triangle or square. Then you prune them so they are not growing into the center. This method does cost a little more but I highly recommend it over multi grafted trees.

Most modern, low chill, varieties are patented. Therefore you can not legally asexually reproduce them which includes grafting. If caught you will have heavy fines and possibly a lawsuit. This also makes it very hard to get scion wood for those varieties.

Dave Wilson Nursery has a great website with a ton of information on a lot of different ways of growing fruit trees. Here is their website:
https://www.davewilson.com/

As to scion wood it is a hard thing to get unless you are looking to graft 500+ trees. Once you get scion wood, rootstock, all the necessary equipments, etc you will basically be at the same price as if you just bought 3 trees and planted them together. IMHO it will be cheaper and faster and easier just to buy trees. Grafting is not something that is easily doable for homeowners unless you are set up to do more than one and already have all the varieties you want to graft.

[bwhite829]

Thanks for the info. I watched about 20 DWN videos before buying the house and watch them frequently still in hopes to grow like that. I put 4 in a big hole last winter and they all died over the year. I do realize that it could be any number of things but one had some type of leaf spotting and it makes sense that if they are planted like that it would be more prone to spread of any disease. I read DWN about care for multi graft trees and they said that the main thing is keeping them pruned to equal size so a vigorous type or sunny side doesn't take over.

I understand your points but how about this: my grandfather has 4-5 different peach varieties and I actually got A 5 ft Rio grande yesterday for half price(it was leaning in bucket so they knocked off $10). If the varieties he has doesn't have any legality issues would 4 peach varieties be better? I am okay with no nectarines and apricot's if that is the case. If I do that I will just get 1 more different plum tree and call it a day with 1 peach tree and 3 plum trees.

Also is the Au Rosa a type of Santa Rosa plum? I couldn't find much in that regard.

Thanks again and thanks for giving me the information on Dave Wilson. I watched about an hr of his videos one time and if I ever make it to CA they are on my to do list. Another reason I want to try this is because I am moving the trees to the front yard this year since it is sunnier there and don't want to take a chance with multi planting again because if they die in the front it will look pretty bad compared to behind a fence.

[ReptileAddiction]

That is one of the first times I have heard of fruit trees dying in the first year. Where did you get them? You definitely should have gotten them replaced for free.

All of one type would be slightly better but you still have the legality issue. All newer varieties are patented. They do expire though 20 years after filing and the tree that you get the budwood from must be planted after the 20 years are up. After that time the patents are expired and no longer mean anything. Do you know what varieties you are interested in? Maybe we could help you figure out if they are patented or not.