2 trees in one hole?

Dianna says...
Hi Chelle, yes I've heard of this, it was on Burkes backyard or somewhere. As long as they are both citrus trees, or both apple trees. It will work.

Cheers
Dianna

Dianna says...
Hi Chelle, they should be happy together. You have to prune them every summer, so you keep them in check. I have to keep mine small so I can cover them up to keep the fruit flies off them. They don't (or shouldn't) end up being one tree. Happy Gardening. Cheers, Dianna.

Stella says...
....and I also have seen on TV someone planting two trees in the same hole. They probably don't grow quite as big.

Steve says...
Chelle, I have lots of duos and trios in my garden, as well as multigrafts. The duos and trios are planted about 20-30cm apart in the same hole. They are easier to manage than multigrafts and are slightly dwarfed by competition. Plant varieties with different ripening times and get a nice prolonged harvest from the one site. It works a treat although you disease and pest control needs to be good.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2	Picture: 3

Chelle says...
Hey everyone, thanks heaps for your replies! Gives me more options to consider, although I'm still a little worried about pruning etc - I really am a novice. And thanks for the photos Steve - really helped to see visuals.

Julie says...
I would like to find out a bit more about planting dual fruit trees in the one hole or close togeher.What is the maximum number of trees you can grow this way close together? Can it be done with pear trees, for instance a Packam pear and a Nashi pear together? Also can it be done with citrus?
Thanks

aNON says...
D'Oh, already above.

Flemings recommend 150mm on thier website.

fruitist says...
I practise dual hosting for 2 entirely different trees based on non-interfernce principle in terms of tree form and root system.

Anonymous says...
Use the same rooting depth that way they competet and dwarf each other.

Leah says...
Hi,

From my understand (watching peter cundall) when the fruit tree is dwarfed you get less fruit, but the fruit is larger in size. So in relation to overall volume of fruit it would be roughly the same amount to a regular tree.

As the tree puts all its energy into producing the biggest and best fruit that it can. This is why a lot of people are keen to recommend pruning and keeping the tree a manageable size.

This web page is good

http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/all_ed/ed_plantTrees.html

Cheers

Ali says...
I'm really interested in this concept, have been ever since I heard of it- it seems like the ideal way to get small, manageable crops of fruit in an average-sized backyard. Grow the trees jammed close together so they naturally 'dwarf' and you wind up with lots of smaller crops rather than one or two overwhelming crops and lots of 'dry' periods (my rental backyard for instance has three enormous citrus trees- lemon, mandarin & grapefruit- all WAY too big to be well-managed, so quite bug-infested. And we get ONE lot of each type of fruit, so tonnes for a few weeks then none at all).

I'd love to encourage anyone who's done this in Sydney or similar climates to share their experience! I'd love to know what sorts of fruits you grow together, what varieties, and how successful it's been. Photos would be tops too.

Anonymous says...
Water about the same- it's the type of tree and size of the canopy/fruit load that determines the water needs. With two trees in one hole you don't end up with two full sized trees next to each other but two smaller trees growing together- hence similar water needs to a single tree.

Steve says...
I have heaps of duos and trio's (and a few quads). Mostly the same fruit but different varieties ripening at different times so we get a nice distribution of fruit. Most are now 4-7 years old. My observations are
a) Fruit size is fine, more determined by the extent of fruit thinning than anything else. I get heavy yields.
b) Dominance issues are less than for multigrafts, but not eliminated. Eg Shady side will grow less, some varieties are just less vigorous.
c) Trees are dwarfed to some extent but large trees like apricots and cherries still need serious pruning to keep to a manageable size (3-3.5m high).
d) Agree that pruning and management is more difficult but it helps if you end up pruning the 2 or 3 trees as a single tree with 3 closely spaced trunks. Each is lopsided on its own, but together they form a roughly "normal" tree shape - inevitably vase shaped.
e) Watering is probably a function of total plant mass - certainly ealier on this is greater in duos and trios, but not later.
f) All of my other fruit tree problems are dwarfed by the issue of BIRDS. Figuring out practical ways to net pretty large trees is my current challenge. I suppose having 3 under one net is economical although if they ripen over a long period it means a prolonged period of netting.

david says...
Hi Steve can you put some photos on the site it would be great to see them.

Alexa says...
Adele I'd recommend Woodbridge Fruit Trees, they're also quite knowledgeable.

http://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/

interplanetjanet says...
I found this thread most helpful as I have bought 4 fruit trees and have been looking for novel ways to plant them..the form of growth is called "saulen" which is basically an upright trunk with fruit growing close to it..much thanks to you all for sharing your knowledge and photos

kelyeah says...
Is is possible to plant two apple trees and two cirtus trees in the same hole? I want to plant a granny smith, a red varity (not sure what yet), lemonade and orange tree but have limited space.

Wazza McG says...
My double plants are for oranges, mandarins - 15cm apart. Apples on Espalier.

Yes, I have an average backyard and the intention was to prolong supply of oranges, mandarins and apples by having the different varieties.

They are;

Dwarf Washington Navel and Dwarf Valencia (both on Flying Dragon root-stock).

Dwarf Imperial and Dwarf Emperor (both on Flying Dragon root-stock).

I also have 6 varieties of apples on a L-Shaped espalier about 2m apart from each other.

1 @ Pinkabelle
1 @ Lady Williams
1 @ Sundowner
1 @ Pink Lady
1 @ Jonagold
1 @ Fuji

I initially put comfrey under these plants and I must admit it was a mistake.

The comfrey did improve the soil in the area - which was the intention, but then, the comfrey started to over-power the area.

I just spent 3 days digging it out and no doubt a few future days as the roots regrow - even small morsels of root.

sternus1 says...
Option three is to graft one onto the other. That way you get both fruit, and don't have to worry about space.

sandy31 says...
Hay Guys
I have a tight corner spot, a raised bed 85cm x 85cm, on corner blocked by the colour bound garage wall. Being on corner of garden bed left side is limited too . ( see attached pic)
will it be best to plant 2 ( duo) or 3 (trio) here.
The Plant in pic is now moved to new location.
I went freak into bare root sale and bought 3 fruit trees ( Luisa Plum, Double Jewel Peach and Spice zee Nectaplum)
if planting 2 or 3 plants in one hole , how much Tree width we looking at from the base of Trunk ( consider all trunks as one)in each direction ?
Thaks

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2	Picture: 3

A.C says...
I have 2 fig trees 2peach multigrafts 2 plum multigrafts all 3 lots are planted companion planting .Stunts growth easy to manage but I tried it with olives ,one tree failed to fruit unsure if it was due to companion planting or tree itself had fruiting issue.Overall would recommend it.Trees must be similar fruits set apart approx 450mm.You can set 3 close together in a triangular formation or 4 in a rectangular formation.One problem to watch for is domination of one tree over another tree close by.During winter or dormant period you may want to sever roots in the middle between trees with a sharp spade or 6 foot knob and chisel crowbar to approx 400mm deep , give the smaller tree chance to grow more larger in the following spring.A word of warning using this approx there is risk of killing one of the trees.You have to know as a gardener which trees are aggressive root growers and can handle a cut back of roots.Ive done it to the peach trees they were ok.I watered the trees with a solution of seasol after cutting roots.Companion planting is good but you will need to develop different management skills as a gardener. Good luck guys.

A.C says...
If someones given you some good advice about companion planting olive trees then take it.If Id known about the olive tree issues I would not have done it.Ive seen some other of your postings about white sapotes.Of those you have growing which one has the best tasting fruit?Do you know much about Golden Globe variety/taste ?What time of the year could I graft a second type onto an Ortega variety tree? Thank you.

A.C says...
Thanks for your reply. Ive got a White Sapote (Ortega) going great guns,almost scary . The fruits are good if picked just as theyre soft and eaten straight away.Strong Vanilla taste with Rockmelon undertones. The pulp is thick like an Avocado. Im going to attempt to graft the Golden Globe onto it.If that fails Mr Ortega will have to get used to having a little buddy Master Globe growing close by.Quite honestly this companion planting has been very good. Peaches and plums very good ,Figs not bad.With figs you have to watch for the dominant one that stunts the other ,you have to cut roots in between them in winter to give undersize tree a chance to grow,this is a very risky practice.I put a 3 way peach next (750mm apart) to a Snow queen peach ,its been very good.

NinaR says...
I realise there hasn't been any activity on this forum for a while so hoping I'll get a few replies.

I want to make the most of my garden - a couple of fruit trees were put in about 1-2 years ago prior to me having to move for work. Now that I have moved back I am wondering if I can now try the '1 hole, multiple trees' theory by planting trees in close proximity to those that are already in the garden?

I already have a:-
1) pomegranate - thinking of adding another 1-2 varieties. Has anyone done something similar with pomegranates?
2) lime - thinking of adding a lemon & either a lemonade, keffir lime or other type of citrus (I'll likely do oranges & grapefruit together in another location, & a couple of types of mandarin in a third location)
3) Apricot - I'd like to add another 1 to 2 types of apricot so that I have nice fresh fruit for a longer portion of the year.

I guess the main considerations would be to try to get the new trees in a similar size to my existing trees so that they aren't dwarfed & also need to be careful not to sever too many roots of the existing trees when planting the new tress - this is something probably easier said than done!

Also - if I want to plant multiple fruits in one hole, does this mean that those trees will need more growing space independent of other 'bunches' of trees? Or in other words, how close could I then plant my next lot of multiple fruit trees in one hole (e.g 2/3/etc metres between each 'bundle').

Any help/guidance/ideas/opinions will be most welcome! Thanks in advance