The Dirt Gardener's Column for February 27

Q. Recently, my dad saw an advertisement for the ‘fruit cocktail’ tree. He says they grow to a height of ten feet but I’m not so sure. What are your thoughts about this type of tree.

A. I have mixed feelings about the ‘fruit cocktail’ tree. They typically have a peach, plum, nectarine and apricot growing on a single trunk and are more typically referred to as a four and one combination fruit tree. I first saw them being marketed in the seventies as an advertisement in Parade, the Sunday supplement magazine. The ‘fruit cocktail’ name is strictly a marketing term created by an out of state mail order nursery. They were available locally during the eighties but faded away. They’re once again being promoted because of the homegrown trend and smaller gardens. While they have great name recognition, the trees don’t live up to their expectations. Here are my thoughts as to why I’d expect them to disappoint again. First off, the diameter of the grafts are not uniform so the tree looks unbalanced or awkward. The plum and apricot grafts are usually pencil thin while the peach and nectarine is more the size of your thumb. The grafts are fragile. If one breaks off, you now have a three and one tree. The four varieties do not necessary have the same rate of growth. They’re pruned throughout the year to avoid over crowding. Each variety should be allowed to occupy only a quarter of the canopy space. The grafts are from a standard fruit variety, so they’ll easily exceed ten feet with out some diligent pruning to keep the height down. I’ve yet to see a mature ‘fruit cocktail’ tree produced enough fruit to be worth the effort. I’m sure there are a few but not many. A better option is to plant three trees in a single hole. The trees are spaced two feet apart in a triangle within a four-foot planting space. You’ll have multiple varieties growing in a small space with sufficient room for each variety to develop. You get to select your personal favorites, not someone else’s. The key to selecting varieties is the ripening date. You don’t want all the fruit to ripen at the same time or while your normally away on vacation. I’d select an Ultra Dwarf fruit tree over a semi-dwarf variety, as the Ultra Dwarfs grow to about ten feet. The nursery professional at your favorite garden center is a great resource in selecting combinations of fruit trees, as they’re all not compatible. You’ll find a video on planting three trees in a single hole, at http://www.davewilson.com/video/diy_1.html You’ll need to scroll down to the presentation.

A final thought, keep the area under the canopy clear of other plants. Fruit trees don’t like the frequent summer watering that other plants require. A mature fruit tree is watered about three times a month, once the rainy season has concluded. Over watered trees declined setting up an attack from borers. The exception to this is apples and pears.

by Buzz Bertolero, CCNP