Do pomegranate trees have thorns? The ones next door don't, but they might be mutants.

I like fejoia/pineapple guavas, and it is just the right size.

Renee

8 feet by 3 feet? How about a weeping tree, like a weeping mulberry or weeping Santa Rosa Plum?
Carla in Sac

Do you think you can plant in the same soil with the root fungus? Or will it infect the new tree? I don't have a fruit tree suggestion. I am new to growing them.

My pear tree is about 7-8 feet tall by 3 feet wide.

My Pomegranate does not have thorns but has very sharp wood that definitely hurts. Also, Pomes will perhaps need more space than 3 ft.

You can get pretty much any dwarf/semi-dwarf fruit tree and prune it so that the branches reach vertically rather than fan out. This would also give you a chance to choose your favorite fruit.

Maybe one of the Asian pears, like 20th Century or Hosui? Not knowing your layout, I also suggest staking up some kiwi vines on a trellis.

Well, since you've got a Meyer Lemon growing, citrus are always an option. If you like grapefruit, why not try an Oro Blanco, Melogold or Cocktail? All are actually crosses of some sort (pummelo and grapefruit, or pummelo and mandarin/sweet orange), are much sweeter and do not require the heat to sweeten up as some of the standard grapefruit varieties do. And, a nice semi-dwarf grapefruit is a very pretty tree. Not sure what you mean by "...staying away from a mass of thorns". Blueberries do not have thorns. Maybe what you have are blackberries or raspberries?? Yes, grapefruit trees do have thorns, but the fruit are borne in clusters at the ends of branches, so the grapefruit thorns are not really going to interfere with picking either the blueberries or the grapefruilts.

You might also think about one of the delicious pluots or apriums. Check out Dave Wilson's website for some nice suggestions and descriptions.

Patty S.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave Wilson Nursery Backyard Orchard Culture Guide

This seems a little crowded for another tree. There are never enough blueberries, what about putting in another bush?

An update to the fruit tree search: Upon digging up the old tree, it looks like we have a bad case of Armillaria (aka "oak-root fungus"). Those cute little brown mushrooms around that shrub were ominous signs that I didn't know to pay attention to. A redtwig dogwood not far from it is also on its last legs so it will probably be the next victim (sigh...one of the prettiest things in the spring is a redtwig dogwood all decked out in chartreuse couture...).

My local nursery sells a lot of fruit trees from Dave Wilson, so looking at the rootstock list, I can see a number of options: Marianna 26-24, Mazzard, and Winter Nelis. So I'm hoping we can still go ahead with a fruit tree here...though I am definitely going to hack out as many old roots from the old shrub as possible, let the area dry out, and replace a bunch of soil. Wish me luck in stemming the mycelial invasion!

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave Wilson rootstocks

After looking at UC Davis, I think you have really bad news--all fruit looks like they are succeptible. Maybe pomegranates might be your best bet.

Here is the Google search, there are some websites that list your best choices for such a fungus infestation:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&biw=1100&bih=575&q=Trees+resistant+to+Armillaria+mellea%2C+root+fungus+UC+IPM&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=