| Hello, I have one. It came with 5 grafts, 2 plums, peach, apricot, and nectarine. The nectarine graft was really weak, and died the second year. The rest are very healthy and it has done well. It's now a pretty mature tree. I got about half a bushel of each type of fruit off it this year. It's a fun little tree because it's so "wierd." This type of tree would be ideal for those with really limited space. They are a bit "goofy" looking because of each type of tree has a different growth pattern -- definitely a conversation piece. There really isn't anything "special" in terms of basic care that you need to do with hardy woody plants for the winter, other than make sure the soil is nice and moist before the freeze up, and perhaps mulch the soil deeply to help moderate freeze-thaw cycles. IF you live some place where animals are likely to bother it, you might want to consider throwing a hardware cloth cylinder around the trunk to prevent rabbits from killing it by stripping the bark, and if deer are an issue, make a big cylinder of six foot fencing wire or similar and put that over the entire tree while it's young. Finally, I'd put a nice, sturdy bamboo or steel plant pole in the ground next to it and secure the tree to it several places with old nylon stockings or similar, just to ensure it doesn't snap off from a heavy ice load. First thing as soon as winter is over, you need to do some spraying -- dormant oil and lime-sulfur for peach leaf curl. Both of these products are available at garden centers. I can't recall if they can be mixed together or if they MUST be applied separate a few weeks apart do to a synergistic phytotoxicity effect, but the labels will tell you this. Then, a good regular spray and fertilizer program to ensure good quality fruit free from insects and disease. Also, be sure to start fertilizing regularly in the spring to encourage good growth (follow label directions on whatever you type you purchase). |
