Did you know you can have four distinctly different apple varieties grow on one tree! Growing a 4 in 1 apple tree seems like a bit of magical gardening, but in fact it is quite simple. Growing a 4 in 1 apple tree gives you an extended apple harvest with a selection of some of your favorite apples.
Types Of Apples On A 4 In 1 Apple Tree
Imagine getting five months of harvests on one apple tree. You can have apples all season long without taking up copious amounts of garden space. You can find 4 in 1 apple tree options that grow a varied selection of different apple varieties. Choosing which varieties you want on your tree can be an interesting study in your favorite apples. The decision to balance fresh eating apples with cooking apples and at what ratio will be a very personal choice.
The apples on the 4 in 1 tree need to bloom in pairs to make them self pollinating. You can, however, get a cross pollination with two trees if you plant each 4 in 1 tree with apples that have rotating bloom times. There are lots of options with this type of tree, particularly if you own grafting techniques are sharp and you are willing to try your hand at grafting one of your own.
Not to worry, we have listed several done-for-you 4 in 1 apple tree options below.
You can research some of the more popular varieties grafted in the 4 in 1 apple tree on our website:
Landscaping With Fruit Trees
Gardens are no longer thought of as vegetable versus flower. Today’s gardens are a combination of beautiful perennials, annuals, vegetables, and fruits that come together in a glorious harmony of fanciful color and spatial practicality.
With gorgeous blooms in spring, apple trees (botanical name – malus) are an early flowering plant that can anchor your garden design. One tree can be planted as a central focal point or a pair as garden entryway arbors. Either way, you will enjoy their bright, cheery blossoms. As an added bonus, you will get fruit as a reward for your labors.
A hedgerow of apple trees work well as privacy trees during the summer and fall months. Pretty and functional, trees planted as a dividing row make a lovely backdrop for the rest of your garden. For a small backdrop, 3-4 trees will provide sufficient screening.
With the 4 in 1 apple tree you only need one plant to harvest a season long procession of fruit, making it a perfect specimen tree for your garden. However, planted in pairs and groomed to meet as an arch is a stunning garden entry point and a showcase for these unique and interesting fruit trees.
Grow Your Own Jubilee Tree
The Jubilee tree is another name for a grafted tree that produces 4 different varieties of apples. Gardening jubilation will descend upon homesteading orchardists when their friends and family marvel at this green thumb wizardry.
Your jubilee tree with its apple producing powers is the best garden space saver ever. It’s the easiest way to increase the size of your produce variety without gobbling up precious garden space. The 4 in 1 apple tree will supply you with fresh eating and cooking apples all season long.
How It’s Done
A 4 in 1 apple tree is a product of grafting 4 different apple varieties onto one root stock. The gardener selects a scion or twig from the desired fruit tree and grafts or propagates it onto a mature root stock. For the 4 in 1 apple tree, this process is repeated multiple times to graft distinct apple varieties onto the host apple tree. There by producing your very own Jubilee tree.
If you have access to apple scions and are in an experimental frame of mind, you can try and graft your own 4 in 1 apple tree. If you are less confident in your propagation abilities, we have listed several option combinations of jubilee tree listed below that will work for a variety of zones.
Pollination
These apple tree gems are self fertile. You only need one apple tree to produce copious amounts of fruit. However, for a bumper crop, plant two trees. Since distinct apple varieties bloom at different times you have a never ending seasonal supply of apples.
The trees are self pollinating because you have two varieties on each tree that flower during the same bloom period, thereby pollinating each other while growing on the same apple tree.
Plant Care
Like all apple trees, your 4 in 1 needs full sun and well drained soil. Six hours of daily sunlight qualifies as full sun and will allow your apple tree to grow strong and healthy. Be sure to check your local zip code for the required chill hours for your apples varieties.
Pruning
As with any apple tree, your 4 in 1 will need pruning once it is established, growing, and bearing fruit. When dormant, prune away upright stems, cross branches, damaged, and dead branches to encourage good growth and health for the coming season.
Pruning for shape will also keep your trees at a desirable mature width and mature height, giving your garden a perfectly manicured look and feel.
Repairing Tree Wounds
Occasionally, apple trees suffer damage caused by severe weather or other unforeseen accidents. The first line of treatment is to trim off the damaged branches. If there is significant damage to the trunk or a lead branch, bridge grafting is your best solution. You’ll want to help your tree heal while protecting it from a disease that will attack the open wound.
The multistep process is quite involved, but worth the effort if it is a treasured tree. To learn more about this procedure, visit your local master gardener’s website or Michigan State University’s post on Bridge Grafting.
Where To Buy Your 4 In One Apple Trees
Be sure to select a reputable garden plant purveyor when you are searching for your fruit trees. In particular, you should choose extra carefully for specialty trees since you want to purchase a tree that will be healthy and get your orchard off to a great start. Amazon customers love the Bob Wells Nursery product line. Below is a product overview of a few of the 4 in 1 varieties offered.
Bob Wells Nursery offers a low chill, 4 in 1 apple tree. The four apple varieties grafted on to this tree are: Anna, Fuji, Dorsett Golden, and Gordon. Best for Zones 8 through 10, the two-year-old tree arrives between 5 and 6 feet tall. This variety has a chill requirement of below 45 degrees Fahrenheit making it prefect for a warmer climate.
Another option from Bob Wells Nursery is a 4 in 1 tree that offers Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith varieties for hardiness zones 5 through 9. These are also two years old and arrive between 5 and 6 feet tall, which is a healthy height for a young tree.
A third option from Bob Wells Nursery includes the following varieties: Fuji, Gala, Mutsu, and Jonagold for growing in a hardiness zone 4 through 9. Again, this tree is two years old and between 5 and 6 feet tall.
Grafted on root stock: M-111, they are a semi dwarf option. These trees are only multi apple prolific, but also compact. The trees will grow to 10-12 feet, but can be pruned to 8-10 feet in height and width. They are perfect for small garden spaces and still offer you multiple apple harvests.
Shipping Bare Root Plants
A reputable vendor will ship your bare root trees according to your local growing zone. This will ensure your tree is ready to be planted when you receive it. Once you know when your plant will ship, you can prepare your planting site, so you are all set to start growing your favorite apples. Be it Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, red McIntosh, or any other apple variety, you will love growing your favorite fruit with only one tree.
Keep In Touch
Be sure to bookmark our site for all your apple tree information. As we grow and expand, you will find more and more valuable information available here. Plums, apricots, and other fruit are making there mark on our gardens, and we are delighted we can share our thoughts and suggestions with you.
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