Grafting Fruit Trees: Create Your Own Multi-Fruit 'Salad Tree'

Grafting lets you grow multiple fruit varieties on one tree—ideal for small yards. A "fruit salad tree" can bear peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, or citrus varieties on separate branches, each retaining its flavor and ripening schedule.

Benefits

One tree replaces six to eight, saving space, water, and maintenance. Customize the mix to your taste. Purchased multi-graft trees are expensive; DIY grafting saves money.

Types of Fruit Salad Trees

• Citrus: orange, mandarin, lime, lemon, tangelo, grapefruit (including blood orange).
• Apple: only apples on apples—mix cooking and eating varieties.
• Stone fruit: plum, apricot, peach, nectarine—all compatible.

Grafting Basics

Terminology

• Rootstock: the base tree providing roots.
• Scion: the budded shoot grafted onto rootstock.

Bud Grafting (T-Budding)

Select a healthy, dormant bud. Cut below and above to remove it with a sliver of bark. Make a T-cut in the rootstock, slide the bud under the bark flaps, center it, and wrap with grafting tape or raffia, leaving the bud exposed. Remove wrap once the bud grows.

Cleft & Saddle Grafts

Cleft: V-cut in rootstock, pointed scion inserted, tied firmly. Saddle: inverted V on rootstock, matching notch on scion. Always remove growth below the graft to prevent competition.

Start with simple grafts on potted trees or grow bags. With practice, you can create a diverse, productive fruit salad tree.