That grafted tree with 40 varieties. ..

[CuttedUpPear]

Is anyone else thinking it would be a bugger to prune correctly?

Apart from the fact that it doesn't actually appear to be real. There have been photoshopped pics doing the rounds on social media and I haven't actually clicked through as the idea, although interesting, annoys me with its gimmickery. It reminds me too much of the T&M catalogue pics with their photoshopped pics of an imaginary grandchild stood next to a substantial lemonandorange tree in a tiny pot.

[funnyperson]

Are they photoshopped? It hadnt occurred to me to think that but of course you are right!
The nationsl apple orchard place in Kent might know. My apples are being trained into 1) a u shape and 2) an espalier and they haven't flowered at all this year .

[DoreenLethal]

40? Try 250...

One of the Brogdale [the national apple orchard place in Kent] staff took home scions and grafted them all onto his own tree...it needs lots of support but it is real.

metro.co.uk/2013/09/29/apple-max-how-one-fruit-tree-came-to-have-250-different-varieties-growing-on-it-4127875/

[CuttedUpPear]

Lots of the T&M pics are photoshopped, have a closer look and you'll see the same combination of blooms repeated again and again. It makes me despair really, any amateur gardener would be really disappointed by the reality of these plants and possibly not bother learning to garden.

The 40 varieties tree seems to be a photoshopped projection into the future of this tree - the bottom half of the picture looks like an architect's render.

[DoreenLethal]

But thanks OP - I am currently writing a session plan for fruit growing and I needed to get a pic of this for the resource pack so it has reminded me so I have saved it down ready for tomorrow.

[CuttedUpPear]

What do you reckon on the pruning plan for the 40 varieties tree thout Doreen? All stone fruit I think.

The 250 varieties of apple would be simple to prune provided they are all spur bearers and not a mix of spur and tip bearers.

[funnyperson]

How do you know if a tree is a tip or a spur bearer?

[DoreenLethal]

What do you reckon on the pruning plan for the 40 varieties tree thout Doreen? All stone fruit I think.

I haven't seen this so I have no idea...what do you mean stone fruit? Is it a prunus or malus - you can't get both onto the same rootstock...I thought you were saying it was an apple...

[funnyperson]

www.sciencealert.com/this-tree-produces-40-different-types-of-fruit

I want one. I need one. I would love to see one.

[DoreenLethal]

How do you know if a tree is a tip or a spur bearer?

Depends on the variety

What do you reckon on the pruning plan for the 40 varieties tree thout Doreen? All stone fruit I think.

With this sort of thing, you have to intimately know your fruit varieties and have each branch labelled. If only I had the time...all my apples, pears, cherries and plums would have more than one variety. I just don't have the time to spare these days.

[CuttedUpPear]

Yes I think it would be a nightmare to maintain productively (if it's even real).

[shovetheholly]

The tree is real, but the image that's circulating on social media is a mockup drawing! A more realistic picture of the trees here: www.artsy.net/artwork/sam-van-aken-tree-of-40-fruit-installation-at-the-armory-show-2011

It's by an artist called Sam Van Aken who does these things as a kind of public art - he has several 40 fruit trees, and is aiming to do a 100 fruit one too. He's even done a TED talk.

The miracle to me is that he's managed to get so much press coverage for what is essentially a really old idea of grafting in different species onto the same rootstock.

[CuttedUpPear]

Yes indeed. I've seen some comments on social media that really surprised me - people don't know that grafting is even a thing.
I suppose I'm coming from a very different perspective though.

Anyway, why can't we see the real thing, why the mockup?

[shovetheholly]

It's amazing that more people don't realise that virtually every fruit tree is a graft. And a bit depressing too. I would love to see schools teaching kids about it.

I suspect that the whole press for this was very much based on lazy journos thinking that technicolour piece of photoshopping was real and not really thinking to check up whether this was really a story or not.