09-04-2010, 03:26 PM
Remember too that you can always remove brances or thin out trees later. Even in commercial plantings trees may be planted at half their mature distance with the middle tree removed after 8 to 10 yrs.
Another thing to consider is that although you can provide massive amounts of nutrients to the crowded roots of a dense planting, you are limited in the amount of sunlight you can provide, hence dense plantings that will receive lots of compost or fertilizer will achieve better results with trees that have shade tolerance. I have seen 30 foot tall shaded citrus trees that produce nothing. Cacao, borojo, and salak are three trees that jump to mind with tolerance of heavy shade. Pakaya palm has an inflouresence that is eaten immature. It is a gorgeous landscaping ornamental and also grows in full shade.
I have seen a dwarf spondias tree producing huge amounts of fruit out of a 5 gallon bucket in a crowded nursery.
Finally, grafting multiple varieties on a rootstock can also give you a greater range of varieties in a small space. This is not as easy as a regular graft so expect to pay more than double for a tree with 2 varieties and more than double again for a tree with 4 varieties. You may have to do it yourself if HI nurserymen are not selling these.
Another thing to consider is that although you can provide massive amounts of nutrients to the crowded roots of a dense planting, you are limited in the amount of sunlight you can provide, hence dense plantings that will receive lots of compost or fertilizer will achieve better results with trees that have shade tolerance. I have seen 30 foot tall shaded citrus trees that produce nothing. Cacao, borojo, and salak are three trees that jump to mind with tolerance of heavy shade. Pakaya palm has an inflouresence that is eaten immature. It is a gorgeous landscaping ornamental and also grows in full shade.
I have seen a dwarf spondias tree producing huge amounts of fruit out of a 5 gallon bucket in a crowded nursery.
Finally, grafting multiple varieties on a rootstock can also give you a greater range of varieties in a small space. This is not as easy as a regular graft so expect to pay more than double for a tree with 2 varieties and more than double again for a tree with 4 varieties. You may have to do it yourself if HI nurserymen are not selling these.