Distance beetween fruit trees on a small lot

[StillHope]

Does anyone have a small lot (8000sf ft) with already mature trees on not far from each other?
I am wondering what is the smallest distance (7-8 feet?)between the trees that can allow them to produce more or less normal?

Any examples of what type of healthy trees you have within relatively small distance from each other ? Thank you in advance.

Note: I realize that it depends on a particular tree root system.
But hoping to hear some success stories.(Or the opposite).


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[robguz]

All kinds of citrus are pretty slow growing but still produce good fruit and would do fine that close. As they get larger you can do more pruning but that can be many years from now especially if you buy dwarf trees. Bananas can be a fet feet apart and can form thickets but of course they aren't really trees. Papayas too can be a few feet apart and aren't really trees. I continue to be amazed how well things grow here no matter what you do. I have a Julie mango tree which is supposed to be a dwarf mango. It has other trees a few feet away and does great and I got maybe 15 mangoes thus year after 2 years in the ground and it's fruiting again. Supposed to only get 20' high.

[Cagary]

Depends on what kind of fruit tree you want to grow, large (Mango) 25 to 30 feet, medium (Rambutan) 20 to 25 feet or small (Citrus) 10 to 15). Citrus trees are available on dwarf root stock sp you could plant them even closer.

Frankies Nursery on Oahu has some good information on spacing.

http://www.frankiesnursery.com/

[StillHope]

Thank you,Rob and Cagary.I wanted all kinds of stuff but ...
There's not much space.
Lava should work underground stretching the existing lots[].

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[macuu222]

10 feet apart with dwarf citrus like lemons,limes,grapefruit..etc

[Mitzi M]

I'm a huge fan of dwarf fruit trees - even on a biiger lot. Try Keitt mangoes for lots of large fruit you can reach with your hands on a 10'-12' tree. HAAS avocados are good smaller trees too. Plant it Hawai'i has a lot of great dwarf varieties so if you catch their sale you'll be in luck. A good rule to follow where space is tight is to look at the mature canopy width of the variety you want to grow and add a three foot path all around - so canopy plus 6' all together. Just keep them mulched and water well during drought for the first year or so until they establish and they should do fine.

[StillHope]

Thank you,Macuu 222 and Mitzi.
As far as mango and avoscado areconcerned,it depends on how "dwarfy" they are compared to the full size ones.I haven't decided on the size yet but you can always prune regular tree ?(Not that I really know how to do it the right way).


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Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.

[durian]

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.

[StillHope]

Thank you,Durian.Interesting info.

___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.

[Rene Siracusa]

Another factor to consider is layering. Tall trees, if planted first to give them a head start, can provide space between them for lower growing trees - especially ones that can fruit with some shade. In the Solomons I saw coconut (copra) plantations interplanted with coffee trees - a good example of agro-forestry.