You'll be just fine. In a couple of years, the organic fraction of the soil in the root mass will have decomposed & native soil will have filtered in to take its place. Go ahead and spoil them all you want. Trees that have been spoiled (allowed to grow at close to their genetic potential, unstressed and in good vitality), are far better transplant candidates than trees that have been poorly grown. Do yourself (and your trees) a favor & be sure to either repot each year or pot up before the root/soil mass becomes congested enough that it remains intact when you lift the plant from its pot. Al

Congrats! Sounds like a nice haul.

Hi Scott, It would save me a tremendous amount of space and make me extremely glad if I could fit all 4 varieties into a single 30' x 30' circle area dedicated to the 4-in-1 tree's life-long spread. I want to bounce still a couple of potential complications with this senario, all of which may be resolvable. And believe me: I am willing to be vigilant and careful in maintaining the tree's 4-way balance if it turns out that I decide to things this way. 4 Separate rootstocks/cultivars in one hole: 1. Peach trees are, even when left unrestricted, smaller trees with smaller trunk and root systems then American persimmons. If I give each cultivar its respective 1/4 room to spread its foliage, I fear that each tree will struggle to obtain enough solar sourced energy to support itself; although, one point could be to note that pruning will keep the trunk and roots small and potentially/hopefully proportionate to each tree's respective trunk/root-stem/needs. The 4+ major scaffolds arising from the base of the peach, cherry, wild-growing persimmon, etc. are sharing the same nutrients via the same root-system. If I ever decide to let the tree grow to full form and size, the 4 trunks would grow so large and strive to get away from the other trunks that they would fall down. 2. Jerry Lehman convinced me that it is not likely that American persimmons would properly inosculate, that instead of fusing they would bruise and rot - specifically American persimmons, not all trees. This doesn't, however, have anything to do with spacing the four trees in the same hole 20" apart. 3. However, it seems to me pretty feasible: which is to carefully keep the 4 trees in relative 1/4-balance within the 4-way circle. 4. Your description of that cherry tree above makes me think that we are talking about not many trees in the same hole, but a single tree bearing various root stocks in-grafted? Is that what you recommend? I've been told that persimmons are notorious from dropping former limbs when new ones are added. Let me know which situation you recommend for me: 4 trees in one hole or should I do a multi-graft tree - if I could do the later and be secure that it would work, I could just keep my 4 saplings for the future purpose of being the scion bank for the multi-graft tree. I keep hearing that I shouldn't do a multi-graft persimmon tree. I just got my persimmons in the mail and I quickly put them in the ground pending what I finally decide upon. I really appreciate discussing my options on this with you - at least when I do choose a plan, I'll have considered practically every option. Thanks, Steve

Hi, I thought I'd get no answers and I went ahead with planting Carmencita and Brocade in 1 hole which I thought was extra large :-/ Well, it measures 2.3 x 2.3 x 2 feet deep and is 50% full of manure and 50% of good soil (which I purchase because my local soil is very sandy). I even planted Alchemilla mollis as a groundcover. I cannot believe how much space those roots need. I see no other way but to remove Brocade from the hole which means I have to dig another one, on the other side of the garden gate, where I now have a perennial bed. I wonder if again I will find myself digging the garden on late September evenings in the light of candles in marmalade jars (I work full time and get home around 6 p.m. the earliest). The - presumably - dead clematis would be impossible (I think) to protect from snails as it is planted amongst tall ornamental grasses and a vigorous vine. Snails can crawl on it from any direction they want. Curiously, they were feasting on that particular variety only, especially on the large white flowers, they did not fancy any of the three other varieties planted next to it. I will try a Henryi in its place. Amanda, do you mean those clematis were too cheap to live, or you would be tempted to buy too many as well? Those were perfectly healthy plants in bloom, well rooted in about 1-2 quart containers. Not a stem broken, not a petal gone from the flowers. Of course I did not mean to buy any clematis in the first place, I went to the store to buy tulip bulbs. Unfortunately I can almost never resist when I see a plant that I've always wanted or one that would match a plant I already have. The nurseries you live close to would certainly attract me as much as my Mother Ursula attracted the snails. Does anyone by any chance know about watering clematis with water diluted (and fermented) manure? There seems to be a superstition that it is richer in nutrients than any other fertilizer. Plus you do not have to pay for it - I'd collect some next to my sister's summer home. Thanks a lot for your advice!