Grow your own fruit trees in the backyard

Many people who have space in their compounds somehow never imagine they can grow their very own fruits trees for home consumption in that space.
Yet growing grafted fruit trees in your backyard can be a successful venture for residents in urban areas who have a small backyard.

All you need is space for a mango, paw paw and orange tree which can be planted along the fence area with enough space for those that have branches to spread out without being squeezed.
The best way to do this is to have grafted trees as they grow quickly such that within two years, you will start eating your fruits. Grafted trees are those that have been gown from an original root stalk where an exotic plant bud is tied to the root stalk to form another species of tree.
This is commonly done in fruit trees which give spring to an exotic array of fruit types. Different varieties of the same kind of fruit tree can be grafted together, mangoes for example have a variety of species and can be mixed to give the intended offspring.

Fast growing
However, one can also graft different types of fruit trees that are of the same family such as tangerines, oranges and lemons onto one tree with proper advice and help from a trained farmer.
Many people prefer grafted trees because they do not grow too tall which can sometimes overwhelm your available space. These ones grow from a height of between 1metre to 3 metres and mature between 6 months to 2 years depending on the type of fruit. If you already have the traditional type of mango or orange tree, you can cut off the whole top trunk and graft a new fast growing species.

Grafting is unlike planting seeds into seedlings which bear fruits about 7 to 9 years after planting.
Dimiprious Njoroge, a nursery owner in Kikuyu says this technology has proved beneficial to those in urban areas who want fruit trees that will take less years to mature.
Whether it is a mango tree, avocado, apples, white supporter or the citrus fruit range, grafted trees can grow well in a small space thus making them favourable to grow within a fairly small compound.

Urban areas
Njoroge’s Kihuru Nursery is a strong supporter of the backyard orchard culture, a system designed to increase the number of trees a homeowner with a small or medium-sized plot can grow.

Using this method, you can grow more trees in less space, which means that you can plant closer to sidewalks, driveways and buildings.
“The number of years a non-grafted mango tree takes to mature and the space it occupies when mature makes it impossible to grow it small scale,” says Njoroge.
Unlike the original fruit trees, one can also get high quality fruit yield all year long if the right amount of care and fertiliser is added to the plant to help their with their growth.
Grafted trees also grow well in most climatic conditions as long as they are well irrigated and cared for. Giving an example of Israel which is one of the world’s leading fresh citrus producers and exporters - taking note that it is in a desert climate, Njoroge says that sustainable agriculture will thrive if there is a good irrigation system.
Paw paws, he says, grow well in sandy soils and hot climates, and so do citrus fruits, making Nairobi a favourable place to plant them. Mangos do well in the highlands but may be grown in other kinds of climates with proper care.

Horizontally
Harvesting is also made easy with grafted trees since most of them grow horizontally other than vertically making it possible for most people to pluck them.
Kihuru nursery which was started 10 years ago has now transformed into an orchard for growing grafted tree seedlings and is certified by Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA).
Some of the popular fruit trees with Njoroge’s clients are mango trees, citrus fruit trees such as passion, lemon, oranges and tangerines as well as avocado and paw paw.
He also advises those interested in planting these fruits trees to get them from a certified nursery as they ensure the grafting is well done.

The seedlings are priced differently depending on the species of fruit one wants. They range between Sh150 for a mango stalk seeding to Sh700 for the exotic pink and green apple varieties.