Planting multiple figs in a single hole?

[npolaske]

More cuttings than I expected have rooted for me this year, giving me an excess of certain varieties. Once they are mature enough to plant in the ground, I am thinking about putting 2-4 plants (of the same variety) in the same hole about 1 foot apart. Since I let my figs grow into bushes with several trunks, it seems like this approach would end up giving a larger bush, faster. However, I could also envision each plant growing slower as a result of competition with the others planted so closely, leaving you with no real advantage versus a single planting.

Has anyone done this with their fig starts?

[COGardener]

The extra trees can also be gifted or sold.

High density plantings do fine as long as they are all getting what they need. You can certainty plant them closer together than one foot as well. The trees will eventually grow together into one tree. You might even plan 3 or 4 different cultivars together in the same hole. They would be easy to distinguish from one another if the fruits are distinctly different, say a black, a green, a red and a yellow.

This is something I'm planning to do in 25 gallon pot this year.

[fruitnut]

I've had four in a 15 gal pot. That worked fine. In the ground should work just as well. The only issue I see is it will make taking dormant cuttings an issue as to keeping identity correct. If you ever plan on taking cuttings I'd try to keep them separate. Not an issue if each clump is all one variety.

[COGardener]

I've had four in a 15 gal pot. That worked fine. In the ground should work just as well. The only issue I see is it will make taking dormant cuttings an issue as to keeping identity correct. If you ever plan on taking cuttings I'd try to keep them separate. Not an issue if each clump is all one variety.

I have been thinking about marking the trunks with different colors to keep the identity's straight.