Do not plant one clone as the whole orchard

Uniform trees are easy to pick and pack. They are also one pathogen, one wind, or one failed rootstock away from a whole-block loss. Export banana walls taught that lesson. A small mix of proven clones, or a standard plus a trial line, keeps a path if one genotype fails.

This is not a call to plant random seedlings. It is a call not to bet every hole on one labelled bag. Keep identity. Keep a mother tree. Add a second clone where the channel still pays.

If one wilted row would empty the farm, you planted an insurance problem.

In this series

• Name the defect before you buy a famous cultivar
• Do not plant one clone as the whole orchard
• Fruit quality and root survival are two jobs
• Clone the winner and retest — the best tree may be the best soil
• Rank trees over years, not one heavy crop
• A trial is only as honest as the labels on the plants