Fuit salad fig tree
Question
We have limited space in our garden in Chu"L and would like to add additional fig varieties without installing more trees in-ground. Is it permissible to do a multi-graft fig tree (i.e. a fruit salad fig tree), since they are all figs on a fig rootstock--or is there an issue of maris ayin? If there is an issue of maris ayin, could this be mitigated by only grafting similar colored figs (i.e. multiple green figs on together)?
Answer
Great question! As you thought, in principle, when the fruit is from the same species, it is permissible to graft even if the fruit of the rootstock looks somewhat different from the fruit of the scion. However, in the case of a "fruit salad" tree, it is proper to avoid grafting different varieties onto the same rootstock that produce different-looking fruit on the same tree (i.e. different colors, different shape). The same is true for citruses.
Yet, if the scions are various fig varieties that are just slightly different, it is permissible to graft them onto the same fig rootstock.
This is the ruling of the head of Torah VeHa'aretz Institute, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy Amichay.