Growing an Apple Tree on Espalier
Thinking of using an espalier? Here’s practical guidance on using an espalier to grow an apple tree…
Stemming from the Italian word spalliera, “something to rest the shoulder against,” espalier is the process of managing plant growth in a flat plane, typically against a wall or along a trellis.
Growing an Apple Tree on Espalier
Set up your trelace to support your tree limbs in the years to come. Make sure it will be strong enough when your tree starts to grow and put pressure on the wires. This can be easily achieved by concreting poles into the ground, and running wires or cable horizontally about 450mm apart, with your first wire 800mm off the ground to allow for maintenance under the tree.
It’s a good idea to have some sort of device fixed to the wires that can be used to strain the wires tight periodically to maintain tension on the wires, thereby maintaining the form of the tree.
There is no need to have them as tight as a piano string, just straight and firm without sagging.
Select a young tree with a single stem and buds on opposite sides of the stem. These buds will form your first two branches or arms of your espalier.
Remove any growth that occurs under the two main arms i.e. anything from the ground to the branches.
Understanding terminal bud or apical bud energy is vital when training a tree to an espalier form, both terms refer to the highest tip of the tree, where energy is being directed in order that the tree grows higher.
When growing an espalier in order to force energy to the arms horizontally to reach each end, you must supress the upward energy, you do this by cutting upward shoots short thereby redirecting energy to the end tips of the espalier arms. This pruning will need to occur frequently throughout the growing season when the sap is flowing.
When side shoots have been pruned, and terminal bud energy is directed to the tip at the ends of both the arms, it will start to curl upward. This will need to be continually tied down to the wire to keep the arm straight, after it has grown a bit in length.
Until both arms reach each end, never attempt to direct terminal bud energy upward to the next wire or you will lose the energy required to complete the development of the lower arms.
‘Little and often’ regularly attending the tree to avoid losing energy through those side shoot getting too big before you prune them down is important. This is the key to faster development of the arms through the growth seasons.
Once the arms have reached the end of the wires, allow one buds to grow from one of the arms not far from the trunk. When it has reached the second wire, chose two buds on each side of the stem, just like when you first started, and cut off the top and train the two buds into the two new arms. When both arms reach the ends allow a bud from the opposite side arm to form the next shoot to grow up to the next wire.
Keep suppressing side shoots on all arms on each level until your espalier has been completed. After a couple of years, the tree will start producing fruit spurs. Take care not to prune these off.
Pruning soon after fruit pick is a good idea, as it will regulate the growth of the tree.
As espaliered pome fruit trees are well supported, fruit thinning is rarely necessary, and fruit is normally large and high quality.
Diagramatically, here’s what you’re aiming for…
What About Other Trees for Espalier?
I personally don’t favour espalier with cherry, apricot or peach trees, as the wire can cause scaring on the bark, leading to wood rotting diseases getting intro the tree.
A preferred option for those trees, if you are looking for the same two-dimensional form, would be to tie them down with a ground wire. In my next blog, I’ll cover tying down cherries and apricots into a two-dimensional form while protecting the limb with a soft poly tube or rubber bicycle tube. This is commonly used when growing cherries.
Not only does it keep cherries lower and easier to manage moving between trees, but it also directs hormones in the tree to produce fruit rather than wood.
David Allington
David is the owner of Allingtons Lawn & Garden Care. He has been in the horticultural industry for nearly three decades, and has pioneered an exciting gardening services business at the cutting edge of the industry. Through this site, he shares his knowledge and expertise. Return to the home page to view all on offer or drop us a line via the contact form.
