How to Prune Established Espalier Trees

Espalier is a technique of pruning and shaping a woody plant, tree or shrub to grow in a single plane, such as against a wall or on a fence. It is very labor intensive and is recommended for serious-minded gardeners who have the time. Here are a few tips to maintaining an espalier.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dormant Sprays
• Bypass Pruners
• Loppers
• Twist Ties

1. Keep unwanted growth in check by pinching. Note that pinching encourages new growth, however, and it is not advisable to encourage new growth late in the fall since it may not have time to "harden," and may be susceptible to frost damage later in the year.

2. Prune large branches or limbs with bypass pruners or lopping shears only when the plant is dormant.

3. Encourage new growth by pruning just above a bud union or leaf scar on an existing limb. Sometimes you may need to start a new branch growing to take the place of one which has been removed.

4. Tie and fasten new branches into position with garden twist ties as soon as possible. Early training of soft, pliable branches is much easier than trying to train older, hard wood.

5. Allow room for air circulation between the branches. Espaliers that have limbs grown too close together may have problems with fungus disease. Keep in mind the size of the leaves and the eventual size of the plant over-all when pruning for space.

Tips & Warnings

• Espaliers are perfect for growing large trees in a small space. Apples, pears, peaches and apricots are all perfect subjects for espalier. Some non-fruiting plants suitable for espalier are Maples, pyracantha, camellia, dogwood and citrus.
• Spray trees with dormant spray to kill overwintering insects.
• Do not overfertilize fruiting espalier trees. It can cause excessive vegetative growth at the expense of the fruit.