Espaliered Fruit Trees and Ornamentals
The ancient art of espalier-training fruit trees and ornamental plants into an aesthetic flat form against a wall or fence creates an outstanding focal point in your landscape. Espalier-trained trees are beautiful. Training fruit trees and ornamental plants to an espalier style is not difficult and is well worth the effort. Does this Spark an idea?
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Advantages
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There are several advantages to espalier-training your plants. Trees grow more vigorously since they are open to sunlight with this type of training into a two-dimensional style. Espalier-trained trees produce high levels of fruit in a small area. You can grow up to three different varieties on a single rootstock. Harvesting fruit is easier since the plant's height is controlled.
Styles
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Choose a style that works well with the type of plant and structure you are training. The informal style is easiest to work since the tree is in its natural shape as a two-dimensional plant. This style retains the tree's aesthetic symmetry. There are formal styles that also are beautiful. Cordon style retains three tiers of branches spaced equally apart and straight out from the trunk of the tree. Belgian fence style trains several trees spaced 4 feet apart into overlapping upward-reaching branches. Fan style trains the branches in the shape of a fan.
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Structures
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Train espalier plants on existing walls, fences or trellises. Build your espalier frame trellis to ensure it provides adequate support for the weight during fruiting. Place the frame about a foot from a building so repairs can be made without disturbing the plant. Place 4-by-4-inch pressure-treated fence posts at 10-foot intervals. Attach 12-gauge wire between the posts using heavy eye bolts.
Training
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Prune your plants in the winter dormancy to stimulate new growth before flower budding. Cut away all branches that are not in the two-dimensional plane from the center stem. Depending on the style you have chosen, prune away any additional unwanted branches. Train young shoots in the summer while they are flexible. Tie branches to your structure with twine and thin bamboo stakes when a straight line is required. Continue to remove unwanted branches each year, and control branch height with pruning.
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