Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
They can be called wall trees, espaliers,
cordons, palmettes, step-overs and possibly
many other unprintable things in the
process of training!
leaders
trained to
a 45° angle
to slow
vigour
An espalier, in the sense that I use the word,
means a plant trained to one plane. It is a
two-dimensional plant pared back to reveal a
skeleton of mother branches well furnished
with productive wood. It is a marriage of art
and science; ultimate gardening! It allows the
maximum amount of air and light to each
bud, making the most efficient of fruit trees
by eliminating unproductive wood.
Figure 5.12
The fan-trained espalier. Always keep the
centre of the fan open and encourage downward growth.
The fruiting branches are temporary for peaches,
almonds, nectarines, Japanese plums and sour cherries.
Sweet cherry and European plum will have more
permanent branches as they fruit on long-lived spurs.
The pattern in Figure 5.11 makes it easy to
grow a uniform espalier producing fruit from
top to bottom. This is best suited to apples,
pears and quince. European plums and
sweet cherry can also be trained this way
but are more suited to fan training
(see Figure 5.12).
Designandbuildinganespalier
Such an elegantly economical tree as
an espalier consists of three basic
aboveground parts: the rootstock that
determines the tree's vigour, the leader,
trained to slow its vigour, and mother
branches that bear the fruiting branches/
spurs (see Figure 5.11).
The 'step-over' or inclined cordon
is ideal for
lining a path or garden bed, and consists of
one long mother branch trained just a metre
from the ground. It needs a frame to be
trained to as any other espalier; a long piece
of old water pipe is a sturdy solution (see
Figure 5.2)
leader trained to
slow its vigour
Earlier in the topic I explained how the
cambium (sap, lifeblood) of a tree works, so
we know that generally vertical growth
produces vigorous vegetative (non-fruiting)
wood and horizontal growth produces
fruiting wood.
mother branches
rootstock
Figure 5.11
This basic horizontal design utilises a bud
arising from the mother branch as a leader. The bud/
branch is bent to the next training wire to create the next
tier of mother branches. This zigzag pattern known as
PalmetteGressant
minimises apical dominance,
consequently slowing the sap and reducing the leader's
vigour.
The easiest espalier designs, therefore, focus
on growing mother branches as horizontally
as possible. It is also true that a central
leader (product of an apical bud) will
