There are many reports of Gold Rush runting out, so I would probably say you should remove the flowers unless you are happy with the length of the current horizontals. You are on your way to a nice tree and I know it is hard to have to wait, but just remember how many years you’ll be enjoying the tree in the future.
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so you mean if I remove the flowers, it will grow more length along the wire and if not - it will stay as is?
May be I looked at a wrong source. But I was thinking about trees that they show on the pictures of old English gardens. The horizontal branches are 4-6’’ in diameter… if space is 12 - what will be there for fruit production?
I can’t say that it will stay as is or not grow anymore, but the chances of less growth if you let it fruit are definitely higher. With espalier you usually have a length you want the arms to fill and it might make that harder if you let it start fruiting.
thanks!
So I am looking up instructions in the American Horticultural society Pruning and Training book. They recommend 18-24" per tier, but raintree catalog has the first tier at 18" from the ground and tier 2 and 3 12" apart. I think all the retail espaliers I have seen are about like that.
Fruit production should not be a problem. First you have a spur baring apple.
From the book during summer
- prune all new laterals from the main arms to 3 leaves above the basal cluster
- Shorten all side-shoots to one leaf
- Remove completely and over vigorous and upright shoots on the arms and especially on the main stem
That’s right, but I thought 3 leaves can be long enough. Anyway, I can allow it have more space vertically, I am OK to use step ladder - there is a concrete slab next to the tree bed, so no big issue. [quote=“lordkiwi, post:12, topic:10736”]
especially on the main stem
[/quote] - It would be interesting to see if it possible to have spurs also on the main trunk, and have espalier/columnar hybrid.
If I were you, I would leave one or two apples on the tree. Bag them or wrap them in panty hose. When they ripen at the beginning of November, you’ll be glad to taste them. The tree will probably continue to grow. That’s what mine’s doing. It is on 111 rootstock. What rootstock is your tree on? If a dwarf stock, then maybe just one apple. Just my opinion.
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It is dwarf, G890. It also growing in garden bed, so soil is pretty good, I was worrying it will be too vigorous because of that, so I may leave couple. About bagging. Any reason people use plastic bags vs fine netting? I bought nice fine mosquito netting this year for my garden beds, will it work on apple?
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I think either one will work well but I have only used the plastic ziplock bags.
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Gfalina,
It looks like G 890 is very precocious. That, together with it is semi-dwarf, not dwarf makes me feel that I would leave a fruit or two to try. If it were me, I will also remove all other flower clusters now or right after bloom.
Removing flowers or fruitlets early helps the tree saves its energy.
People don’t net apple trees because most of our trees are free standing and too tall to net. Bagging is much easier and less expensive than buying a large, good quality net.
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I was actually thinking to use net just on the fruit itself, is it better or worse than zip lock? In future, I may use over tree net - tree is flat, and it should be very easy to cover. This is advantage of having just few trees - you can pet them as much is you want 
. Also, there are several clusters on each branch, I guess I have to keep apple in the middle cluster, not on the tip, correct?
I have used zip lock bags for several years with no issue. If you are careful, a bag can last a couple of seasons.
Footsox is like @Matt_in_Maryland suggested is also good. To me, it is easier to put a zip lock on than a footsie. Bagging is tedious to some. I happen to like doing it being out in an orchard in the middle of my fruit trees.
Apples are easier to thin because there is a king fruit, the biggest one in the middle. Most of the time, it is the largest fruit to keep. Sometimes, king fruit drop, too.
Watch out for June drop. That is when a tree drop its young fruit. It probably know how many it can carry. I noitce that when I thin a lot early, I don’t have many June drops.
In fact, I juat came in from taking off so many flower clusters on my pears and apples. I don’t wait for them to set fruit. Last year, William’s Pride, Honey Crisp and 20 Century pears went biennial even though I thought I thinned a lot.
This year, I want to break this biennial cycle and will thin more aggressively. @fruitnut suggest thinning 90% off Asian pears. I have to start taking blooms out sooner than Later.
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Galina,
I just finished pruning the first round of apples and pears. Took off clusters of flowers to save me time and the tree energy.
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Mine are not open yet, not even visible very well in the leaf cluster,. But if I look closer, I can see them and touch them.
This is an old thread but resurrecting it. I was out doing a little work on my trees this afternoon and noticed this on my gold rush. Do you think that will make a flower next spring? It is on a seedling root and 2019 will be its third leaf I think
That looks like it, but it depends on many factors…
The tree has three other trunks with other types of apples , the gold rush looks more like spurs on it this fall than the other trees. I really have no experience with apples just comparing it to my pears
My Goldrush is very young - just finishing its third leaf. On Gen30 and then re-planted to bury the graft union, if memory serves. I ran outside with the flashlight to take a peek. All the spur buds look like yours, narrower than blooming buds I’ve seen on my other apples. My guess at this time is that this bud is vegetative. If I’m wrong, we’ll both be surprised. Lotsa possible spurs, if that is the case, and I will allow it only one or two sample fruits next season, because it is already a natural semi-dwarf.