I am growing espaliers for the first time. I have 5 that have been grafted with 4 different apple varieties. Can anyone direct me on how/when to prune? We live in Santa Fe, NM…
I prune mine all summer and winter. It really all depends on what you are trying to accomplish as far as shape. There are a few really good threads on this topic if you do a search.
That depends on how old and how established are the various scaffolds ( arms) .
If you search " how to espalier apples", “setting up espalier apples” or even “espalier fruit trees” you will get dozens of items.
a sample below…
Generally, at the beginning you are pruning for shape and later, after the scaffolds are set, you start paying attention to production.
Here in NY Z5b, I do all my pruning starting in late July and go on through Sept. as needed.
Mike
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When growing an espalier on a wall would it require a wall that runs east / west for maximum light exposure or could you grow one on a north/south wall that only gets direct light half the day?
@Derby42
In my climate, some plants such as blueberries and dragon fruit prefer an east-facing wall instead of being blasted by the sun on afternoons with the relative humidity below 40%. Apples though prefer full sun here in my experience.
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Interesting, thanks for your reply, so maybe apples /pears are out