“Espaliering” used as a verb describing a pleasureable activity. Exactly how I feel about it. It really is such a pleasureable way to grow fruit trees. You get positive feedback loop because unlike the other way of growing, you can see the changes almost every day.
And when those fruit hang in the open like bunches of grapes…ahhh!
Michael.
Instead of Espalier my trees I grow them in a “wheel spoke” fashion. One layer at about 40cm, the next at about 80cm and the top at about 1.2M I support the lateral growth with bamboo stakes along the branches and tied down the bamboo to short lengths of star pickets driven in the ground. I remove the bamboo when the branches are established in their horizontal positions.
Where I have less desirable “in ground” trees. I top them out at about the 80 cm level and bark graft for laterals at this height and for the upper branches, often with multiple cultivars around the topped-out trunk.
Trees are top worked (using dormant scions) as soon as spring sap flow is observed. The scions are well established before epicormic growth is seen. I have not experienced the situation where the epicormic growth dominates the grafted cultivars.
I allow epicormic growth at the 40cm height to save the cultivar, or alternatively I include the original cultivar as one of the multi grafts around the topped-out trunk.
If a second epicormic branch is where I want it, I graft the desired cultivar growing immediately above it onto that branch later in the season when this branch has matured (using a scion from one of the summers prunings as is the practice with training espalier trees). If the epicormic branch is not where I want it, I do a lateral bark graft of the desired cultivar(s) at 40cm to create the lowest branch to my tree.
I rub off any excess epicormic growth at the two-leaf stage.
I have found that the lateral growth at 40cm is comparable to the growth at the higher levels.
As the canopy of the “new” tree develops, the number and frequency of epicormic growth decreases.
downunder Could you post some pictures for us? I suspect a number of us would like to see what you have described. And Mike MES111, I think espalier is a regular ‘er’ latin verb (The dictionary disagrees with me, but who wrote the dictionary?), in English, ‘to espalier’. I’m jealous, you are years ahead of me. But I’m sure the journey is as enjoyable as the destiny. Thanks Ken
I imagined a side grafts crotch angle not being a problem if you cut just above it.
However if you side graft to get an extra branch, like in the video’s in this topic. (without cutting the stock above it)
i worrie about long term crotch angle. (assuming you can get the side graft to grow large enough for it to be a problem)
i am curious though. Since there is almost no frost in australia. Can you graft year round? (early winter/mid winter still seems warm enough for good callusing)
I side graft trunks as in the video. I see no difference in crotch angle between that new growth and a redirected branch in an espalier situation.where the crotch angle can be quite acute to achieve the horizontal growth of the selected branch. In my case, I direct the new branch to where I want it to go and have seen no adverse effects from doing so. My observations would suggest that the crotch angle from epicormic growth can sometimes be similar to that achieved with the graft without any consequence.
Much of southern Australia has four distinct seasons. Where I am situated we have days of -3 to -6C. with heavy frosts.
I need to use a hot callusing tube production for all winter grafting activity. Here we are in the third week of autumn (fall) and already the sap has stopped flowing in most plants.
Oscar
Another situation where crotch angles may appear to be an issue is where there is double budded stock.Where the buds are on opposite sides but one bud is lower on the trunk than the other.
The angle that the bottom bud follows is not unlike that seen with grafting onto the side of a trunk.
Those are however examples where
-the stock is pruned back. (unlike the side graft on mature tree from video)
-there is no included bark while budding. (unlike the side graft on the mature tree from the video. There is already half an inch or more bark included just by how the graft is done.)
By cutting the stock, your effectivly fixing your crotch angle.
By bending your new shoot after bud grafting your also fixing your crotch angle.
However with the side bark graft from the video. You can not fix the crotch angle. Unles you graft differently.
Or you bend the scion 45 degrees or more. I doubth thats possible with that thicknes of scion and the spot it would need to bend.
I was talking specificaly about this video posted earlier in the topic.
If you had a bud, below the horizontal line in the (cros) graft. And you’d cut just above that. I think you might get a good long term crotch angle, that does not bark include.
I am talking specificaly about crotch angle with this in mind
Not neccesarely the eventual position of the branch. Specificaly the crotch angle and the chanche of bark inclusions.
To shape fruit trees either as an Espalier or free standing, pome fruit (e.g.apple, pear quince) are trained horizontally. Stone fruit ( e.g. cherry, peach, apricot) are trained as a Vase “V” shape. Unwanted lateral and vertical growth are pruned back to 2-3 buds during summer
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Out of 10 peach grafts I’ve done in the spring only 2 grew so I had 20% success. A year later those two died so I am down to 0.
Last Oct 8th I grafted a 12 inch non dormant peach scion. It was a splice or clef graft. I don’t remember. All the buds have now started growing so it was a success. After the Oct 8th graft there where 14 days of high temps in 60s followed by 6 days of 40-50. Xylem connection takes in about 7 days so I assume it made a connection during those first 14 days of low to upper 60s.
