Is anyone here using espalier techniques for your figs? I have some new rooted cuttings that I’ll be training as espaliers and was curious to see what styles you’ve had the most success with.
Brad
Hi Brad,
You don’t see a whole lot of espalier figs since they are such vigorous growers it is hard to maintain the controlled look we all love about espalier. But I think the simple multi-cordon approach is probably best, which is basically a horizontal branch grown out to each side with a series of vertical shoots coming up about 10-12 inches apart. This is similar to the Japanese stepover figs, but all grown in a single plane instead of in a v-shape out from the horizontals. The stepover approach allows for more verticals, but obviously doesn’t keep it growing in the single plane like a espalier.
Here is a link to someone growing a long row in the stepover on the figs4fun forum:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/an-overdue-step-over-update-6981430
If you scroll down on this page you’ll see a more recent update:
And here is someone doing it in one plane as a regular espalier against a wall:
I was actually going to do this against a short masonry wall on a side porch, but my wife didn’t like the idea of me replacing the peonies we had growing there…
What I really like about this idea is that if you are willing to forgo any breba crop, you can prune it back to little nubs on the horizontal when the fig goes dormant, making it much easier to protect the fig. This is particularly true since it is all so close to the ground, instead of sticking up in the air, so you’ve got the effect of the warmer ground right beneath the horizontals that should provide much better protection. This is quite similar to how some folks try to bend or otherwise lay their figs down for winter protection, but is already built into the design and doesn’t become harder as the fig matures like it does if you’re trying to get a vertical fig down to the ground once it matures.
If I had the space, I would definitely try it as a scheme for winter protection, plus it can look pretty cool as a wall of figs!
Thanks zendog, I remember seeing pictures of the japanese pruning style a few years ago. I’ve considered this style but thought the growth might not be vigorous enough if I keep these in containers. I might try this one and a few different styles to see which one I like the best.
Brad