To do this, the middle shoot will need to be.

Step 1: Collect your scion Find a branch that’s between 7 and 10 centimetres long, with one or two buds on it. Step 2: Prep your root stock Make a sloping, diagonal cut through the root stock’s stem. The cut should be about 5 Step 3: Prep your scion Make a sloping, diagonal cut on the bottom of. As most espaliered trees are subjected to intense pruning and ‘braking’ of growth with training, in general, semi-dwarf or vigorous rootstocks should be used in all but the most fertile soils.

For clay soils, select rootstocks that perform well in this soil type. Jul 31, To espalier an apple or pear tree, plant it, then prune the tree to the height where you want your first tier (just above the first wire) and where there are several strong buds just below the cut.

YEAR 1, SUMMER Come spring, the buds will shoot.

Choose a bud at this height that has two more buds beneath on opposite sides so you can repeat the process.

In summer, train one shoot vertically, one to the left and one to the shrubmulching.barted Reading Time: 6 mins. Hi Kath, espalier trees benefit from summer pruning and winter pruning. In summer if you cut back the long branches that shoot up, a fruiting spur should appear and so cut back above the fruiting spur. Research your tree variety and the best growing shape for fruit trees i.e. open vase, central leader, trellis, fan, espalier or bush.

Prune on a dry day, to limit the spread of fungal spores and diseases. Use sharp secateurs to make clean cuts on an angle, above a bud or branch. Prune.

However if not and the more likely scenario you will need to cut the central growing tip at the top of the tree just below the next wire, making sure there are nodes where the leaf comes out from the tree below the cut so new branches can grow and be trained along the next wire.

3. Prepare the support, fixing horizontal wires to a structure that will support your espalier and train the branches at desired angles. Wires should be spaced 30 – 60cm apart, with eyebolts used on fences and walls to keep the tree away from the structure. 4. Plant your tree, setting it in the ground about 30cm from the wall, fence or post structure.

shrubmulching.barted Reading Time: 2 mins. However, pruning is made much more simple using an Espalier training method and on top of this, it is far easier to pick the fruit. Rather than branches being allowed to grow in any direction they please, Espalier apple trees are trained so that the branches grow horizontally out to each side of the main stem.