Hiya, Looking to espalier pears, plums and cherry trees next season. How far apart should I be spacing these trees? I have read anywhere from 6ft to 17ft. thanks!
Since no-one else wants to say any-thing....I personally have never planted more than one at a time for a client. Spacing for multiple espalier fruit trees would depend on how far you want the branches to spread horizontally and how many trees and space you have for them. If you plant them closer together, you will just have to prune them more often. I have a client that planted a peach tree on the side of their house. It is forty feet wide and has to be pruned four or five times during the growing season. Granted, it was not grown on dwarf root stock like a typical espalier tree.
I would think that the spacing depends on both the rootstock chosen and the style of espallier (horizontal, angled etc). At least for apples I know that there are many different numbered rootstocks with varied degrees of dwarfing. Before starting the project you should get hold of a recent book on espalliering fruit trees. Your local library could probably get one through interlibrary loans. Another option is to ask the nursery you are getting the trees from for their recommendations on spacing.
Thanks you two. Looks like I am going to have to research the trees I am going to plant first, then figure out the spacing. Cheers.
