Hi: I was wandering if someone could help me with basic rules for pruning an apple espalier. Basically it has 3 lateral branches on each side and the two upper most lateral branches and the main trunk are growing out of control. My bottom line is I would like to get the most apples out of this tree. As a side note: each lateral is supposed to produce a diferent apple variety, but I noticed that only 3 of the 6 varieties have been flowering and producing some fruits. I planted this tree three years ago (good south exposure). thanks palois
I'll pass this along to Tony Maniezzo, the horticulturist who espaliers fruit trees at UBC garden. However, I'd also suggest that the best way to learn (and gain hands-on experience!) is to attend Tony's upcoming course: How to Espalier Fruit Trees
espalier pruning the " out of control " growth on the upper laterals need to be cut back during the growing season to both maintain shape and encourage fruiting spurs to develop along the stems. In mid June/July, cut back new growth to 5 buds. In september when new growth again is approx 8 in. long cut back to 3 buds. This should help in the formation of fruiting spurs. I have a 3 hour class/workshop with more details if you are interested, Saturday June 19 9-12 at the botanical gardens.
