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| Apple fruit. 03/18/2012 |
Well it's been a very long time since I last posted about the espalier apple tree. My garden is suffering from complete neglect from the last year. Since the last time I've posted about my apple tree project, we have survived one of the worst (if not the worst) droughts on record in South Texas. The previous spring, I think I pruned the tree before the tree flowered and set fruit. Last summer the tree it's self grew very little. I added a drip irrigation system to the tree but the water restrictions only allowed watering once a week. I'm just glad the tree is still alive and made it through the severe drought.
This year, I resisted the temptation to get out there and prune the cordon branches off and I'm really glad I did. There are several tiny apples growing on those wayward branches. I added a fresh layer of compost from my compost bin on top of the mulch. The main branches are taking the shape that I want and staying in place. The new growth at the end of the branches tends to want to grow up towards the sky. I need to tie them down so they grow in the right direction.
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| Espalier guide wire |
All in all I would say that growing an espalier tree is not as difficult as it sounds. It is more work than just sticking a tree in the ground and forgetting about it. Initially it takes work and effort to build the trellis to grow the tree on. After getting it started, it only takes a few minutes every couple of months to maintain. I prune once a year after fruit production is finished and tie down the new growth every couple of months. Occasionally I have to do some maintenance on the trellis like tightening the screws that anchor the guide wires. The next trees that I espalier, I will use cement on the trellis posts (the posts are starting to list slightly to left).
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| Dwarf Espalier Apple Tree |
Also, I have found that using the the twine type rope pictured in the previous post works great for tying off the branches. Just keep in mind not to tie the rope off too tight. I have read that doing so can damage the tree as it grows. I just loosely tie the rope around the branch and wire with approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch of extra space in the rope. The best part of the rope is after some time of being out in the elements, it deteriorates and is easily removed. If I forget to remove one, I think the trees growth would be enough to break the string.
Now it's up to my beagle to keep the squirrels from stealing the apples until I can get some type of squirrel proofing on the trellis.
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