Love your enthusiasm! You simplify an otherwise intimidating process. I watched this and went right out and gave my espaliers a radical haircut. Thanks!
Wow Mike! Your videos are inspiring! I remember as a little girl seeing a pic in an old book on fruit trees where they trained apple trees into a lattice pattern and I’ve always wanted to do it ever since! Now I *really* want to do it. Lol I need a bigger farm!
There is a nursey down in Tenn that grows and sales Belgian fences, per your description. They have two videos on TH-cam. The trees are grown in pots . And it takes multiple tress to make a fence. It must be a nightmare to ship such a fence
My third try on commenting. I just looked forward to your spring pruning video. You answered my question in that the fruit spurs did come in. I was also surprised that the trees in this video were only two years old. The farm where I keep bees uses wiring but it's not necessarily espaliered fruiting. But the set up of the posts and wires is something for me to see in person. Also, the post and wiring is very similar to setting up for raspberries. Thanks for the video. Now I have to get my wife to say yes to fruiting up the yard front and back. Wish me luck
I have loved trees; especially fruit trees, all of my life. I grew up in Western Pa. where my family and my Grandma, who lived near us had many fruit trees and especially apples. I never knew of any way to have fruit trees other than the way they ' normally ' grow----round; up and out! I now live in Western Oregon, where of course, I have fruit trees in my 1/2 acre yard. Still, not until 2 years ago, I only knew of one way to raise fruit trees. But I wanted to plant more trees than I had room for. A friend----who also loves fruit trees---told me about Espalier. The idea fascinated me. So, I asked him if he would show me how to do it. He did. And now I have a variety of fruit trees, ( including apples, of course! ) in my yard. The fence around my yard makes a great support. And I have added 2 rows of posts and wires where I had some room. Sooooo, I'm now into the Espalier fruit growing style. By the way, I'm 73 years young. So, yes---it IS possible to teach an ' old dog ' new tricks! RRUUFFF!
Glad you've found this style of pruning and growing trees, Kenneth! I absolutely love the look and the number of trees you can fit into a small area. Have fun with your garden!
Bro, thanks for the pruning tips. Seems like every video I watch says a lot but I come away still unsure. You explained it really well and I have greater confidence in my pruning and a conceptual grasp of the ‘why’ of pruning.
Thank you your video was so clear especially the part about fruit spurs so clear I really appreciate your video I'm so excited you gave me the confidence to go for it. Ty
Fantastic video! Your explanation on how to prune was so helpful! We haven't had any fruit on our apple espalier, but this summer got two apples! I don't think they would've grown had I not followed you excellent advice! Thanks!
2 is a good start. They don't produce much when they're young but over time they'll produce more and more. Make sure to do your summer pruning for fruit spurs.
Espaliered fruit trees is a beautiful and practical art form that's been practiced for probably thousands of years. I love how these trees look after pruning!
Mike, Have you ever heard of “砀山酥梨= Dangshan pear？” It come from Anhui province China. The best taste of pears. It is so crispy and juicy! When you bite into it, the juice running on your fingers! I whish I could have it here U.S.A.
The U.S Custom stops foreign plants. But people sometimes can get away from it. I have red tree of heaven/ Chinese toon which my friend took here U.S.A. I'll try again to bring the pear tree sometime. If I had it, I'd give you, since you have passion on trees.
very impressive mike. hard work and beautifully done. the only espalier pear tree i have seen is at the Cloisters museum in nyc. the pear tree is made into a candelabra and about 12 feet tall and 8 foot wide. it's gotta be more than 60 yrs. +. the horizontal branches are nuded but the vertical are leafed and fruited every year. planted against a wall for support. it for decoration, yours are for production--i like that. good luck and success. carmine p.
Glad you guys are ok. We've been having such long and hot summers the past 4 years and I feel like we're the new Southern California up here. Really makes it difficult with keeping the traditional plants (like rhododendrons) healthy and watered well. More and more I'm coming to accept our new climate and am starting to transition to more plants and trees that can take the heat.
Definitely makes watering more difficult even with all the mulch I use. I hand water everything I have. I enjoy spending my early mornings outside and getting to see all my baby’s growing up and getting more established. I was going to ask you if you would be willing to sell me some English laurel later on when the weather cools down. I can’t find any around here. I would rather buy from you than anybody else anyway
That's a whole other problem to solve, lol. Good news is that it's spring and they're in most nurseries. What makes me feel happy and blessed is that you watched the video and don't even have an apple tree. Thanks for watching and hanging out here with us on the channel!
Yes! I just moved and want my peach, pecan & apple trees! I think I'm going to root a few of the stems & do exactly what you have done. Any suggestions on rooting my old trees that will ensure more success?
Never tried to root fruit trees from cuttings but air layering works great. Once you get them air layered and moved to your new place you should definitely graft them onto better rootstock.
Nice Job. Your explanation of pruning the sucker branches is especially helpful. Does anyone know if pruning citrus tree suckers, in the same branch location, is effective ? I guess I'm going to Give iT a try. Thanks !
Love your video! Your pruning explanations are so helpful. I have listened to several people try and explain how to prune but I have never really understood before like I do now. Thank you so much, I am working on plans to add some fruit trees to my yard next spring. Question for you, can this be done with other fruit trees? Peaches, apricots, plums, cherries... I want them all
Thanks so much for making this video! I learned so much just from your passing remarks, especially about how summer pruning causes fruit spurs while winter pruning makes suckers. So what do you do right now, beginning of March, with your trees? Any way to prevent late frost kills after this mild winter/early blooming? Looking forward to how your trees mature. They do look cool! :) God bless!
High density orchard pruning is similar to espalier pruning and the typical advise is to remove the leaf bud on the underside of the branch . The reasoning is that the fruit on the underside will be shaded . I get the point but but the upward pointing branches are kind of rare . The idea is to space the fruit vertical shoots like six inches apart . That is hard to achieve the vertical shoot that Mike prunes to 3 buds above the basal bud typically grow 2 inches apart then ten inches of blind wood. ( no branching ) the 2 other vertical shoot about 2 or 3 inching apart . Kind of frustrating
So glad you did this video . Your explanation about identifying the basil leaves then going the third leaf over the future fruit spur or basil cluster made me really understand what many other channels attempting to explain but for various reason , lack of close ups fail to get across I need an explanation about how to form the first cordon or horizontal branching 1 the size of the planted tree how tall were they? 2 did you prune the newly planted tree at the bottom wire level Or Several inches above the lower wire to continue the growth of the central leader? 3 do you have a technique to determine or train wide crotch branching for horizontal cordons. Many of my attempts at a bud growing straight up off the central leader with an unacceptable acute crotch angle..
See I have been buying Trees from. Lowest 7 , 8 feet tall 3/4 diameter or bigger trunks with first branching at about four feet then trying to develop a lower cordon level with grafts or notching . It not working out. I see Willis nursery in Georgia sell whips or 1 to 4 feet branch less trees which I think is the style of tree you originally planted in this video . Could you describe the size of the tree you originally planted. I heard you say he have been in the round 2 years.
I think I understand that the size of your trees are the one you grow yourself The video on grafting the scion wood from your mother's place to your home grown rootstock. So your trees are one and a half feet tall to plant on your trellis. Something like that. I have heard on other channels Here is the latest " How to train pear trees into a 4 leader system on open tamura trellis" by channel tools resources. The host says to allow the horizontal laterals to not be tied down at the last foot to keep the lateral growing longer. The end should be growing vertical during the growing season then tied down if it reaches , as in your case, the post. In your experience is that valid? Or will the length continue to lengthen completely tied down as you show in this video
Hey Bob, I actually bought these trees as regular bare root apple and pear trees that were about 6 feet tall and ready to plant in the ground. I didn't want to wait several years to start the training process. I just found the best branches to train and tied them to the wire and them pruned back everything else. So these trees started out at a good size already, they just weren't trained yet as espaliered when I bought them.
@@MikeKincaid79 Back to square one again. You did like I did. Buy a branched tree and adapt the existing branches to the trellis. In my original message I was absolutely convinced to do the opposite. That is , get a branch less whip. Cut it about 5 inches , 8 inchs or three inches above the lowest trellis wire. That excess over the lowest wire would be to continue central leader And wait . Mostly hope for bud break below the wire for suitable branches to cordon the lowest wire So back to square one the adaptation of existing branches to the trellis. Hum. Uh huh yep. Ok so in Bob's experimental orchard this coming growing season I will maintain my trees that I trained existing branches to form horizontal cordons < > < > < > < >AND > < > < > < > < > A test plot of whip or branch less trees cut to form the first or lowest horizontal cordon with the stub to continue the central leader. Fruit production is not my primary goal the form of the tree is That is why t get so frustrated with adapting existing branches to the wires. Take for instance a case that happen occasionally where I notched a bud and two branches grow from that bud the branches gain 4 feet equally and in opposite directions perfect to cordon ::::::::::;;;;;;;::::::BUT::::::::::;;;:::;;;;::::;;;;;;;:: They are mounted on a bump that could be fragile.so I fret about that.
Nothing in nature is perfectly symmetrical and that's what gives them character. I had a few branches break while tying them down. Heartbreaking but in the end it all worked out. Maybe I can remember to get a video up about it. I think the method of training them as they grow is still a great way to do it and the preferred method if you have the time.
As more video appear on espalier this video is still the motherlode on how to assure abundance fruiting on your horizontal cordon. Gardener Scott is doing a series on espalier and I ask him to do a similar video to this one on how to promote those basal buds for fruiting. I probably offended him but many espalier lessons don't really explain well the reason for pruning to promote fruiting
Thanks, Robert, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Maybe I should do some more videos on this subject. These trees are really starting to fruit for us well now that they are getting established and have some years on them.
Thank you for a fantastic video. And the others! On the money instruction. I do this professionally and I watch this to get me in the zone! Thanks Mike. Also I love the fact these trees have only been in the ground for two years. And already they're getting this much fruit. Did you plant them as whips or feathered whips or half trained? Would love to know
Thanks for the awesome comment. Good to know I'm on the right track from a professional's viewpoint. I'm all self taught, with a lifetime of training and experimenting. I bought these trees as bareroot trees at a local nursery. I'd say they were about 6 or 7 feet tall at the tips of the branches when I bought them. I planted them in the spot they are in and picked the best branches to pull down and begin training, then pruned away the rest. It's worked out well. Not sure how old they were when I bought them but they were young plants. I think they've done so well because of the ground prep I did. 6 inches of composted cow manure and 6 inches of wood chips over the whole orchard. I got those ideas from Paul Gautchi (spelling).
Good info. Have you considered grafting different pears for pollination in a few places down that row? Going to try that this summer. And once people taste home grown pears, they will be greatly surprised. When I bought pears in a grocery store, I didn’t like. But picked when ripe from my trees, they were fantastic!!!! Granddaughter did not like peaches till she had ripe ones off the tree! Loved them!!!! March 10, 2021
It's so true, the homegrown fruit tastes much better! I've got 3 different varieties of pears here and I picked them to compliment each other as far as pollination goes.
Right there @ the 15:26 that might be called "click pruning " 2 or three vegative buds above the Basal bud ... then theverticle branch / lateral /stem is cut. In the videos on "click pruning" they do it in the dormant season where the Basal buds cant be seen at the base of the upright stem so the cut above the 2ed bud . Or third bud. That's what they say. They call it reducing the vigour which direct the energy/carbohydrates to form those vegative buds into fruiting bud in the summertime or spring Click Pruning is done on one year old wood as you show @ 15:26 After the third year of fruiting you cut off your fruiting steam bach to that horizontal cordon . That's called a renewal cut and that creates a vegative branch at the same spot to start all over again The 1st click cut is on last season's growth. One year old wood as they call it. The following season the summer following the winter you click prune a fruit bud firmed at the base of the stem ( basal bud I guess) The year following (2ed growing season ) you click prune again before bud break ,sometime in April I guess . And that adds one additional blossom to the Basal cluster or blossom at the base of the stem 3ed year you get 3 blossoms. After the 4th year you cut the entire stem off. To start over The idea is to eliminate "blind wood " . The closer to the trunk a fruiting branch the larger the fruit On this espalier tree maybe the horizontal cordon can be considered the Trunk. I dont know Click pruning is variety specific according to the Italian guy who presented it to North America by Washington State University Bartlett pears and and crimson crisp apples are specific because they fruit on one year old wood or last sessons growth You are demonstrating this on Comice and Moonglow pears as well so I dont know if "click pruning " is that specific or cant be used on varieties that fruit on 2 or 4 year old wood. At the 5 year mark or at the end of the 4th year all pruning gurus say cut the fruiting branch off no matter the pruning technique Pruning is not simple what worjsbest on one cultivar ( plum, apple Cherry) may not be best for another . And within variety of the same Plum, pear or cherry. IF YOU WANT TO SLOW THE VIGOR DOWN spread or weight the branches cl closer to the horizontal or tip the branches. Well that what click pruning is . Or a part of click pruning When you prune a branch I typically get a 3 prong pitch fork branching wether I prure summer or winter . To slow the growth down you clip off the two other prongs and on the last prong standing you clip the top most bud or the top most 3 buds I dont know. It confusing as hell. Pruning dead , crossing or interior growing branches is the least of the amatures problem . I'm getting a headaches how about you
MIKE: GOT ME INTERESTED IN LOOKING UP ESPALIER TREES AND FOUND ONE TREE WAS A "FIG TREE". RIGHT AWAY I THOUGHT OF YOU. POSSIBLY A TASK FOR YOU. CARMINE
I've seen pics of espaliered fig trees and would love to try it, just need a good spot to start. I have so many fir trees around here but there's an area I'd like to clear for more apples and figs.
Hi Mike, thanks for the great video! It's mid-April now. Should I wait until mid-summer to prune the vertical suckers on my tree? I've had it 2 years and just finally got around to learning about how to care for it properly.
I just saw your video of espalier and I am very impressed and encouraged to do the same thing with my existing 3 espaliered pear and one fuji apple espalier. My question is, I haven't pruned my fuji this summer, is it too late to prune since it's already almost fall? I live in zone 8. And also, I just bought a Korean Giant Asian Pear and plan to espalier as well about 5ft. tall. I'm going to plant it this Saturday. Should I prune it for espalier right after I plant or wait until late winter? I will greatly appreciate taking your time to give me your advice. Thank you very much!
I waited to prune mine in winter when they were dormant. I just love this style of pruning and the trees produce so heavily. Everything is at a manageable height as well. I should probably put up a video soon of the fruit production I've gotten off these trees this year.
What type of wire do you use? I just made a high cordon grape trellis with 4x4s ground anchors high tensil wire and rachet strainers. Grapes kind of need a good trellis but I'm guessing espalier apples don't so I'm trying to figure out a good way to trellis them.
Hey Mike I have a question about your espaliered fruit trees: should I be planting dwarf trees or regular apples/pears ? I want to plant them over an arch so total of about 4 metres .
I labored over this decision myself and after researching the topic quite a bit I settled on a semi-dwarf rootstock. Rootstocks come in a range of sizes and the more dwarf they are the more diseases they seem to have and they produce weaker trees from what I've seen. For my grafting, I finally settles on the rootstock (M-111 EMLA). Even though it produces a larger semi-dwarf tree, it has one of the best ratings for resistance to diseases and the trees will be healthier in the long run. Don't forget, you can always prune a tree to whatever size you want.
I bought 2 young Bartlets and started to espalier train them to 3 layers of horizontal branches each. Now it's early March in my zone 6 PA garden and the trees are loaded with upward shoots, some 2ft high. Can I prune them to short en them or if too late, can I train them as candelabras?
Yes, yes, yes! LOL. You can always prune them to whatever shape you want. That's one of the great things about apple trees. They are tough and resilient and take well to just about any type of pruning and training at any time of year.
Hi Mike! Awesome video! I work at retail nursery in South central Kansas. We got some espalier apple trees in #20 pots. They have three different varieties of apples grafted to the middle trunk. But we only got them at the end of August. Since then they have shot up water sprouts on the top level of main branches. Is it too late in the season to prune those water sprouts? Thanks!
No, you can prune them now. There may not be enough time for new fruit spurs to develop this year but it shouldn't hurt the trees to prune now as long as you don't remove more than 1/3 of the material.
Hey Mike....I've got a couple of miniature fruit trees. They don't fruit too well .......any ideas? I've given them feed and plenty of water........why about pruning and when?
Not enough info, what kind of trees are they? Are they hardy to your climate? What kind of fertilizer? Are they in full sun or shade? How old are they? Do they need a pollinator and if so do you have the right pollinator nearby? There are a lot of variables to growing plants. If you have a varieties of fruit trees that grow well in your area and you have good soil and enough water then they should eventually fruit just fine.
I'm living in MN ( zone 4 B ). I got some Asian pear trees. I watched a lot of clips about pruning . I'm confusing about that. What's different between summer pruning and winter pruning ? which one for more fruit and which one for shape
I'll eventually prune them off, probably in the winter when the leaves are gone and I can see the overall shape. I want everything to grow up from the main branches.
Depends on how short. You can force earlier fruiting by containing the roots in a smaller space. You can also encourage more fruit spurs through summer pruning.
@@MikeKincaid79 I plan to start an orchard in Arusha Tanzania eastern part of Africa the weather is cool mountainous climate volcanic soil I want to give it a try commercially coz most of the apples here are imported from South Africa
Thank you for this guidance! One question though: why not prune in the spring, as soon as these shoots have shot up a foot out ? That way the tree doesn't waste energy feeding these branches which are to go anyway, instead of feeding the fruit. There must be a good reason but I don't know what it is.
Yes, it's summer pruning and usually occurs around early July in my area (the time frame will vary based on location). I do have a video about summer pruning: th-cam.com/video/EHl2qdMgl00/w-d-xo.html
Mike Kincaid yes but it has opiates so it could technically be used as a substitute for addicts suffering from withdrawal but on the other hand it is a medicine that shouldn’t be abused or it will lead to dependency. I am looking into the Russian comfrey (bock 13 spelling check) because it won’t go to seed and can be used as a mulch around plants or blended in water for a more immediate fertilizer
I learned why in the past I have gotten tons of plums off of my tree, I pruned in late spring. This year I did as I was told and pruned in the winter, there are hardly any plums! SO, I will be pruning this week so who ever buys our house will have lots of fruit next year.
@@zaviahopethomas-woundedsou9848 good thought. Mike's explanation about winter time pruning grows summertime watersports compared to summertime pruning to develop next years fruiting was an eye opener
Do you prune the suckers several times a season? I prune the suckers around midsummer and find that I get too much more growth, mostly suckers. I have pruned my apple tree again in the winter to remove long suckers, which only stimulates more growth. Should I maybe prune in september instead?
I prune in midsummer to stimulate fruit spurs. I still get a lot of suckers but also fruit spurs. I don't think there is any way around the pruning. To maintain my trees, I have to prune twice a year, summer and winter.
Get ideas from google images and just start training the branches to grow how you want them to. Find a way to tie them into position and in a year or 2 they will hold that shape.
My apples were blotchy and with dark spots all inside, leaves were not healthy looking, I was today bugs can you advise me waited five years, so disappointed thank you
Don't be discouraged by the naysayers. I get people telling me all the time, "You can't do this or that, or you're doing it wrong, or this bad thing will happen if you do it that way." You just do you and do it well and everything will turn out great in the end. Dive in head first and have fun and deal with each problem as it arises. Who knows, you may never actually have any problems at all.
This was a fence line that I originally had up for cows. Once I got rid of the cows I didn't need the fence anymore so I took down the fence and ran 12 gauge wire between the posts.
Speaking of so many pears on young tree I just bought a sana rosa plum that has fruited profusely the same spring I purchased it . The tree is ony 4 ft tall . Bought it at Walmart yet I have a Santa Rosa plum that is in it 4th year and it hasn't fruit at all . Go figure
@@MikeKincaid79 Thank you! I'd appreciate the root stock info too, or even just to know if they are semi dwarf. How long do you think it will take for your pears to fill that 10ft space?
Love your enthusiasm! You simplify an otherwise intimidating process. I watched this and went right out and gave my espaliers a radical haircut. Thanks!
hi everybody i just can say its very helpfull for me and the people who wants maintain trees
Wow Mike! Your videos are inspiring! I remember as a little girl seeing a pic in an old book on fruit trees where they trained apple trees into a lattice pattern and I’ve always wanted to do it ever since! Now I *really* want to do it. Lol I need a bigger farm!
That's the beauty of espaliered trees, you don't need a lot of room!
There is a nursey down in Tenn that grows and sales Belgian fences, per your description. They have two videos on TH-cam. The trees are grown in pots . And it takes multiple tress to make a fence. It must be a nightmare to ship such a fence
My third try on commenting. I just looked forward to your spring pruning video. You answered my question in that the fruit spurs did come in.
I was also surprised that the trees in this video were only two years old.
The farm where I keep bees uses wiring but it's not necessarily espaliered fruiting. But the set up of the posts and wires is something for me to see in person.
Also, the post and wiring is very similar to setting up for raspberries.
Thanks for the video. Now I have to get my wife to say yes to fruiting up the yard front and back.
Wish me luck
Good luck with your wife, lol!
I have loved trees; especially fruit trees, all of my life. I grew up in Western Pa. where my family and my Grandma, who
lived near us had many fruit trees and especially apples. I never knew of any way to have fruit trees other than the way
they ' normally ' grow----round; up and out! I now live in Western Oregon, where of course, I have fruit trees in my 1/2 acre yard. Still, not until 2 years ago, I only knew of one way to raise fruit trees. But I wanted to plant more trees than
I had room for. A friend----who also loves fruit trees---told me about Espalier. The idea fascinated me. So, I asked him
if he would show me how to do it. He did. And now I have a variety of fruit trees, ( including apples, of course! ) in my
yard. The fence around my yard makes a great support. And I have added 2 rows of posts and wires where I had some
room. Sooooo, I'm now into the Espalier fruit growing style. By the way, I'm 73 years young. So, yes---it IS possible
to teach an ' old dog ' new tricks! RRUUFFF!
Glad you've found this style of pruning and growing trees, Kenneth! I absolutely love the look and the number of trees you can fit into a small area. Have fun with your garden!
Bro, thanks for the pruning tips. Seems like every video I watch says a lot but I come away still unsure. You explained it really well and I have greater confidence in my pruning and a conceptual grasp of the ‘why’ of pruning.
Any time! Glad to help.
Brilliantly explained. Many thanks for simplifying it when so many experts make it so complicated. Love your enthusiasm too. Top man.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you your video was so clear especially the part about fruit spurs so clear I really appreciate your video I'm so excited you gave me the confidence to go for it. Ty
You can do it, Gloria!
Very informative. Now I know what fruit spurs look like. You demystify espalier.
Great! That's what it's all about.
Oh no, Job's going to start his grafting again. Lol. I can't wait to see the finished product. Love the video's.
I'm looking forward to next year's fruit!
Great video!! Love those trees. I want to plant some.😍
And YES!, your enthusiasm is indeed so lovable.
Awe, thanks!
Loved your demonstration. Hopefully I will be able to prune my espalier apple this year. Thank you.
You're welcome. Just get out there and start pruning. You can't go wrong, and always remember that if you make a mistake, it'll grow back.
What a great idea! Making them grow sideways! Great video loved to watch how great those trees look. Thank you for sharing your time.
You're welcome, Aurora! Thanks for watching.
the fruit trees look very nice
That looks great, Mike. I can't wait to see the fruit on them. Too cool, mate.
Me too!
Really glad i found this channel awhile back . Great information , great videos and Mike has a very enjoyable entertaining way about him .
Thanks, glad you enjoy watching!
You fill me with courage! Thank you for sharing both your enthusiasm and your knowledge!
You can do it, Kate!
Fantastic video! Your explanation on how to prune was so helpful! We haven't had any fruit on our apple espalier, but this summer got two apples! I don't think they would've grown had I not followed you excellent advice! Thanks!
2 is a good start. They don't produce much when they're young but over time they'll produce more and more. Make sure to do your summer pruning for fruit spurs.
the trees look so good after pruning
I agree. They're starting to really fill out now with the new growth that's coming in.
I like your idea to guide the tree branches grow like grape vines.
Espaliered fruit trees is a beautiful and practical art form that's been practiced for probably thousands of years. I love how these trees look after pruning!
Mike, Have you ever heard of “砀山酥梨= Dangshan pear？” It come from Anhui province China. The best taste of pears. It is so crispy and juicy! When you bite into it, the juice running on your fingers! I whish I could have it here U.S.A.
Sounds great! I'll have to look it up. Why can't we get a tree here in the U.S.A.?
The U.S Custom stops foreign plants. But people sometimes can get away from it. I have red tree of heaven/ Chinese toon which my friend took here U.S.A. I'll try again to bring the pear tree sometime. If I had it, I'd give you, since you have passion on trees.
I'd love to have one now that you mentioned them. I'm interested in the tree now and will have to research it a little more. Thanks!
Hi mike from Australia love your videos they are absolutely wonderful and informative - keep them coming
I'll do it! So glad you enjoy the videos and hope you're enjoying your summer, Chrissy.
So much information packed in this video great work man
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love Espalier. Thank You Mike.
Beautiful, isn't it Paul!
I’m planting a fruit forest this year. Might consider this Method on some zone 1 trees
very impressive mike. hard work and beautifully done. the only espalier pear tree i have seen is at the Cloisters museum in nyc. the pear tree is made into a candelabra and about 12 feet tall and 8 foot wide. it's gotta be more than 60 yrs. +. the horizontal branches are nuded but the vertical are leafed and fruited every year. planted against a wall for support. it for decoration, yours are for production--i like that. good luck and success. carmine p.
Sounds like a really cool pear tree. I'd love to see it someday!
Lindas plantas. Muito bem cuidadas. Parabens
Gracias!
obrigado
Love this guy! Thank you for this informative video! I am going to incorporate some of these in my new add asian inspired garden
Awesome! Thanks for the support, Kirby!
Your trees are really getting established. They look happy and healthy. Beautiful stuff. Im getting there down here in California.
Hope you guys are safe from all those wildfires right now.
Mike Kincaid yes we’re safe here. Thank you. I’m ready for lots of rain to help start breaking down all my mulch to feed the poor soil here.
Glad you guys are ok. We've been having such long and hot summers the past 4 years and I feel like we're the new Southern California up here. Really makes it difficult with keeping the traditional plants (like rhododendrons) healthy and watered well. More and more I'm coming to accept our new climate and am starting to transition to more plants and trees that can take the heat.
Definitely makes watering more difficult even with all the mulch I use. I hand water everything I have. I enjoy spending my early mornings outside and getting to see all my baby’s growing up and getting more established. I was going to ask you if you would be willing to sell me some English laurel later on when the weather cools down. I can’t find any around here. I would rather buy from you than anybody else anyway
Excellent stuff, Mike. Very informative.
Glad it was helpful!
Very nice, I had never heard you could train fruit tree's like that.
Super Video.Danke!
Well explained. Now I just need an apple tree to practice on!
That's a whole other problem to solve, lol. Good news is that it's spring and they're in most nurseries. What makes me feel happy and blessed is that you watched the video and don't even have an apple tree. Thanks for watching and hanging out here with us on the channel!
Brilliant! I would of never thought of doing this!
It's a beautiful art form, and very user friendly.
Yes! I just moved and want my peach, pecan & apple trees! I think I'm going to root a few of the stems & do exactly what you have done. Any suggestions on rooting my old trees that will ensure more success?
Never tried to root fruit trees from cuttings but air layering works great. Once you get them air layered and moved to your new place you should definitely graft them onto better rootstock.
Sweet, awesome, cool, great, man!
Love your videos
Nice Job. Your explanation of pruning the sucker branches is especially helpful. Does anyone know if pruning citrus tree suckers, in the same branch location, is effective ? I guess I'm going to Give iT a try. Thanks !
Not sure about citrus but i would imagine it's similar.
Great job
In effect it looks very cool
Thanks, Pedro
Love your video! Your pruning explanations are so helpful. I have listened to several people try and explain how to prune but I have never really understood before like I do now. Thank you so much, I am working on plans to add some fruit trees to my yard next spring. Question for you, can this be done with other fruit trees? Peaches, apricots, plums, cherries... I want them all
Absolutely! You can espalier just about any fruit tree.
Thanks so much for making this video! I learned so much just from your passing remarks, especially about how summer pruning causes fruit spurs while winter pruning makes suckers. So what do you do right now, beginning of March, with your trees? Any way to prevent late frost kills after this mild winter/early blooming? Looking forward to how your trees mature. They do look cool! :) God bless!
I'll be doing some winter pruning soon and I'll film it for ya. Yeah, these trees are starting to look really cool as the horizontal branches thicken.
High density orchard pruning is similar to espalier pruning and the typical advise is to remove the leaf bud on the underside of the branch . The reasoning is that the fruit on the underside will be shaded . I get the point but but the upward pointing branches are kind of rare . The idea is to space the fruit vertical shoots like six inches apart . That is hard to achieve the vertical shoot that Mike prunes to 3 buds above the basal bud typically grow 2 inches apart then ten inches of blind wood. ( no branching ) the 2 other vertical shoot about 2 or 3 inching apart . Kind of frustrating
So glad you did this video . Your explanation about identifying the basil leaves then going the third leaf over the future fruit spur or basil cluster made me really understand what many other channels attempting to explain but for various reason , lack of close ups fail to get across
I need an explanation about how to form the first cordon or horizontal branching
1 the size of the planted tree how tall were they?
2 did you prune the newly planted tree at the bottom wire level
Or Several inches above the lower wire to continue the growth of the central leader?
3 do you have a technique to determine or train wide crotch branching for horizontal cordons. Many of my attempts at a bud growing straight up off the central leader with an unacceptable acute crotch angle..
See I have been buying Trees from. Lowest 7 , 8 feet tall 3/4 diameter or bigger trunks with first branching at about four feet then trying to develop a lower cordon level with grafts or notching . It not working out. I see Willis nursery in Georgia sell whips or 1 to 4 feet branch less trees which I think is the style of tree you originally planted in this video . Could you describe the size of the tree you originally planted. I heard you say he have been in the round 2 years.
I think I understand that the size of your trees are the one you grow yourself
The video on grafting the scion wood from your mother's place to your home grown rootstock. So your trees are one and a half feet tall to plant on your trellis. Something like that. I have heard on other channels
Here is the latest " How to train pear trees into a 4 leader system on open tamura trellis" by channel tools resources. The host says to allow the horizontal laterals to not be tied down at the last foot to keep the lateral growing longer. The end should be growing vertical during the growing season then tied down if it reaches , as in your case, the post. In your experience is that valid? Or will the length continue to lengthen completely tied down as you show in this video
Hey Bob, I actually bought these trees as regular bare root apple and pear trees that were about 6 feet tall and ready to plant in the ground. I didn't want to wait several years to start the training process. I just found the best branches to train and tied them to the wire and them pruned back everything else. So these trees started out at a good size already, they just weren't trained yet as espaliered when I bought them.
@@MikeKincaid79 Back to square one again.
You did like I did. Buy a branched tree and adapt the existing branches to the trellis.
In my original message I was absolutely convinced to do the opposite. That is , get a branch less whip. Cut it about 5 inches , 8 inchs or three inches above the lowest trellis wire.
That excess over the lowest wire would be to continue central leader
And wait . Mostly hope for bud break below the wire for suitable branches to cordon the lowest wire
So back to square one the adaptation of existing branches to the trellis. Hum. Uh huh yep. Ok so in Bob's experimental orchard this coming growing season I will maintain my trees that I trained existing branches to form horizontal cordons
< > < > < > < >AND > < > < > < > < >
A test plot of whip or branch less trees cut to form the first or lowest horizontal cordon with the stub to continue the central leader.
Fruit production is not my primary goal the form of the tree is
That is why t get so frustrated with adapting existing branches to the wires.
Take for instance a case that happen occasionally where I notched a bud and two branches grow from that bud the branches gain 4 feet equally and in opposite directions perfect to cordon
::::::::::;;;;;;;::::::BUT::::::::::;;;:::;;;;::::;;;;;;;::
They are mounted on a bump that could be fragile.so I fret about that.
Nothing in nature is perfectly symmetrical and that's what gives them character. I had a few branches break while tying them down. Heartbreaking but in the end it all worked out. Maybe I can remember to get a video up about it. I think the method of training them as they grow is still a great way to do it and the preferred method if you have the time.
Looks good Mike, can't wait to see next year's fruits! 🐓🐓they don't have roosters....don't tell Johnny I made him a chicken 😂😂 Have an awesome week!
You too, Camelia!
Thanks Mike!
As more video appear on espalier this video is still the motherlode on how to assure abundance fruiting on your horizontal cordon. Gardener Scott is doing a series on espalier and I ask him to do a similar video to this one on how to promote those basal buds for fruiting. I probably offended him but many espalier lessons don't really explain well the reason for pruning to promote fruiting
Thanks, Robert, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Maybe I should do some more videos on this subject. These trees are really starting to fruit for us well now that they are getting established and have some years on them.
Thank you for a fantastic video. And the others! On the money instruction. I do this professionally and I watch this to get me in the zone! Thanks Mike. Also I love the fact these trees have only been in the ground for two years. And already they're getting this much fruit. Did you plant them as whips or feathered whips or half trained? Would love to know
Thanks for the awesome comment. Good to know I'm on the right track from a professional's viewpoint. I'm all self taught, with a lifetime of training and experimenting. I bought these trees as bareroot trees at a local nursery. I'd say they were about 6 or 7 feet tall at the tips of the branches when I bought them. I planted them in the spot they are in and picked the best branches to pull down and begin training, then pruned away the rest. It's worked out well. Not sure how old they were when I bought them but they were young plants. I think they've done so well because of the ground prep I did. 6 inches of composted cow manure and 6 inches of wood chips over the whole orchard. I got those ideas from Paul Gautchi (spelling).
Good info. Have you considered grafting different pears for pollination in a few places down that row? Going to try that this summer. And once people taste home grown pears, they will be greatly surprised. When I bought pears in a grocery store, I didn’t like. But picked when ripe from my trees, they were fantastic!!!! Granddaughter did not like peaches till she had ripe ones off the tree! Loved them!!!! March 10, 2021
It's so true, the homegrown fruit tastes much better! I've got 3 different varieties of pears here and I picked them to compliment each other as far as pollination goes.
Excellent demo and explainering!!! Now I get it :~D
Awesome! That's what I'm here for.
Right there @ the 15:26 that might be called "click pruning " 2 or three vegative buds above the Basal bud ... then theverticle branch / lateral /stem is cut. In the videos on "click pruning" they do it in the dormant season where the Basal buds cant be seen at the base of the upright stem so the cut above the 2ed bud . Or third bud. That's what they say. They call it reducing the vigour which direct the energy/carbohydrates to form those vegative buds into fruiting bud in the summertime or spring
Click Pruning is done on one year old wood as you show @ 15:26
After the third year of fruiting you cut off your fruiting steam bach to that horizontal cordon . That's called a renewal cut and that
creates a vegative branch at the same spot to start all over again
The 1st click cut is on last season's growth. One year old wood as they call it.
The following season the summer following the winter you click prune a fruit bud firmed at the base of the stem ( basal bud I guess)
The year following (2ed growing season ) you click prune again before bud break ,sometime in April I guess .
And that adds one additional blossom to the Basal cluster or blossom at the base of the stem 3ed year you get 3 blossoms. After the 4th year you cut the entire stem off. To start over
The idea is to eliminate "blind wood " . The closer to the trunk a fruiting branch the larger the fruit
On this espalier tree maybe the horizontal cordon can be considered the Trunk. I dont know
Click pruning is variety specific according to the Italian guy who presented it to North America by Washington State University
Bartlett pears and and crimson crisp apples are specific because they fruit on one year old wood or last sessons growth
You are demonstrating this on Comice and Moonglow pears as well so I dont know if "click pruning " is that specific or cant be used on varieties that fruit on 2 or 4 year old wood. At the 5 year mark or at the end of the 4th year all pruning gurus say cut the fruiting branch off no matter the pruning technique
Pruning is not simple what worjsbest on one cultivar ( plum, apple Cherry) may not be best for another . And within variety of the same Plum, pear or cherry.
IF YOU WANT TO SLOW THE VIGOR DOWN spread or weight the branches cl closer to the horizontal or tip the branches. Well that what click pruning is . Or a part of click pruning
When you prune a branch I typically get a 3 prong pitch fork branching wether I prure summer or winter . To slow the growth down you clip off the two other prongs and on the last prong standing you clip the top most bud or the top most 3 buds
I dont know. It confusing as hell. Pruning dead , crossing or interior growing branches is the least of the amatures problem . I'm getting a headaches how about you
You mentioned grafting in this video is it possible to graft from the apple tree to the pear tree and vise versa? Your trees looks awesome.
Not typically but I've heard of it done 1 time. Thanks!
@@MikeKincaid79 yes someone has a video on doing it successfully using an inter stem graft but I ignored the video.
Hi Mike! I love your vids! Would you do a 2020 updates on your Espalier trees? I would to see them!
Thanks, Jo! I did an orchard tour a couple months ago if you're interested.
@@MikeKincaid79 ooo! Perfect! I must have missed it! I'll go back and check! 😃😃
i love the look to just beautiful
They're great aren't they
Do you have to plant dwarf or semi-dwarf trees to espalier? Thanks so much for your excellent videos!
Nope, any tree can be espaliered. The more vigorous the growth, the more pruning.
awesome video!
Thanks, Jayterra!
Great instruction! Thank you
Thanks Doc!
MIKE: GOT ME INTERESTED IN LOOKING UP ESPALIER TREES AND FOUND ONE TREE WAS A "FIG TREE". RIGHT AWAY I THOUGHT OF YOU. POSSIBLY A TASK FOR YOU. CARMINE
I've seen pics of espaliered fig trees and would love to try it, just need a good spot to start. I have so many fir trees around here but there's an area I'd like to clear for more apples and figs.
Wow! 😊😁🤗
Good explained 👍
Thanks!
Time to do some fruit tree pruning! Here's the winter pruning video: th-cam.com/video/qwbC9LiTIJE/w-d-xo.html
Hi Mike, thanks for the great video! It's mid-April now. Should I wait until mid-summer to prune the vertical suckers on my tree? I've had it 2 years and just finally got around to learning about how to care for it properly.
You can winter prune before the buds start to break and that will help to shape your tree and guide the new growth to where you want it.
Beautiful trees Mike !
Do you prune Italian plum just like you would prune apple tree ?
I don't have much experience with these but am learning and I think it's pretty similar to apple.
@@MikeKincaid79 That is what I thought.
Thanks anyway 🌱
👌 Wow!
Need to do an update on winter pruning soon.
I just saw your video of espalier and I am very impressed and encouraged to do the same thing with my existing 3 espaliered pear and one fuji apple espalier. My question is, I haven't pruned my fuji this summer, is it too late to prune since it's already almost fall? I live in zone 8. And also, I just bought a Korean Giant Asian Pear and plan to espalier as well about 5ft. tall. I'm going to plant it this Saturday. Should I prune it for espalier right after I plant or wait until late winter? I will greatly appreciate taking your time to give me your advice. Thank you very much!
I waited to prune mine in winter when they were dormant. I just love this style of pruning and the trees produce so heavily. Everything is at a manageable height as well. I should probably put up a video soon of the fruit production I've gotten off these trees this year.
Thanks for this very helpful video. What kind of root stock are you using? Dwarf, semi dwarf?
Not sure of these root stock as I bought the trees already grafted. I think they are semi-dwarf.
Johnny is the bees knees!
He's the ant's pants!
Awesome!
What type of wire do you use? I just made a high cordon grape trellis with 4x4s ground anchors high tensil wire and rachet strainers. Grapes kind of need a good trellis but I'm guessing espalier apples don't so I'm trying to figure out a good way to trellis them.
12 gauge fence wire. I think a stronger wire would be better though, the trees are really starting to get heavy.
Hey Mike I have a question about your espaliered fruit trees: should I be planting dwarf trees or regular apples/pears ? I want to plant them over an arch so total of about 4 metres .
I labored over this decision myself and after researching the topic quite a bit I settled on a semi-dwarf rootstock. Rootstocks come in a range of sizes and the more dwarf they are the more diseases they seem to have and they produce weaker trees from what I've seen. For my grafting, I finally settles on the rootstock (M-111 EMLA). Even though it produces a larger semi-dwarf tree, it has one of the best ratings for resistance to diseases and the trees will be healthier in the long run. Don't forget, you can always prune a tree to whatever size you want.
I’m so excited to start mine. How old was your tree when you started?
I bought them when they were already a few years old and then trained the branches.
I bought 2 young Bartlets and started to espalier train them to 3 layers of horizontal branches each. Now it's early March in my zone 6 PA garden and the trees are loaded with upward shoots, some 2ft high. Can I prune them to short en them or if too late, can I train them as candelabras?
Yes, yes, yes! LOL. You can always prune them to whatever shape you want. That's one of the great things about apple trees. They are tough and resilient and take well to just about any type of pruning and training at any time of year.
Hi Mike! Awesome video! I work at retail nursery in South central Kansas. We got some espalier apple trees in #20 pots. They have three different varieties of apples grafted to the middle trunk. But we only got them at the end of August. Since then they have shot up water sprouts on the top level of main branches. Is it too late in the season to prune those water sprouts? Thanks!
No, you can prune them now. There may not be enough time for new fruit spurs to develop this year but it shouldn't hurt the trees to prune now as long as you don't remove more than 1/3 of the material.
Thanks, Mike! You awesome!
Hey Mike....I've got a couple of miniature fruit trees. They don't fruit too well .......any ideas?
I've given them feed and plenty of water........why about pruning and when?
Not enough info, what kind of trees are they? Are they hardy to your climate? What kind of fertilizer? Are they in full sun or shade? How old are they? Do they need a pollinator and if so do you have the right pollinator nearby? There are a lot of variables to growing plants. If you have a varieties of fruit trees that grow well in your area and you have good soil and enough water then they should eventually fruit just fine.
Did you ever get to stooling up those shootscoming up from the rootstock? Cant seem to find a video on it, but am very curious!
I never did it but maybe I should this summer.
Looking forward to it. Or any video of yours for that matter. Thanks for all the great content, keep it up :)
أتمنى لو تترجم إلى اللغة العربية لانني معجب جدا بهذا النوع من التربية لكن لاأعرف اسراره
لست متأكدًا من كيفية ترجمتها ، ولكن أحب أن أفعل ذلك لك.
I'm living in MN ( zone 4 B ). I got some Asian pear trees. I watched a lot of clips about pruning .
I'm confusing about that.
What's different between summer pruning and winter pruning ? which one for more fruit and which one for shape
prune in the summer for fruit spur production and in the winter for shape
What about new shoots that are/where growing down?
I'll eventually prune them off, probably in the winter when the leaves are gone and I can see the overall shape. I want everything to grow up from the main branches.
Tip new shoots early 3 weeks after bloom if u wait until mid summer u get more vegetative growth and Less fruit spurs
In Holland they tip early
Do you prune your figs the same way? Great video!
Not yet but when they get a little bigger I plan to.
Helo I would like to know how to make an apple tree take a short time to give fruits
Depends on how short. You can force earlier fruiting by containing the roots in a smaller space. You can also encourage more fruit spurs through summer pruning.
@@MikeKincaid79 I plan to start an orchard in Arusha Tanzania eastern part of Africa the weather is cool mountainous climate volcanic soil I want to give it a try commercially coz most of the apples here are imported from South Africa
Thank you for this guidance!
One question though: why not prune in the spring, as soon as these shoots have shot up a foot out ? That way the tree doesn't waste energy feeding these branches which are to go anyway, instead of feeding the fruit. There must be a good reason but I don't know what it is.
Yes, it's summer pruning and usually occurs around early July in my area (the time frame will vary based on location). I do have a video about summer pruning: th-cam.com/video/EHl2qdMgl00/w-d-xo.html
Still, why not in springtime? My tree is now bursting with shoots . I'm so tempted to trip them since I know they aren't getting the tree anywhere.
I'm in France, to give you the time zone.
How much space does the apple occupy (length, width, height)? Is it a normal tree or a dwarf rootstock? Thank you.
I’ve been getting a lot of detail questions on the orchard since posting the last video a couple days ago so I plan to do a video on all the details.
So prune in the winter for growth and summer for fruit.
Prune in the winter for structure of the tree and in the summer for fruit.
What is the spacing between your trees on the wires? I'm wanting to espalier a grafted pear and a grafted apple on wires.
10 feet
😀👍❤Super ❤ 👍 Super ❤ 👍 ✔
If that “weed” back there is comfrey you can use it as fertilizer!!! Or mulch
It's actually wild lettuce and they say it makes for a great pain killer if used in tea.
Mike Kincaid yes but it has opiates so it could technically be used as a substitute for addicts suffering from withdrawal but on the other hand it is a medicine that shouldn’t be abused or it will lead to dependency.
I am looking into the Russian comfrey (bock 13 spelling check) because it won’t go to seed and can be used as a mulch around plants or blended in water for a more immediate fertilizer
I was going to skip this, I'm glad I didn't!
I'm glad you didn't either, Zavia! You never know what might turn up.
I learned why in the past I have gotten tons of plums off of my tree, I pruned in late spring. This year I did as I was told and pruned in the winter, there are hardly any plums! SO, I will be pruning this week so who ever buys our house will have lots of fruit next year.
I love it, paying it forward!
@@zaviahopethomas-woundedsou9848 good thought. Mike's explanation about winter time pruning grows summertime watersports compared to summertime pruning to develop next years fruiting was an eye opener
Do you prune the suckers several times a season? I prune the suckers around midsummer and find that I get too much more growth, mostly suckers. I have pruned my apple tree again in the winter to remove long suckers, which only stimulates more growth. Should I maybe prune in september instead?
I prune in midsummer to stimulate fruit spurs. I still get a lot of suckers but also fruit spurs. I don't think there is any way around the pruning. To maintain my trees, I have to prune twice a year, summer and winter.
i have a dwarf nectarine tree i want to esplierer the tree how to i start its in a retaining wall facing south
Get ideas from google images and just start training the branches to grow how you want them to. Find a way to tie them into position and in a year or 2 they will hold that shape.
Your pears were clean mine always got spots, what’s wrong with my pears?
They like living here? Not sure, haha.
Which variety of rootstock grafted on to this plants ?
Not sure, I bought these particular trees at a nursery and the rootstock wasn't listed on the tag. My favorite apple rootstock is EMLA M111
What distance between plants is ideal on espalier?
I don't think there is an ideal distance. It depends more on how you want them to look and how often you want to prune.
Mike Kincaid what is your distance mike ??
How long are your T posts? 6 feet buried 2 feet?
6 feet, buried about 18 inches.
My apples were blotchy and with dark spots all inside, leaves were not healthy looking, I was today bugs can you advise me waited five years, so disappointed thank you
Waiting 5 years for what?
Can we espaliered lemon plant? It same way to prune lemon?
Never tried it but I'm sure you can.
I just planted fruit trees and I'm being discouraged by friends telling me about pest infestations. How do u deal with that?
Don't be discouraged by the naysayers. I get people telling me all the time, "You can't do this or that, or you're doing it wrong, or this bad thing will happen if you do it that way." You just do you and do it well and everything will turn out great in the end. Dive in head first and have fun and deal with each problem as it arises. Who knows, you may never actually have any problems at all.
@@MikeKincaid79 thank you.
what kind of stakes and wire do i need
This was a fence line that I originally had up for cows. Once I got rid of the cows I didn't need the fence anymore so I took down the fence and ran 12 gauge wire between the posts.
Speaking of so many pears on young tree I just bought a sana rosa plum that has fruited profusely the same spring I purchased it . The tree is ony 4 ft tall . Bought it at Walmart yet I have a Santa Rosa plum that is in it 4th year and it hasn't fruit at all . Go figure
Plants do weird things. Time seems to cure them all.
I wish I could just grow plants all day ever day. Jealous of your life.
You can do it, Taylor! Just make the choice, it's your life.
How wide are your pear espaliers and what rootstock are they on?
They have a 10 foot wide area for each tree. Not sure of the root stock off the top of my head but I can check the tag.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thank you! I'd appreciate the root stock info too, or even just to know if they are semi dwarf. How long do you think it will take for your pears to fill that 10ft space?
They are semi-dwarf and I'll see if the tag is still there but don't think so. They've almost filled it in just a couple years. Each year gets better.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks so much!
Wouldn't there be alot more yeild an fruit production by tying down many branches all in a circle. Like the body of an umbrella.. ⛱ ☂️
Probably
@@MikeKincaid79 💕
Pruning in summer is ok then ?
Yes