Espalier
David Hollis18 January at 10:57
What is the best/cost effective way to build an espalier frame? Want to train this apple tree
What is the best/cost effective way to build an espalier frame? Want to train this apple tree
- Susana Southwest Get a sheet of reo and a few star posts and you are away. Or posts and wire will do it too.The reo offers more options imho, arches, trellising and fencing.18 January at 11:11 ·
- David Hollis I have a couple of timber posts to mount some rio too.18 January at 11:12 ·
- Susana Southwest Halfway there David. Go for it. You can grow beans or peas up it while the trees take shape and they will add some nitrogen to the soil for you too.18 January at 11:22 ·
- Anthea Williams Star pickets are great, just need to get long ones. Reo sheet is easy and lasts, but get the large sheets from a building or concreters supplier not the small bits from bunnings or it will cost LOTS. If you can't stretch to that the wood or plastic lattice sheets work and you or family may have some old ones, but they will decay over time. We have also used large wire mesh left over from fencing. Wire threads are cheap but prob too hard on a freestanding tree, not against a wall.18 January at 11:37 ·
- Anthea Williams Or you could transplant it closer to the wall, if not too hot.18 January at 11:38 ·
- David Hollis Yes I thought about that too Anthea it would probably be better to do when it's dormant ?18 January at 12:03 ·
- Doris Pozzi i saw they used bamboo poles at Bulleen Art and Garden. That's what I used for my espallier. Seems to be working. I have bamboo growing if you want some and are near Healesville...18 January at 12:23 ·
- Lois Lincoln For horizontal espalier You only need 2 post of some sort & 4 or 5 wires spaced however far apart you want, pull wire tight between posts or maybe bamboo. Bernie.18 January at 12:59 ·
- Robert Millet use two star pickets 8 foot long and drive into ground 600 mm deep. put posts about 8 feet apart. tree in middle of that. run 4 or 5 wires. I put my first wire about 300 mm from the ground and on it I also attach the trickle drip line. then about every 300 mm up to the top. You can then drape a net over the tree when needed and seal the ends and bottom with clothes pegs. keep the trellis under 2 metres so that you do not need to use a ladder. give that a go. works for me and i have many espaliers plants--apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, persimmons, prunes, etc. I am even trying my Bacon avocado, but it seems too vigorous, as are normal cherries.18 January at 14:20 ·
- Vince Brophy When we asked at diggers they suggested training north/south18 January at 16:36 ·
- David Hollis Star pickets are so handy lol.18 January at 18:37 ·
- David Hollis Actually north-south works really well for the garden layout.18 January at 18:41 ·
- Ann-maree Davey Wire on posts18 January at 22:42 ·
- Petethe Permie Robert & Lois are right as the use of Star pickets and 4-5 wires means in 5 years when the tree starts to hold up you fence it can then be removed easy, if you use rio and thread it thru at all you may have to leave it there permanent, I run the master class at Diggers nth sth or east west is not really relevant with a 2 dimensional espalier, the benefits shown at Petty's only works on very big runs7 February at 19:59 ·
- Petethe Permie Nth south plantings also promote even ripening which suits a commercial grower or grapes not the home grower who wants to spread their harvest over a longer time.7 February at 20:00 ·
- Leonie Edge I saw a marvellous system today, at a garage sale - an espalier done with a large, clearly unneeded T.V. antenna - purely brilliant and doing a fab. job!7 February at 21:26 ·
- Stu Burns Yeah, I would move it closer to the wall and use the wall as support, easy peasy. Or do this one in parallel to the wall and put in something else against the wall.8 February at 12:53 ·