Espalier fruit trees

We are in our second year of trying to train a plum and pear tree on espalier. We bought the stock locally from a garden centre and the trees were already trained on a framework of bamboo canes. We planted them both and have trained them against wires stretched between quite robust round post uprights. The trees are both growing well. However some of the wires we have stretched have snapped and others lost their tension. We would like to find a more sturdy way to erect the horizontal wires/ or find an alternative material for growing the trees along. Have you any suggestions. Most literature we have looked at simply glosses over the practicalities of how to create the wire framework needed.
Any advice would be most gratefully accepted.

 

I have some heavy duty garden wire coated with green plastic which I can just bend OK using pliers, and I have used this between fence posts. It is about 2mm thick. Perhaps your wire was just not strong enough?

 

For supporting vines I use electric fence 'wire' It's a very strong nylon cord with stainless steel wire threads running through it. Virtually indestructable. :D Available from farm shops and suppliers.

 

Two suggestions Janey.

1. Try Alloy mig welding wire of about 1.6mm diameter. It won't stretch and is very very strong. You should be able to get some from a decent engineering supplier or good ironmongers. Or else go a Google on the web.

Edit:
(Frogesque's suggestion regarding electric fence wire is a good one. I'd forgotten about that stuff ( it makes good, strong and non-stretch wire for large radio antennas) and you'll possibly find it easier to get hold of)

2. Try stranded steel wire of the type used on trailer winches. B & Q used to sell this. You'll also need clamps for the ends of the wire and bottle screws to tension them. Though you could perhaps manage without the latter they make tensioning much easier

[ 06. April 2006, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: Dave W ]

 

Both sound easier to manage than mine. I found mine at the local tip.

 

yes, Liz - you can't exactly guarantee you'll get it there!! All the books I've had to plough trough on this sort of thing talk about heavy duty wire, sturdy posts and fences, and tensioning them - but not how to actually go about it! MAybe DaveW could start a second career of training people to do this sot of thing!

 

Yep I think more heavy duty wire is the way forward and we will get on the case of that. Like Gardening Guru we have found no step by step type info on how to best put up the wires. Any suggestions welcome...

 

The wire in the pic is a bit thicker than you really need (it will tow a Land Rover) but it shows the mechanics of making off an end of stranded steel cable. A 'thimble' - the curved thingy and the clamps (use two).
The lower part of the pic shows a bottle screw, also known as a turnbuckle - this is used for tensioning.
If I was doing the job, I'd bore a hole in each post for each support wire. At the 'fixed end' I'd feed the main run of cable or wire through the post and wrap it around the post a couple of times and then clamp off or splice the end. At the 'tension end' I'd do a similar thing but just create a small loop of wire with a thimble close to the post I'd then attach the bottle screw, using a thimble and clamps, fully open to the main run of wire so it just snags the thimble at the 'tension end', clamp it properly, and screw up the bottle screw for tension.



[ 06. April 2006, 08:47 PM: Message edited by: Dave W ]

 

Hi, Janey! Just call me Dendy! I only chose that name because I got he plant for Christmas and could never remember its name, so I thought if I used the name I'd eventually remember it!
DaveW's photos help a lot - but I can't imagine doing it - so come on Dave - a step by step idiots guide to it, please!!

 

I'll obviously have to produce a pictorial step by step "Idiot's Guide".

(I spent a few years doing them for teachers and clerical staff for PC software so this shouldn't be too hard)

You'll have to wait a day though. Too much going on at present.

 

Couldn't you organise a workshop, then we can all go back and cascade?? Sorry folks - more teacher stuff! I'm so glad I don't do that any more! :D

 

"Cascade?"
We used to have another word for it.

 

in the picture I had 8' galvanised steel uprights with galvanised wire threaded through predrilled holes 12" apart.
on the ends are tension bolts, available in most good ironmongers/diy stores, Jewsons etc..
you could use wooden posts, drilled through etc etc.
on the right is espalier apples and fan trained apples
on the left is cordon pears and espalier apples.
with Peonies in the border up both sides




[ 06. April 2006, 10:37 PM: Message edited by: rossco ]

 

I'm so glad to see Rossco's trees not against a wall, as I didn't know whether this was ok. The fence I'm using is sheepwire supported by round posts at roughly 5' intervals.
I hope I've left enough space between the apples and pears, how much have you used, Rossco? I also have a cherry and a victoria plum on dwarf stock. I thought these would be better fan trained, and a morello I think I will leave to grow as a bush. Advice, please, Rossco, or anyone?
I might also invest in some proper wire and tensioning now Dave has explained how it works!

 

You are all very kind and good folk to send us all these replies. Ian and I have got some shopping to do. We look forward to hearing more from Dave-espalierguru-W soon... Janey