j3707
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Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:11 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest, Zone 8, 48" annual rainfall, dry summers.

Espalier - downward angle pear/apple branch

I'm toying with the idea of espaliering some pear branches at a downward angle...Any of you seen something like that?

Seems I've read downward hanging branches on trees do not fruit as well, but not sure if that applies when healthy branches are actually trained that way vs. a naturally weak tree branch.

Heck, do downward angled branches fruit at all?

DoubleDogFarm
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Orcas pear Summer

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Orchard/Fruit003.jpg[/img]

Orcas pear Winter
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Orchard/DSC01668.jpg[/img]

Angled branches encourage fruiting wood and less vegetative growth.

Eric

JONA878
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Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:14 am
Location: SUSSEX

On apples and pears branches are more likely to bud up the nearer they are to a 45 - 90 degree angle.
On plums, cherries and gages they are better if you can get the branch below 90 degrees.
It's all a matter of light and growth control.
Espalier trees show how successful this control is....although that is taking it to its extremes.
That's why commercial growers who are growing under intense systems....and that's most large growers....spend a lot of time when their trees are young, in getting the branch structures into that lower state.

j3707
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Posts: 306
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:11 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest, Zone 8, 48" annual rainfall, dry summers.

JONA - hadn't heard that re cherries and plums...thanks!

Eric, how do you like the orcas? Did you train those branches down or is it naturally like that?

JONA878
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Posts: 1014
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:14 am
Location: SUSSEX

j3707 wrote:JONA - hadn't heard that re cherries and plums...thanks!

Eric, how do you like the orcas? Did you train those branches down or is it naturally like that?

Hi J.
I think it works so well on stone fruits because they have not got such good effective root stocks as top fruit and getting the branches down that low , especially when the trees are young, helps to get the tree into a much slower rate of growth.
Too strong a growth on any fruit tree will affect fruit production.

With cherries it almost found by accident.
Because growers now grow huge quantaties of cherries under protective covors they had the problem of the trees growing through the plastic roofs.
They found by bending and cracking the branches downward ...rather like a wig-wam around the main trunk they not only controlled the hight but greatly increased the crop levels.

J



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