Columnar Apple Trees

[nes]

I spotted these guys in my catelogues this year, and I think I'm in love .

Has anyone tried to grow one of these beauties yet and can offer up some tips?

I think I would prefer to grown them out of a container. I can imagine them making a REALLY nice division off a patio or something (especially with my two little apple-monsters!).

[JONA878]

Hi nes.
Columners have been around for quite a few years now and are very useful in gardens where space is limited.
For a long time the varieties that were available was not so hot.....they are specially bred for this form of growth and ordinary varieties will not respond.....but there are far more ' tasty ' ones available now.
Culturally they are easy to look after as on the whole they do not need much attention other than a liitle control pruning if they start to get too strong or twiggy.
The odd one does go rouge and revert but that is the exception.

The one big snag is the price.
You could buy several ' normal ' trees for the price and train them as cordons etc. and have varieties that are familiar to you as well.

Still....good luck and enjoy your fruit growing.

[nes]

Thanks that was REALLY helpful!

I was watching something about pruning knee-high apple trees which was also REALLY neat.

I definitely want the apples to taste good, and you're right about the price difference. I may still go with them as a landscape feature, but maybe just get 2 and go get a full-size honey crisp or something as well.

[applestar]

Hi Nes!!
You may not have seen these photos. Scroll down a bit to the espalier apples. The fence is 5' high and I have two apples, two pears and a persimmon here.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=131442#131442

This is only what, the 3rd year? So who knows how they'll turn out in the end. I can't do the disciplined strict espalier pattern but I'm basically aiming for the Belgian Fence.

[JONA878]

If you are going to use some of your trees as ' knee highs ' ..we call them 'step - overs ' here, then make sure that you get them on the most dwarfing of stocks. Anything stronger than a Nine would be difficult to keep that low.
It also helps enormously if you plant the trees at a 45 degree angle. this slows them down right from the start.

Looking at varieties , you mention Honeycrisp. I have heard of a couple of new vars which have been developed over there in the States which sound superb apples with very good flavour and cropping.
The first is New York No 2. and the second is a var useing Honeycrisp as a parent, and that is called Sweetango.

Interested to hear if anyone over there with you has come across either of these.

J.

[applestar]

I have Gardening with Organic Fruit by Yvonne Cuthbertson, and there are design sketches of pottagers bordered with step-over apples. I thought that looked SOOO neat!

[nes]

So pretty apps!
I saw the step-overs on a BBC program, garden secrets - just a beautiful program, I highly recommend!! I love the idea of several big shady apple trees, but I know in practice they are quite difficult to maintain well in the sort of state.

Thanks J I'll look into both of those, I planned on honeycrisp because they are my father-in-law's favourite apple . (I like anything that isn't too soft, and my kids will eat anything round!).

[JONA878]

I would add just one other thing as regards ' step-over' trees.

If you decide to have a go please do follow a couple of suggestions.

First buy a maiden....1 year old tree. Anything older, unless it is already trained into the correct position, will be a nightmare to train.
A single whip tree is easiest with as few side shoots as possable. In fact almost the opposite that you would want for traditional growing.
Secondly the variety will respond so much easier if it is a tip bearing sort. Consult your nursery if you are not too sure. Other sorts will do the job ok but will need far more care and attention to detail.
Further to my earlier post I did suggest nothing stronger than a nine stock , I would say if you can use a M27 stock then the job is made far better as this is the most dwarfing of them all.