Shaping Fruit Trees: Essential Garden Guide
Through the use of pruning techniques, it is possible to shape your tree to a particular style. There are seven main tree shapes that all have their own benefits for particular situations. During the growth of the tree, simply cut off the unneeded branches, tie the wanted branches into the correct shape, and you will be able to shape it however you want. But, for some of the more advanced shapes, equally advanced pruning techniques are needed. There are many books [apin]available|written[/spin] on this subject.
Generally, if you’re trying to get your tree to a particular shape, all the tying and pruning should take place in the fall. This will help the shape to stick, since no fruits will be produced at that time. Each of the different shapes is very useful in certain situations. So, here are some different types of shapes you are able to select from.
Standard trees hardly need any explanation. These are the varieties that are most common, and probably[/spin[ what you visualize when you think of any tree. No specific shaping is beneficial if you want to grow trees, but don’t want to block the view. For example, my home has a wonderful view of the Rocky Mountains. I didn’t want to sacrifice this gorgeous view, so I grew my trees up as bush trees.
Cordons are a type of tree that you may not be familiar with. It consists of one stem with no branches. It is planted at an angle so that it arches up over the ground. Through the course of its growth, all branches are removed. These are beneficial because they take up very small amounts of space and more can be placed in a certain square footage. The only downside is that they produce smaller amounts of fruit per tree.
Espalier trees grow with a single vertical stem in the center, and several horizontal branches on each side. These allow for long rows of trees, while still producing large amounts of fruit. If you have an orchard, you may use this shape to fit as many trees as possible into the area you have.
Fan trees use the same theory as espalier trees. But, the shape is slightly different. The same central vertical stem is used, but the connected branches are not horizontal; they grow in the same pattern as a standard tree, only they are two dimensional rather than three dimensional. They are also used to save space, and are used instead of espalier trees for certain types of trees that do better with sloped branches.
Another type of espalier is the step-over espalier. They are like a normal espalier, but with just one horizontal branch very close to the ground. They are particularly interesting because they still produce delicious fruit while offering a border for whatever you want. I have used step-over trees to fence off my garden. They are definitely my favorite shape of tree, simply because they are like a fence that bears fruit. What’s not to love?
As you can see, each of these shapes has its own benefits and negative aspects as well. If any of these sounds like they would be a good fit for your garden, you can ask your local nursery employees for advice on reading material that will asist you achieve your goals. Most of the time, getting the tree into the desired shape is a very easy process and just needs some guidance at the beginning.
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