It has been ten years since I planted my orchard of espaliered fruit trees. Having no experience in an orchard, I expected a harsh learning experience. The peach and plum quickly died. The cherry has not prospered. The two apples and two pears have grown fabulously. I have not paid any attention to the HOW of pruning them other than creating a basic fan shape. So this year I read up on the business of training a tree as an espalier and found that it requires much more attention than my one late winter pruning each year! Apparently, after the structure has been created I need to keep after all the new growth throughout the summer and restrict it to short branchlets. Here you see the before and after photos of one of the apple's after this week's fascist pruning. I will see how the tree fares this summer under the new regimen. Someday, with some appropriate deer protection, I might even harvest some fruit!
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