Apple Espalier not fruiting
Katie.partington
Posts: 7
Hello! I planted my espalier, a Christmas pippin, around six years ago. It fruited well for the first couple 
of years I think, but was neglected after that due to the birth of two babies within close proximity. During those years I pruned it in the winter, without realising espaliers are supposed to be pruned late summer, and without really knowing what I was doing. Last summer I finally pruned it ‘correctly’ at the end of August. But this year again there is very little fruit. We have a very small garden, and it spans the whole of one sunny wall, it otherwise looks healthy. I absolutely love it, but can anyone tell me how to get it to fruit?
of years I think, but was neglected after that due to the birth of two babies within close proximity. During those years I pruned it in the winter, without realising espaliers are supposed to be pruned late summer, and without really knowing what I was doing. Last summer I finally pruned it ‘correctly’ at the end of August. But this year again there is very little fruit. We have a very small garden, and it spans the whole of one sunny wall, it otherwise looks healthy. I absolutely love it, but can anyone tell me how to get it to fruit? Many thanks
0
Posts
Is there a suitable pollination partner in the vicinity? Maybe there used to be and it’s been felled?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Wonder if any neighbours cut down any trees they had which originally helped pollinate it?
Let's see what everyone else will say! Does look lovely.
Apple trees make growth in two ways. On year one, they make long branches, or extend existing long branches.
On year two they make “spurs”, little side branches, along the long branches that they made in year one. The spurs are where the flowers form.
If you have been cutting the branches in such a way that spurs have no space to form, because you have shortened year one’s branches, you won’t have any flowers in year two.
If you pruned the tree correctly last year, and you prune it correctly again this year, you should have flowers next year.
Unless of course, it has a sulk as mine has this year.🙂
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
I mulch with well rotted horse poop. Great stuff if you have local stables.