▷ Cording apple trees: you can control their growth

Apple tree creasing is sophisticated, luxurious and elegant, that’s how I would describe it. If you want to buy printed ones, they will be hard to find and will cost a lot of money. But it is not difficult to form cordons on your own – look at a concrete example in Vilnius:

Together with arborist Leonard Mekionis of Akademijosarboristai.lt we went to Aquile, who had previously attended our gardening courses. It had already started to form apple cordons, but there were doubts about how to manage the branch growth further.

Forming spurred cordon apple trees: when it is convenient

Cordon, or in other words, espalier, is a method of cultivation, when tree branches are grown horizontally on the sides along the supports, and the trees themselves are planted at equal distances, thus creating an openwork wall of a classic and rigorous shape.

You need to be careful where the branches grow and tilt them appropriately in time;
It is necessary to remove unnecessary branches;
You need a general understanding of how a tree grows to be able to predict where the branches will grow and manage this process.

This is why cordons are very expensive in nurseries. On large plots, cordons are generally difficult to see – it’s simply too much of a luxury. Due to the harvest, it is much more efficient to grow a normal apple tree.

But in a small plot, such as the courtyard of the L’Aquila dacha, growing apple trees in cordons is very suitable. They practically do not take up space, they look unconventional, you can pick one apple after another, and pruning several trees will be fun rather than work.

Forming apple trees with cords: where to start

The formation of apple trees with cordons occurs as follows:

Each tree requires vertical support: a column;
The horizontal tubes are fixed to this vertical;
Apple trees are planted in rows at equal distances.

The trunk of the apple tree runs along the vertical column and the branches along the horizontal tubes.

Which branches are pruned?

First of all, check the height of the apple tree. There is no reason for the apple tree to grow tall, so cut the tops above the main pole.

When the branches of apple trees planted in a row get close to each other, they need to be pruned. On the sides, fruit branches are sufficient, while the longer branches must be pruned. We leave them throughout the spring so that they branch.

If you have a branch on both sides, remove the other branches that are at the same height and therefore no longer necessary.

And, of course, remove any broken, dead or diseased branches as you would any other tree.

It is important to make the cuts correctly so as not to damage the buds, so that the cut is precise and without splinters. How to properly cut a branch, read here (there you will also find a video instruction with the methods shown exactly).

If the twigs are not where they need to be

However, what to do in this case if there is no branch where it is needed? An empty space will fall out of context, a hole in your perforated wall.

Leonard says there are several ways:

To be cut or cut where necessary to allow the branch to grow. A tree usually releases branches from a dormant cutting. However, it may happen that it is spent in the wrong place;
We can “drive” any branch that came out elsewhere to the required location. We simply bend the branch where it needs to grow, fix it and it will continue to grow in the required direction.

Leonard points out that cutting down a tree is risky. You can only cut the bark up to the furrow, but under no circumstances should you cut the wood, as this would damage the tree.

When a twig is missing, you can use both methods: cut the bark and bend the twig in the right place. If a new branch grows in place of the incision, you can simply remove the bent one.

What are the most suitable apple varieties?

L’Aquila has taken great care in choosing apple varieties. The main criterion was that the harvest should delight from early summer to late autumn.

The following apple trees grow in his garden: ‘Beloruska sladka’, ‘Imant’, ‘Konfetna’, ‘Sawa’, ‘Katya’.

The creasing of the apple trees can also be done with other varieties, here it is only a personal choice of the Eagle. Keep in mind that the decorative effect of apple trees depends on their earliness: the earlier it is harvested, the sooner the leaves turn yellow and fall. If you choose different varieties, the earliness, decorativeness and height of the apples will differ.

And if you do not decide to form cordon apple trees, columnar apple trees look great in small plots, which also take up little space, and the harvest is sufficient due to taste. Read the article with a video about how to plant columnar apple trees and which varieties I chose: read here