Forgot to prune espalier can I do it now

[Bumblingbroccoli]

Managed to miss main pruning window for my espalier Apple and wondered as weather still warm in Berkshire if I can get away with pruning it now. If not what do I do and when?

[Lardman]

You can prune whenever you feel like, the tree just reacts slightly differently. Given this years weather I'd imagine if you pruned now the tree would still consider it a traditional summer pruning. Have at it

[nickdub]

You certainly can prune it now, and the tree will be fine - however I know next to nothing about maintaining espalier trees so whether this would help keep its shape I have no idea.

[Nicos]

I did mine last week -it suddenly started throwing up very long new growths.

[happyhumph]

I'm planning on doing mine soon.

[ESBkevin]

We did ours about ten days ago. Not a problem and you can decide if it needs a further trim in the winter or not.

[BUFFS]

as I understand it, summer pruning stunts growth and winter pruning encourages growth, once you remember that you can adjust the trimming accordingly, that's how I have the bramley as an espalier, big, strong but contained, had to give away 3 bucketfuls yesterday as we would be swamped with them otherwise..

[Lardman]

You're picking Bramleys already Buffs ? I'm not expecting to do that until mid October here but then I do like them on the ripe side rather than the green and sharp.

I tried a James Grieves at lunch as I was Jonesing for something but it definitively still had that green apple pucker to it.

[nickdub]

That's odd - my James Grieves have been fully ripe for at least 10 days and those that I haven't picked will have fallen off by next week I reckon, much redder than usual this year too.

[Lardman]

I was somewhat surprised too It's a tree I've moved a few times, absolutely butchered trying different pruning techniques (it was an Aldi tree after all) and has spent much of the season buried in raspberry canes. I think it's suffered more than most in the dry weather.

[Hereford fruit grower]

I think this illustrates the effect of soils and rootstocks. We're all roughly in the same part of the country, so the climate is *relatively* similar, except for height above sea level. I'm 99 m ASL.

My James Grieve isn't ready either. However, the few windfalls ripened more quickly. The very few windfalls with codling moth ripened more quickly still, were eaten 3 weeks ago and having removed the damaged area the rest of the apple was delicious. (It's such a large apple that moth damage doesn't affect more than about 5-10% of the fruit.)

Growing on M9, on a heavy soil, I'd expect the rootstock to speed up ripening and the soil to delay it a little. Ross-on-Wye has a very light soil, so fruit might ripen sooner.

Right now, Laxton's Epicure picked from the tree is ripe and very good. James Grieve picked from the tree is far too sharp unless one wants to cook with it. I don't, but it reportedly is very good for that.

[nickdub]

Ross, as you probably know, is a bit of a mixed bag as to soil types, with some on the very rich "old red sandstone" based ones for example. I have some clay on my plot, but mostly its limestone based thinnish soil overlying rock, and I'm also on a South facing bank at about 650' above sea level.

[Bumblingbroccoli]

Phew glad I can do it still. Thanks all