Stepover Apple Trees......help needed please

[TrulyGreen]

I am really new to fruit and veg growing and recently bought a stepover apple tree. It has lots of tiny apples forming and looks quite good. It is still in it's container from the garden centre (it is going in a bed in the next week). I have searched the Internet for info without much luck. I don't know if I should be feeding it and if it will get much bigger. It is sending one shoot upright, although it is trained on canes in a T shape.....can anyone give me any information at all please.....any help much appreciated ....many thanks Christine

[wellie]

Hi christine,

Pigletwillie (moderator) has some exceptional 'stepovers' on one of his allotments, and I'm confident that he can point you in the right direction? X

[Flummery]

They are grown on a dwarfing rootstock so they won't get huge whatever you do to them. When you plant them out, put in some stakes and wires across and put the tree in between 2 stakes, so It can be tied in to the wire. The wire should be at the hight of your 2 sideways branches. You'll need to prune out upward branches from the middle. At the end of the year, fruiting spurs can be cut to just a couple of buds. New growth at the ends can be tied in the same as your original branches. Hope that's not confused you more! I have a couple of step-overs at the edge of my garden veg plot.

[TrulyGreen]

Many thanks Wellie

Flummery.....thank you great info, I shall sort out some stakes and wire. When you say prune upward branches from the middle.....do you mean middle of the upward branch.....sorry really am new to this......slinks away blushing!

[Flummery]

No sorry, I mean if the middle bit starts to throw an upward shoot - you know, where it's been cut right out to allow the T shape to form - then cut this one out so you don't get it trying to grow upward in line with the trunk. Just make sure that your outward branches lie flat - they will try to grow up if you don't tie them in to the wires.

[TrulyGreen]

Many thanks Flummery, that makes perfect sense and is really helpful.

[TonyF]

You might want to try to get a copy of Joy Larkham's 'Creative Vegetable Gardening', lots of step overs illustrated in that.

My project for next year if I can get the right type of rooting stock, step overs in the potager.

[deadwood]

Truelygreen, If I recall a stepover is a extreme form of espalier in that instead of 3, 4, 5 or more horizontal branches you only have a single set at low level. A dwarfing root stock may be used but more I suspect because it is in a pot.

Most books with information of apple trees and training them will have something on espaliers. Prune/train yours the same.