Training Fruit trees

[jogette]

I read a post describing how to train a fruit tree by weighting the branches. I have searched for the post (honestly) but can't find it. Can someone point me in the right direction please?
It's something I want to try this year!

[FB.]

Might have been me.

I have used weights, wires, cane-frames and spacers (clothes pegs can make good wedges when clipped around the older stems and used to push the younger stems out at a greater angle) to move branches into better positions. Best done when the branches are young and soft, in their first year. Older branches are not so easy, but will gradually bend.

You could bind together some canes to form a simple framework and loosely tie the young branches to the frame.
You can use small pieces of wood to push young branches apart, to improve the angle between them.
You can put a stake into the ground and use it to pull a branch down with a wire (you might need to protect from the wire cutting into the branch).
You can add small amounts of weight to branches, for a season or two.

If you want to dramatically change the angle of a branch (such as from upwards to sideways - for an espalier) it is best done in two or three stages over the course of the growing season, so as not to break the young branch (which could allow disease to enter). Minor breakages and bark splits are fairly common if you try to move the angle of a two-year-old branch, but usually heal OK.

[Eco-Chic]

There is a diagram demonstrating how to pull the branches into shape on the link below.

Chris Bowers & Sons - Cherries and cherry tree growing advice

[smallblueplanet]

Try searching for festooning.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...html#post68920