double row cordon advice

[dirtyhands]

Hi all was looking for some fruit cordon advice for apples.

i'm planning a cordon of apples to act as a natural fence to seperate veg plot and lawn.

i've searched online but cant find any info on creating a double row of apples either side of the wire supports.

my thought was to stagger plant either side of the wire with onside leaning one direction and the other side being opposite. when you look at it you get a cross pattern rather than just leaning one direction

if i staggered at 0.5ft spacing do you think this would work?

it was suggested if i put a slab in the ground to force the root ball in opposite directions.

thanks for any help

[FB.]

Shading from one row onto the other might be a problem. Insufficient direct sunlight will deter them from fruiting and will result in poorer quality fruit.

Why does it have to be a double row? Had you considered the "Belgian fence espalier" style of training? Or simply a regular espalier?
On a rootstock such as M26, you could grow upright cordons as a hedge and would not need support.

Link to Belgian fence:
Thoughts on Architecture» botany building


Below is a picture of regular espalier (in this case: Blenheim Orange, MM106, about 50-60 years old). Blenheim makes unusually large trees; the espalier in the picture has arms about 2-2.5m either side of the trunk and a total height about 1.5-1.75m.




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[dirtyhands]

Thanks FB,

The belgian fence is perfect

would m26 be better than m27 , as i'm think i would have to plant them close to get a good pattern

thanks for the great advice

[FB.]

M27 is unlikely to be vigorous enough for anything other than very small, slow-growing patio trees. Only if your soil and climate are perfect might you eventually manage to get M27 up to the size you want.

I would consider M26 if the varieties you plan to grow are about average vigour. It is about half the vigour of "full size" rootstocks and the roots are strong enough that they don't uproot too easily. The more dwarfing rootstocks are often so weak-rooted that they can be pulled-up like weeds - or break-off at the base in windy weather if not staked.

However, if your soil or climate is not ideal, or if woolly aphids are a major problem, or if the variety you want to grow is very slow-growing, you might want to consider M116, MM106 or MM111 rootstocks.

[dirtyhands]

so m26 whips ordered was wondering if anyone can recommend a good book for pruning especially belgian fences.
thx

[chris]

Love the look of those. One question though, would the branches touching, making the fence not rub, and introduce spots for disease to get in? Are they tied down to stop movement?

[Kirk]

The RHS has a book on Pruning, lots of pictures that are fairly easy to follow.
One other thought that cam to mind was the range of Minarette fruit trees from Ken Muir.

Basically they grow as a single upright stem with very small (4-6 inch) branches off of them. They get to about 8 ft tall. I have 2 apples of these and the crop is fair, not massive.

Thought is simply that they would grow as uprights and form the barrier with little input from you.

Ken Muir do them in an assortment of fruit varieties. May have to tailor that to they did as the site mentions them but no further information. THe Minarette page looks out of date. Know they did apples and cherries, and I think plums, not sure of pears.

[dirtyhands]

thx guys will check out the rhs one