damaged espalier advice needed

[seneca196]

I've got 2 espalier trees that were pre-trained by a nursery, but some of the arms are broken. 2 arms half broken and hanging off on a Fiesta apple and one arm completely snapped off from a Red Windsor apple. I needed some advice on how best to restore them. I'm thinking of cutting back beyond the breaks of the Fiesta apple, as they are half broken and probably not worth attempting to tape together. The completely broken off Red Windsor arm will obviously be cut back and I will have to try and re-grow a new arm. I was wondering what peoples advice be on where best to cut and when, as I have not attempted anything like this before. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[starloc]

I cant get the pictures properly due to our very slow mobile broadband.....but If they are still attached with bark and not dried out, you can bend them back into position so the bark joins, and then using a 1cm wide long strip of plastic carrier bag bind them tightly so no air can get in, then brace them and they will grow back together most times
It looks like one has snapped off close to another branch so nothing to prune off, I would leave it rough, probably coat with fruit tree wax or bees wax, were it has been snapped as soon as the spring starts the branches will grow before the break, at buds on the branch, see what grows

[seneca196]

Here's the Red Windsor apple espalier with one of the four arms completely broken off.

[starloc]

winter pruning promotes growth of branches, summer pruning promotes fruit, it will grow new branches from before the break, no fruit on the new branches this year though probably next year

[seneca196]

The thing with taping them back is I don't know how long they have been broken for and if they have dried out. would it be worth the risk Vs cutting them back to a nearby bud? What are the chances for either option. If they are taped and grow during the new season would I they be better as a mature, fruiting espalier arm, over 2 cut back and newly grown arms? I'm thinking of the tree in a few years time and when it is fruiting. Don't want to tape them and then have 2 not so good arms in the future. Then again, if I were to cut them back, before the breaks, would they definitely re-grow as good arms that will fruit in the future. I have 2 options and am leaning towards cutting back beyond the breakages.

[seneca196]

Just to add, could people say which trees they are commenting on - the Fiesta (2 half hanging off arms) and the Red Windsor (one completely broken off arm), just so I know which option for which tree. Obviously, have to cut back and re-grow the Red IWndsor as it has no arm to re-attach!
Thanks in advance.

[FB.]

The wounds look dry, so they probably won't heal if you join them together.

I think there is still plenty left to work with and I don't see much time being lost by some corrective pruning. Just don't panic and don't rush into hacking bits off; there are three or four months left before you need to have them pruned.

Some better-focussed pictures of the damaged ends would be helpful to see where buds are located nearby which could be used to re-grow the damaged pieces. Take the pictures square-on to the arms (one front, one rear), not from an angle nor from the ends.

[Kristen]

I don't know what to expect, but the structure of the branches doesn't look that great to me. my only experience is the last two years and growing my own Espalier, which I've never done before so I'm only going by what I have read on Internet and Books, so a blundering amateur!, but the side branches look a bit puny, and training of a left-branch around-the-back to make a right-pointing one seems a bit naff.

Be interested to hear if other share my view, or if this is pretty much normal?

Sorry to hear about the broken branches though.

[FB.]

I don't know what to expect, but the structure of the branches doesn't look that great to me. my only experience is the last two years and growing my own Espalier, which I've never done before so I'm only going by what I have read on Internet and Books, so a blundering amateur!, but the side branches look a bit puny, and training of a left-branch around-the-back to make a right-pointing one seems a bit naff.

Be interested to hear if other share my view, or if this is pretty much normal?

Sorry to hear about the broken branches though.

The espaliers aren't perfect but there's enough to work with. Fruit trees are a natural product and each one is unique. Some do not comply with what the owner wants and several times I've had to re-do formative pruning the following year due to the tree (or growing conditions) not being helpful.

The branch structure can be variety-specific. Some form thick stems and thin branches. Some don't produce many branches. Some don't produce branches where you want them and need creative training to train branches to the correct direction. There's an element of randomness and luck as to where you get branches. Sometimes the weather can affect how well a variety grows.
Some nurseries use chemicals to force the trees to branch, which can produce a lot of branches but is far from organic.

It may also be that 'first come, first served' applies, where the nursery sends out its best trees to those who ordered first and gradually sends out lower and lower quality ones until the remainder are not fit for sale and are either discounted, sold to discount stores or simply thrown on the end-of-season bonfire. In the past I've had a message at lifting/packing time of 'no saleable stock' from a couple of nurseries and had to substitute or go without. One nursery sent me the 'substandard' tree for free.

I expect the espaliers are on MM106 rootstock and (in good conditions) probably intended to have about four or five tiers spaced about 1ft apart, with a mature height of about 5-6ft and a mature spread of 10-12ft.

Here's a mature Blenheim Orange espalier, probably on MM106 rootstock, probably about 40 years old, growing in a Victorian Kitchen garden in (I think) Hampshire.
The trunk is approaching 1ft thick at the base.

[seneca196]

I agree about the Red Windsor tree. The top 2 arms look odd: the broken one is unusually thick compared to the other 3. Also, the bent arm that twists around to form an arm also looks odd. Not sure what to do with it. Ideally, I'd like to regrow both those 2 top arms, so was wondering if I should cut the main leader stem below both and see if I can get 2 new side arms. Or would it be better to remove both top arms and leave the central leader as is and hope I get some new side shoots forming around where the existing 2 are.

[Kristen]

wondering if I should cut the main leader stem below both and see if I can get 2 new side arms. Or would it be better to remove both top arms and leave the central leader as is and hope I get some new side shoots forming around where the existing 2 are.

I think of those two choices the first is better - almost bound to get three shoots and be able to form leader and two "arms", whereas with the second it is less certain that a bud will break to be able to form a new arm.

But cutting back to recreate new arms seems a shame, and the season's delay in fruiting, after paying for a pre-trained tree - seems like you might as well have bought some Maidens and trained them yourself over a couple of years

[seneca196]

I agree, but they were reduced in price because of their condition. I did buy 3 others which have 4 perfect limbs and a decent leader. I thought I would have a dabble at restoring these, as I liked the varieties. I have bought some maidens and intend to train them as pyramids. I have the "manual" and like you will be out there in March with secateurs at the ready. I thought I'd get the opinions of this well-informed site to see what everyone thought. I almost certain on cutting the Red Windsor leader below both the top arms (broken and twisted round ones) and hoping for 3 good buds to recreate the top tier and leader. With the broken bottom tier of the Fiesta I will cut back behind both breaks and hope to re-create the new arms (sorry for my use of body part analogies - it does sound a bit Frankenstein/ghoulish!) First need to get some better pictures for FB to caste his eye over.