Supporting trained fruit trees

[GBax]

For those of you that train fruit trees on walls.......

How do you go about supporting them?
How far off the wall do you have your support system?

Thanks
Guy

[Guest]

Posts with wire, then tie bamboo canes to the wires, then tie the tree/branches to the canes.

Not the best pic but hopefully it will give you an idea. I have only starting training them in the last year or so.

[GBax]

Thanks NG - I was looking at attaching 4X4 posts to the wall and then tension wires between them.

I also found this company https://www.s3i.co.uk/greenwall.php
Expensive but looks like it would last forever

[BUFFS]

all you need is to rawlplug those 6ins pins with the ring of metal on the end into the supporting wall, and tightly stretch wires across to tie the branches to, the wires I did are about 2ins proud of the wall, and it has worked fine for years now

[lookbettertomorow]

I do what Buff does and use barrel strainers to keep the wire tight, nice.
Got a pic but don't know how to put it on here, won't work on my tablet

[GBax]

Thanks.
I was thinking 4 layers of wire a ft apart - does that sound ok?

[lookbettertomorow]

They say you should never plant in even numbers, always odd. Naff all to do with wires of course but personally I would go with three over the same overall distance. If you need something in between do as Norfolkgrey does with a bamboo strategically placed. I think four would look to military, after all you are only providing assistance not total dominance, unless......

A foot apart is unnecessary but that's just me, it's your garden :-)

[Bigmallly]

The idea with canes is that you can periodically alter the angle of the bend, so you start at maybe 45 degrees then over a few months gradually move the canes till eventually you get them at 90 degrees. It puts less stress on the branches thereby reducing breakages.

[Alchemilla]

Thanks all, this thread was very helpful for me (especially the picture from NG).

I would like to grow espaliered fruit against a wooden fence and was already wondering if I needed (expensive!) steel espalier growing frames. This has given me the confidence to attempt training them to wires fitted directly to the fence posts with vine eyes.