Heading 1yo maidens - what happens next

[fray]

Hello All,

First time posting so go easy on me...

Winter just gone I planted a number of fruit varieties, and headed them all back. Two I had intended to cordon, the other two as bushes.

What I have now found, is a a huge variability in how the fruit tree responds with which buds break, where and how far down (or not) etc. My feeling is that it is due to root stock, vigour and variety.

See the photos attached as what I mean. And the following summary, all are 1 yo maidens planted and headed in Jan 2016, watered and fed well:

Apple - Bramleys 20 - M26. headed 80cm, 4 strong shoots around heading cut that will go on to be primary scaffolds. no other bud breads down the trunk

Apple - Discovery - M27. headed 70cm, flurry of new buds 15 cm below the heading but, but 30 cm of bare trunk below this (no good for the cordon I had intended)

Pear - Louise Bon of Jersey - QC. headed 120cm, budded all along the whole trunk (perfect for my new cordon)

Quince - Meeches Prolific - QC. headed 90cm, feathered all along whole trunk, growing stong all over the place even in mosly shade


Given that I intend to plant a few more trees for training this winter, I'm now more wary if I need the trees to break bud in a certain fashion.

Is there a way to understand better how the variety x rootstock x response to heading pans out in practice?

Hope that makes sense,
Frank

[devonuk]

I planted Discovery on mm106 as an oblique cordon, and got buds all the way down to the graft. You would get better bud break if you planted it at 45 degrees. (It is by the way a partial tip bearer but only partial, so ok for cordons).

In general, if ordering more trees for this winter tell the nursery what end result you want and ask for advice on variety and rootstock.