Kitchen Garden Forum

The ground today was pretty wet, but I managed to move my rhubarb to a new raised bed which after being divided up it is now luxuriating amongst some well rotted home made compost. I have a space at the end of the bed which I intend to plant a small potted Cooking Apple Tree (Bramley I believe). I understand these can get quite big, but I want to train it on a cordon between some posts and wires......can this be done....?

Compo

What rootstock is it on Compo? It should say M something.

Afternoon Compo, hope your still making good progress.
Idealy i would have thought an M26 would be best for a cordon Bramley, but a M9 would also do.

I asked about this a long time ago and was given a link by Jude which gives a lot of information on cordons and espaliers. Is this any use?

http://www.ediblegarden.co.nz/hints-espalier.html

Good evening Chantel,
Just looked at "ediblegarden" and was thrown a little until I realised it is a New Zealand site therefore we should read south for north etc. It looks a good informative site though.
Regards Gerry

As I was given it a raffle prize, it was simply in a bucket, I can see it has been grafted onto some kind of rootstock, but no idea what it is, as there is no label........should I give it a go anyway?

Compo

I would Compo, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Don't forgot to leave the graft union above ground level, or the top section can root and revert it back to a large tree.

most of the apple trees i have found nurseries have been julien A root stock which grow to 8 - 10'
hope this helps

Thanks for the advice peoples, I am going to plant it between two posts with wires strung between, I shall put some kind of screen behind to keep off the worst of the the weather, our allotment site is quite exposed, so this will help it I think, I will let you all know how it goes.

Compo

Hi Compo

The tree is quite probably on MM106 - standard for garden centre trees cos it's semi-vigourous and trees get away easier. Left to it's own devices, a Bramley on MM106 would eventually make a tree 20 feet high and wide in 20 years. Might be M26, but with a Bramley (a Triploid which means extra vigour), even M26 is a bit strong for a cordon Bramley - it would be ok for 5 years or so, but then get quite vigorous unless you resort to root pruning.

I would suggest training it as an espalier not a cordon. As you establish the framework you will summer prune the laterals. Bramley is a partial tip bearer, so for maximum cropping (so reducing vigour) the very shortest laterals which do have fruit buds at the tip, should not be pruned back.

Hope this is helpful

Mole

One of my two espalier's is Bramley.

I have seen three storey espalier, as in 30' high. This was against the east and south walls of an elizabethan/victorian mansion, at least there was a firm place to lean the ladder for pruning.

Hi Mole,
There seems to be a tendency to produce trees on M9
rootstock as gardens become smaller. There are some catalogues that deal only in M9.
I have had difficulty finding MM106 and have ended up with M26 which gives around 12ft in height after 10 years.(after which I shall be too old to care in any rate) The M9 is not suitable to be an espalier but will make a cordon for a small garden.
Carlseawaolf,
Julien 'A' rootstock is not for Apples but for Plums,
Gages, Mirabelles and Peaches and gives 14ft plus after 10 years growth. The smaller Plums and Gages are grown on Pixy rootstock which gives 12 ft growth after 10 years.
JB.

Peter

how do you get on with the vigour of your restricted Bramley? I find it a bit vigourous as a trained tree , and that it's cropping capacity can be erratic from year to year (compared to many other varieties) if not pruned sensitively. I reckon a 30' high Bramley espalier would be a wonderful sight - an apt size for such a grower - is it possible to view it?

Mole

Mole, the bramley is three years with me and still not past my shoulder, had to move it this year in springish as well due to a bit of plot shuffling.

The 30'ers were pears and I'm not sure if they are still thers as it is now a private estate with communal gardens.