Training your new fruit tree

Training branches to go in the right direction

Tree training
Many people associate pruning with changing the structure of your tree to fit a different shape or style. Altering the structure of the tree in this way is known as 'tree training'. This is a way to develop an alternate form for your tree but pruning is also used to prevent diseases, prevent lopsidedness, and encourage healthier fruit growth on your tree.

Pruning for balance
Pruning is useful to keep your tree looking balanced. If you have an abundance of branches on one side of the tree, then you can prune carefully to get rid of some of the larger branches which weigh down the tree on that side. Think about it more in terms of maintaining rather than altering. While pruning is useful occasionally, most of the time you can use training as a healthier and more efficient alternative.

Training trees has been around in one form or another for a long time. Through tying down branches or propping them up from the ground, one can direct the growth of the tree to take whatever shape they want. This is usually started when the tree is young, to encourage it to develop fully in the form you want. Espaliered trees are an example of this.

This is a good example of tree training, note the lack of branches in the center of the arbor and the way the trees growth has been encouraged to create a tunnel effect.

Photo credit morgueFile

Training is partly about pruning but more so about redirecting branches. Rather than just cut off all the branches that aren't going in the right way, you try to redirect them. You can equate this to putting braces on your teeth to get them to grow straight  for your fruit tree. Eventually the branches naturally grow that way you've been training them.

What form to take
It can be difficult to decide how exactly to train your tree. There are different forms and shapes to choose from and different reasons for doing it. Some training methods allow a high density of trees in an orchard, and some are meant to provide maximum access to the center of the tree. Depending on where your tree is, you may want to train it to fit in a particular space.

To train a tree, you will need some sort of outside brace to push or pull a branch. Alternately, if you want to push 2 branches closer together or further apart, you can place something in between them or lash them together with rope. Successfully training your branches just takes a little imagination in deciding what to tie things to and what to push things off of. You may even attach branches to a wall, spreading them out in  fan shape, called an Espaliered tree.

Have a look at this demonstration of how to espalier a fruit tree.

Does your tree need training?
Have a think about whether your new fruit tree could benefit from a little training as it grows. Whether you decide to give your tree a completely new form, or to just optimize the branch placement for easier access  and healthier fruit, there is probably some way that tree training can benefit you.