An intervention the first year after planting is decisive for a beautiful and low-maintenance privacy screen. The guidelines in this article apply to most of our espalier trees in screen form: holm oak, hornbeam, swamp oak, field maple, ...
After planting, it is good not to pamper the trained trees for almost a year.
Giving no extra knife substances so that they form enough roots and, hardly any or no pruning, ensure that growth gets off to a nice start.
With normal growth, the espalier trees will have formed shoots of 20 to 50cm the first year after planting.
- Only where there are gaps larger than 30cm (so the shoots have 15cm space above and below.
- Only bind horizontally (not diagonally).
- Do not tie 2 branches together
It may be that binding is not necessary because the screen is already full. This has to do with the age of the espalier.
The leaves should provide the screen, not the branches. A common mistake is that every branch is tied back, resulting in a dense tangle of branches and a less fresh and maintenance-friendly screen.
The horizontal trimming is to provide a delay in growth. > This makes it more maintenance-friendly.
-You start at the top and cut the branches there as short as possible, down to the branch where it sprouts
-There will eventually be more growth at the top, so it is good to remove the thickest branches completely.
-Cut the other branches short, usually stumps between 2 and 10 cm
-Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you prune manually or mechanically
You are not obliged to prune away all protruding branches.
If you want an effect with more depth, you can always cut away the longest branches and leave the young ones.
If you want a sleek result, prune with hedge shears.
It is OK to combine both pruning techniques.
You can fertilise the first year after planting. We recommend this especially if growth is disappointing or if the trees do not look fresh (e.g. no deep green colour).
-Your espalier becomes an ordinary tree again. It will grow more vigorously and absorb more light.
-You will have extra work and extra pruning waste.
-The tree will take up more space, which could cause problems with its neighbour.
-The structure will then be put under extra strain and may not give enough support or become loose.
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