Sub-Tropical Espalier Candidates

[BrizzyFizzy]

Hello All,

I'm looking for some advice on potential espalier candidates for the sub-tropics.  There is loads of history and experience with this style of pruning/growing in temperate climates but not much for subtropics/tropics.  Either container or ground based espalier experience for these types of plants would be appreciated!

I think some eugenias such as grumichama or pitanga would go well .  Possibly also dwarf jaboticabas, dwarf annonas, etc.

Known sub-tropical espaliers:
Mango
Avocado
Citrus varieties
Feijoa
Cherry & Strawberry Guavas

Thoughts on others?

Cheers

[Oolie]

There are many possibilities. I like Loquats.

[BrizzyFizzy]

Yeah I thought of them too (and love them) but I think I'd need to graft one onto quince rootstock if I were to keep it contained.  Such a beautiful tree it would almost be a shame to limit it to two dimensions!

There are many possibilities. I like Loquats.

[echinopora]

I’ve tried to Tatura and vertical espalier a few trees, a short rundown:

Star fruit, guavas, Brazilian guava, most Eugenia, subtropical peaches and apples: highly suitable, horizontal cordons, pruning can control fruiting times.

Black sapote, canistel, star apple: suitable for horizontal cordon espalier but more vigorous trees so better to use wider spacing between cordons, 50-60 cm.

Kwai muk. Very vigorous still trying to get it under control but it still Fruits. Cutting nitrogen this year to see if it helps. Horizontal cordon. If I did it again it would be 3 cordons @ 50cm, 125cm and 2m.

Tropical evergreen annona- have done soursop and rollinia, trying salzmannii: needs to be oblique palmetto or fan espalier. If you try horizontal cordons you will forever be fighting water shoots. Bigger trellis needed, 3x3m. Persimmon is the same, oblique palmette big trellis.

Deciduous annona- haven’t got any but apparently do well horizontal cordon or palmette. Use bigger trellis.

Jaboticaba- informal or fan. Getting them in one plane makes it easy to protect the fruit, just clip shade cloth to top wire. Let it grow off the trellis at the top and just keep the trunks free of any new vegetative growth.

Mango: dpi wa did an experiment. Cultivar selection very important, low vigor easy branching varieties required. Honey gold, Irwin did well (arkp fits the bill as well). Mahachanok didn’t branch enough to fill the trellis even though it had lower vigor. Traditional varieties tough to control even with cultar.

Loquat- palmette oblique. Facilitates netting vs fruit fly.

South Africans are espaliering maluma avocados.

So lots of options

Rob

[BrizzyFizzy]

Thanks Rob!

That's a lot of useful information.  The more I think about it the more I am considering this for all my new guavas and eugenias purely for the ease of fruit fly control netting.  Could cincturing possibly help with your kwai muk problem?

Cheers

I’ve tried to Tatura and vertical espalier a few trees, a short rundown:

Star fruit, guavas, Brazilian guava, most Eugenia, subtropical peaches and apples: highly suitable, horizontal cordons, pruning can control fruiting times.

Black sapote, canistel, star apple: suitable for horizontal cordon espalier but more vigorous trees so better to use wider spacing between cordons, 50-60 cm.

Kwai muk. Very vigorous still trying to get it under control but it still Fruits. Cutting nitrogen this year to see if it helps. Horizontal cordon. If I did it again it would be 3 cordons @ 50cm, 125cm and 2m.

Tropical evergreen annona- have done soursop and rollinia, trying salzmannii: needs to be oblique palmetto or fan espalier. If you try horizontal cordons you will forever be fighting water shoots. Bigger trellis needed, 3x3m. Persimmon is the same, oblique palmette big trellis.

Deciduous annona- haven’t got any but apparently do well horizontal cordon or palmette. Use bigger trellis.

Jaboticaba- informal or fan. Getting them in one plane makes it easy to protect the fruit, just clip shade cloth to top wire. Let it grow off the trellis at the top and just keep the trunks free of any new vegetative growth.

Mango: dpi wa did an experiment. Cultivar selection very important, low vigor easy branching varieties required. Honey gold, Irwin did well (arkp fits the bill as well). Mahachanok didn’t branch enough to fill the trellis even though it had lower vigor. Traditional varieties tough to control even with cultar.

Loquat- palmette oblique. Facilitates netting vs fruit fly.

South Africans are espaliering maluma avocados.

So lots of options

Rob

[ScottR]

I have a espaliered cherimoya tree they work very well for espalier