pitangadiego
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Registered:1188871011 Posts: 5,447
Posted 1311443331
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#1
I was too lazy to Photoshop this better. This is a seedling with about a 12 foot branch that has leaned over so the about 8 feet of the branch is horizontal. Each node is now sending up a vertical shoot. Acting very much like the trees that Ken Love took pix of in Japan.
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vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1324001750
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#2
Jon,
This is a great image. It's pretty amazing how once the fig limb or lead goes horizontal, it immediately wants to produce vertical growth. I'm using the same concept to produce an espalier against my garden shed. I planted a small Celeste tree at the corner of my shed in early 2010. It had a central leader and two small limbs. I pulled them down and trained them horizontally. Slowly over time, and with some pruning and staking, I've been able to start a decent espalier. I plan on heavily pruning each vertical growth in early spring to keep the plant compact, similar to how the Japanese have grown their fig trees in greenhouses.
I'm in Newport News, VA (zone 7b) and Celeste is hardy and reliable. That's why I selected it for espalier. Here are some pics documenting the espalier process so far. I'm open to suggestions and tips that might make this an easier or more effective process.
Dave
__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
possum_trot
Registered:1269047402 Posts: 224
Posted 1324007020
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#3
That is really nice, Dave! I want to try a few trees like that here. It is a little colder where I live but I think I will try to bend the long shoots down and cover them in the winter.
__________________ Susan
Brown County, Indiana
zone 6
pitangadiego
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Registered:1188871011 Posts: 5,447
Posted 1324007533
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#4
Beautiful execution.
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motownnj
Registered:1319238695 Posts: 42
Posted 1324007756
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#5
very nice Dave. Thanks for showing the progression...pretty cool
tokechan
Registered:1319255960 Posts: 17
Posted 1324010903
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#6
thats great idea to get the branches and fruit of many very nice but why your main branch not bent like other branches
theman7676
Registered:1305721469 Posts: 361
Posted 1324034656
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#7
very cool dave. thanks for the picshow many seasons did it take to arrive to the last picture?
__________________ wish list:
Florea
Nordland
Tacoma Violet
LaRadek's English Brown Turkey
vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1324041146
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#8
Thanks for the compliments. It's been a fun project so far, but I've got a long way to go.
Tokechan, I plan on cutting the vertical branches back close to the main horizontal limbs early next spring, then allowing the new vertical growth to replace the removed growth.
Theman, I rooted the Celeste cutting in spring of 2009. I planted it in ground in spring of 2010. The tree will be 3 years old in spring of 2012.
__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
drivewayfarmer
Registered:1260287641 Posts: 773
Posted 1324045684
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#9
Fantastic job , I hope my in ground Florea survives to look like that eventually. When you cut back in the Spring do you plan on leaving more buds on the weaker growing verticals ?
__________________ Kerry Zone 5 NH Wish list :Galicia Negra , Col de Dame Blanca/Negra .
go4broek
Registered:1287592943 Posts: 1,200
Posted 1324046368
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#10
Looks good. Similar to the Japanese techinique. My only concern is how close it is to the wall. It will cause problems soon. Good luck!
__________________ Ruben
Cibolo, TX/Zone 8b
Wish List: Dalmatie, Italian 258, Martin's Unknown (not the Italian), CdD-N, NdC, Signora, Latarolla, Stella!
Check out my online journal @ http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/vbc/go4broek/83546/
Fredfig
Registered:1273006291 Posts: 116
Posted 1324048960
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#11
WOW! How great! Good idea, Dave. Fredfig
saxonfig
Registered:1258080612 Posts: 1,370
Posted 1324070157
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#12
Very nice Job Dave. Between those Japanese pics I've been looking at recently and seeing the nice job you've done, I am now inspired to give this a try myself. I could see this working for us even with cold sensitive varieties in zone 5 or 6. I can see myself growing them out in the open like this and just covering them with soil, leaves, or mulch in the fall as winter protection. Then uncover them in the spring. Seems it would be simple enough to train them to grow no more than 12" from the ground and then just mound the "protection" up over them in late fall. I look forward to giving it a try this next season. Thanks for posting those great progress pics Dave.
__________________Fig Well An d Prosper! Bill - SW KY. Zone 6b. 36.5N I'm fruitnut on ebay.
vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1324087299
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#13
Drivewayfarmer, I plan on cutting all the verticals back to 1 or 2 nodes, leaving a vertical stub no more than a few inches tall. I don't know yet if I will change the plan for the smaller vertical limbs.
Ruben, you are probably right. The main trunk and horizontal arms are about 9 inches from both walls of the shed. It looks closer in the pictures. 2 years later I am wishing I planted it a bit farther from the corner of the garden shed.
Bill, thanks for the compliment and good luck! You should definitely try growing a fig this way. I had similar thoughts for people growing this method in northern climates. It might actually be a heck of alot easier to protect the entire plant in the winter because it is already so close to the ground. Let me know if you decide to try it.
Alan, I was worried when I first planted it that the left portion of the plant would receive less light than the right portion of the plant because of the exposure of the building. As it worked out, the right side of the plant was only a bit stronger in terms of growth, but it definitely ripened figs more quickly than the left side.
__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
go4broek
Registered:1287592943 Posts: 1,200
Posted 1324129621
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#14
Dave,
Fig trees grown in that Japanese style develop very thick trunks even faster than normal due to all that pruning of the branches. Yours will probably be hitting the wall within 3-4 years. Here is a picture of a local Celeste tree with a single trunk. The trunk is abt 22" in diameter.
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__________________ Ruben
Cibolo, TX/Zone 8b
Wish List: Dalmatie, Italian 258, Martin's Unknown (not the Italian), CdD-N, NdC, Signora, Latarolla, Stella!
Check out my online journal @ http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/vbc/go4broek/83546/
vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1324133568
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#15
Oh boy, looks like I'm in trouble...
Who knows, maybe my Celeste esaplier will turn the garden shed into a treehouse!
__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
saxonfig
Registered:1258080612 Posts: 1,370
Posted 1324142163
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#16
No need to panic though. You can always move it before it gets much bigger. For your zone, you could probably do that anytime this winter. Or (maybe more ideally) you could wait until a couple of weeks before bud break and move it then.
If you don't have alot of options as to where you can move it to, I imagine you could leave it by the shed and just move it out a few feet. You still may have to keep it pruned back away from the shed in a few years though. If you do want to move it, I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave it until it becomes a monster! So..... :-/ One other thing. If you do move it, you're required ;) to take pics of the process and post them here. We look forward to future progress pics of this one Dave.
__________________Fig Well An d Prosper! Bill - SW KY. Zone 6b. 36.5N I'm fruitnut on ebay.
Centurion
Registered:1293429646 Posts: 810
Posted 1324325318
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#17
Thank you for posting this Dave, and thanks to the rest of you for all of the comments as well. We've been in the new house for nearly four months now and are starting over. I have wiped out most of the existing landscaping, getting ready for figs in the spring. This topic is giving me lots of good ideas.
__________________ Dave
Verde Valley, AZ
Zone 8
navillus
Registered:1317857703 Posts: 143
Posted 1324352841
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#18
Cool looking Dave. Thanks for the idea, I know now what I am going to do to hide the back fence.
__________________ Charles
Tampa, FL Z9b
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vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1340843296
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#19
Here's an update on my fig espalier against the corner of my shed. I pruned it back very heavily on March 15, but did not move/transplant it farther away from the corner of the shed because of lack of free time. When I pruned I left 1 or 2 nodes on each vertical depending on the size of the growth. Approximately 100 days later the espalier is getting big again, each growth is almost 7 feet tall. I accidentally broke off 2 growths when they were young and green. One of them did not grow back and is now just a stump. The other grew back but was bare for a while and the tree got badly sunburned in that location. I also had to include a pic or two with my ferocious guard dog Scout. She may not look like much, but she's tenacious. I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants with this project, but I'm also loving every minute of it. Shameless plug...I posted a few more pictures with a more thorough overall description of the tree on my blog. Check it out if you are interested. http://point09acres.blogspot.com/2012/06/espalier-fig-iv.html Hope everybody's fig growing seasons are off to a great start. I'm loving all the breba pics and main crop pics from the really warm growers.
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__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
genecolin
Registered:1248866064 Posts: 1,542
Posted 1340843642
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#20
Dave, ever since I saw you first post about this tree, I been think of doing something similar. Thanks for posting a follow up. It looks great, just like I hoped it would. Now to plan for mine.
"gene"
__________________ From the bayou,
"gene"
zone 9
Houma, La.
vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1340848429
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#21
Thanks, Gene. What variety do you think you'll plant? Mine is a Celeste, but I wish I planted something different. Don't get me wrong, I love a dead ripe Celeste but it would be fun to have a more unique variety for my espalier. At least Celeste is fairly cold-hardy and grows quickly...two reasons why I planted it! Good luck, looking forward to hearing what you decide to do. Dave
__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
BLB
Registered:1214341548 Posts: 2,936
Posted 1340849009
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#22
For some reason, I've missed all these posts until just now. Fantastic job!! Perfect espalier!! Thanks for the pics.
Gina
Registered:1330452963 Posts: 2,260
Posted 1340854946
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#23
Thanks for posting the progress. I really enjoyed it. :)
__________________ WillsC's new fig forum: http://www.Ourfigs.com (and blueberries)
TucsonKen
Registered:1246833094 Posts: 1,298
Posted 1340859059
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#24
Very nice!!
__________________ Ken
Tucson, Arizona
Zone 8b
noss
Registered:1244523274 Posts: 2,122
Posted 1340864080
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#25
Dave, That's a lovely tree you planned out. So neat. Is that a Xolo-whatever dog you have? I can't spell the name. What an interesting-looking dog! noss
__________________ noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
genecolin
Registered:1248866064 Posts: 1,542
Posted 1340880647
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#26
I think I'll be using O'Rourke and Improved Celeste. I have a new area I just opened up behind my garden against a privacy fence. I'll plant the trees there in the fall. "gene"
__________________ From the bayou,
"gene"
zone 9
Houma, La.
DesertDance
Registered:1247674606 Posts: 4,518
Posted 1340890585
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#27
Great photos and WOW! Amazing how a plant can be shaped! It's so beautiful! You did a wonderful job! Please keep us posted! Suzi
__________________ Zone 9b, Southern California. "First year they sleep, Second year they creep, Third year they leap!" Wish List: I wish all of you happy fig collecting! My wishes have been fulfilled!
jenniferarino83
Registered:1335709464 Posts: 1,076
Posted 1340912742
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#28
wow!!!!!!!! Thats pretty awesome Jon! I little babies, I may have to wait a couple years to branch out like yours but I will try this. Wow.... thats nice! what was the fig variety? Just curious, looks vigorous and cold hardy since you live in VA. Totally love it!!!!!!!! looks like you will have good shading too, and privacy. Total space saver! Jenn
__________________ Jennifer A. Brown Wishlist: NONE Boise ID ZONE 5
rcantor
Registered:1309799312 Posts: 5,727
Posted 1340928319
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#29
Great job!
__________________ Zone 6, MO Wish list: Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
vaplantman
Registered:1285804356 Posts: 54
Posted 1340934648
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#30
Thanks for the compliments! I definitely recommend trying to espalier a fig if you have the space and good climate. Noss, my dog is a Hairless American Terrier. Great dog, loyal, super athletic (can jump 5-feet high in the air from a standstill even though she's only about 18 pounds), and pretty good guard dog. I also have a classic lab/mix/mutt from a shelter in North Carolina. Gene, once you plant them in the fall post some pictures on this thread, or start a new one. Looking forward to hearing from you then. Jenn, it's a Celeste fig started from a cutting off my Uncle's huge old Celeste tree in Virginia Beach. I see you have a birthday coming up in a month. I only have a single rooted cutting of RdB. I'd give you one if I had another. Good luck on your quest. I also hope it's as good a fig as all the hype suggests. Bob, looks like we have a very similar wish list!
__________________ Dave
Newport News, VA Zone 8a
http://point09acres.blogspot.com
Looking for: Col de Dame Blanc, Maltese Falcon
jenniferarino83
Registered:1335709464 Posts: 1,076
Posted 1347428733
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#31
Any more updates Jon? Just curious. Gosh it's so pretty. I may do that to my W. Triana
__________________ Jennifer A. Brown Wishlist: NONE Boise ID ZONE 5
pitangadiego
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Posted 1347428972
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#32
It turns out to be a caprifig, so not going anywhere with this one. It did demonstrate the feasibility and verify why the Japanese make use of this style in their greenhouses.
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jenniferarino83
Registered:1335709464 Posts: 1,076
Posted 1347430314
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#33
Nicely done.
__________________ Jennifer A. Brown Wishlist: NONE Boise ID ZONE 5
shootersm
Registered:1342144022 Posts: 20
Posted 1347454711
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#34
next spring one of my hardy chicago, will be trained in espalier shape, since I have seen your blog a month ago, I am planning where and how!
__________________ il fico, che meraviglia
Montreal south shore,
zone 5B,
actual list: hardy chicago, unknown1 (celeste?) and unknown2 (BT?)
wish list: canadian cuttings...
seven
Registered:1291856042 Posts: 24
Posted 1347474931
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#35
Jon, if the branch in your picture was actually in contact with the soil, would it root at the nodes? I'm thinking like a ground-level espalier of sorts? I have a few trees in 1 gallon pots that I just put into the ground (after like 3 years in the same pot...don't ask) that I wouldn't mind experimenting with. They are quite small and whippy, maybe 18-24 inches tall. They would be very easy to protect in the winter too if grown in this fashion. Thanks!
shootersm
Registered:1342144022 Posts: 20
Posted 1347478493
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#36
your branch will root where it contacts the soil, so you'd get a branch half rooted and half leafs
__________________ il fico, che meraviglia
Montreal south shore,
zone 5B,
actual list: hardy chicago, unknown1 (celeste?) and unknown2 (BT?)
wish list: canadian cuttings...
satellitehead
Registered:1257988353 Posts: 3,687
Posted 1347481121
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#37
Questions, as I've started an Espalier at home recently: 1) How high off the ground is it suggested to start the horizontal branches? 2) Is there an easy way to get two branches to pop out at the same height to do the horizontal runs, or do you just get lucky?
__________________ Jason
Atlanta/Grant Park area - z8