How To Espalier Fig Trees - Complete Guide From Start To Finish
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- This is a complete garden guide on how to espalier fig trees. While this video focuses on growing figs, the principles can teach you how to espalier fruit trees - any fruit tree. This method allows us to grow fruit trees for high density gardening to maximize production in small spaces. This video discusses:
1. How to build a trellis out of posts and airplane cable that is strong but inexpensive.
2. Selecting branches for espalier form.
3. Tying fig trees against the supports for proper form.
4. Pruning fig trees for espalier.
5. Pinching fig trees to encourage proper branching.
6. Growing high density fig trees.
The gardening tips in this video will help you grow more figs in small spaces than you ever thought possible. If you have any questions about growing fig trees, or growing fruit trees in general, please ask them in the Comments below.
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![Pruning Fig Trees Perfectly For Fig Cuttings [COMPLETE GUIDE]](/img/n.gif)
Check out the FOLLOW-UP PRUNING VIDEO here! czcams.com/video/gvY8PCnWgjM/video.html
The most thorough instructions for setting up the espalier trellis on CZcams!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I am so grateful you've made this video! Your espalier frame design, and all the information has been invaluable to me! Excited to see the future progress.
Exactly the information I needed and so well articulated, too. Not a word wasted.
Thank you! I appreciate you watching.
I don’t have a vegetable garden but I watched the video in its entirety bc it was so well done. I appreciate the excellent explanation and pronunciation, and you only said what was necessary. Nice job!
Great video! Just learned about this technique and I’m about to move into a house with a smaller size backyard. I really want to grow fruit trees and this is a great solution. Thanks!!
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Explained simply and succinctly. Thank you.
Thanks for watching! I posted a follow-up 2 weeks ago where I pruned them first year if you're interested: czcams.com/video/gvY8PCnWgjM/video.html
@The Millennial Gardener how do I promote more lateral branching? My apple espalier only has two growth areas. I need three (2 laterals and 1 upright). Please help.
I am so glad I found your channel. I'm on the border of 7B/8A in the piedmont of NC and I just ordered a couple of figs for fall delivery. I needed to keep them small, and this is great information. I really enjoy your presentation style and thoroughness. Subscribed!
Thank you. Figs should do pretty well where you're at. They do very well here in the Wilmington area, aside from the freak late hard freeze we had on 4/3. But that will wreck any fruit tree that leafs out early! Thanks for subbing and watching.
Hi! Love this video thank you! Please could you do a video on ‘pinching’ the ends of your fig trees?
There is a better tool to crep those things that loop your cable! I'm a poultry grower and we have cables to hold our water and feed lines up that we let up and down ! We bought it at Georgia Poultry in Georgia. Great videos! Keep making! Thanks do much! Marlene in SC
Thank you so much, I am so glad, found this video. Your instructions are very clear step by step with list of materials/tools. So appreciated, I have no space in my backyard but so inspired with your figs growing and we love figs so we’ll try the espalier method.
One question is Can we do espalier with figs trees planting in containers?
This was extremely helpful. Thank you for being so detailed and not glossing over smaller steps.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.
I'm working on setting up an espalier food forest integrated into a native-dominant regeneration project. You're video is great reinforcement on why I'm trying to do what I'm doing.
I'm glad you found it helpful. I'm currently putting together a first-year pruning video for espalier, but it's a long-term project that I'm pruning over awhile.
Thanks very much for all the detail in your explanation. You did a fantastic job explaining each step. I'd love to see a winter update.
Just another excellent gardening video on some of the finer details of Espalier. Thanks!
Hi, I've watched this video over and over. Good info... I can't climb a ladder anymore so this is perfect. I DO have a couple of questions now that I'm propagating my fig trees to cook, share, and sell the fruit and the new trees. With method, it appears that new branches grow out front and back of the espaliered horizontal branches. Maybe a stupid question, but I finally got the nerve to ask:):):). Plz enlighten this 80yr ole Lady who Loves Gardening :)
This was interesting. My Dad just gave me a fig tree yesterday and i was wondering how close to the fence i could put it. Good to know i can go pretty close. Thanks
I've been wanting a demonstration of how to do just this with my fig and other fruit trees - this is so clear and easy to follow - thank you very much. Can I grow plum, pear, and persimmon trees exactly the same way, with the branches out at right angles like this, and cutting them back to the cordon each year? I live in New Zealand.
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, you can grow literally any tree this way, even non-fruit trees. Espalier is simply a method of tying down wood to a guide wire or support of some kind while it's young and bendable before it hardens. You could espalier a pine tree if you wanted to! These trees, while the wood is young and green, are so influential that you could spell out letters of the alphabet with espalier if you wanted to.
Great video! Any videos with the second tier established, with figss, or even how to prune the espalier when winter arrives? That'll be something I will be interested in to see.
The trees are not old enough yet to have produced a second tier, so making this espalier series will be a 2-3 year long project. I am in the process of pruning trees and making the next video in the series, which is pruning second-season trees to build the second tier. I hope to complete this video within a month.
I think It's not necessary for second tier, one tier is enough. Next year in winter you must prune all vertical one year canes and leave 2 buds for every spur, like grapevine cordon
czcams.com/video/LinyLBYgFsQ/video.html
This was so educational. So glad I stumbled across your video. Visual learner and your clear communication made for an easy understanding.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!
Great video and exactly what I was looking for. Good detail and 'how to" information on the trellis as well as espalier fig trees. I think I'm going to do this on a fence line myself. Thank you very much for sharing.
Thank you for such a thorough demonstration. I will refer back to it when my trees are ready.
Thanks for watching! Glad you found it helpful.
U didn't waste a word, didn't waste a second, just exact words. No nonsense. Some people want to show their faces to become celebrities. Like the contents of this video. 👍.
I'm glad you found it helpful. Thank you. I have developed a series on espalier here if you're interested in the full series (so far): czcams.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFlbg2ri_7gCJPhXaZ_nOvy.html
@@TheMillennialGardener I will look into it. For sure. And you must continue the exact same way you make your videos and keep the narration to the point. Please keep updating on the fig tree. We love to hear more about their formative pruning and their behaviour as such. Well, I have a doubt now. I did a top working on my Seven year old avocado tree. The reason being, it was a wrong plant selection for more than one reason. We brought the scions from a mature producing tree. The seven year old rootstock was cut at four feet from the ground. To my dismay, the sap could not be stopped at all. The tree cried, but we consulted few known grafters and we did the bark graft. Unfortunately the sap still oozed from the slant cut and later by a week or so fungus was formed. Now the question is can we regraft it six inches below.? Was the time of the year wrong? And why did the sap oozed so badly. I feel sorry for the tree.
You are a very good man!
All the way from the land of figs
~Palestine
Thank you for watching! I bet you can ripen amazing figs in your dry climate. I wish it didn't rain so much here in the summer!
@@TheMillennialGardener just come to California! Bring your figs! 🤣
This is the perfect How-to. Impressive. Dying to try this.
Great video. I can see this was well thought out. It’s inspiring me to grow fig trees in limited space as well. Thank you
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate you watching.
Nice job I’m in red bank NJ-starting some pears and apples Same way figs die back every year 🙁✌🏼✌🏼🇺🇸
Damn your videos are so freaking articulate and amazing. You explain every single step and WHY. Now I have to try this next year.
I get frustrated when videos leave out steps, so I try to be as complete as possible. The downside is sometimes the details make the videos drag on. I'm glad you appreciate it! Thanks for watching.
@@TheMillennialGardener same here and I love that you 1. List everything in your Amazon store but 2. You also show close ups of each part (and I’m able to pause the video and take snapshots).
Genius! Love it! Excellent presentation!
Thank you! Thanks for watching.
Any articulate, clear, and well done. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Pleasantly surprised. Liking your channel a lot. You seem to have a niche on explaining, simplifying what others are not. Look forward to watching the updates on this espalier. 👍
Thank you. I try to explain exactly why I do what I do instead of just showing "how to." Teach a man to fish. Thanks for watching!
Excellent info. I'm going to try this with my three hazelnuts trees that I bought this spring that are still in pots.
❤ Excellent demo
Best espalier video I’ve seen so far! Thank you so much!
Thank you. I made a follow-up video for pruning here: czcams.com/video/gvY8PCnWgjM/video.html
Even better! Will definitely watch that too 😁
Obviously, a well thought out plan. Very interesting to watch and very well explained. Great job😎🌵
Thanks you! Thanks for watching.
Gardenem I'm😅
Very well explained, just what I was looking for, I want some fruit trees but don't have a lot of room.
Espalier is *the way to go* for high density backyard planting. You do have to maintain it annually, but that small time investment makes it possible to grow so much more in a small space. I just planted 2 apple trees, 1 peach tree and 1 pear tree today, and they will all be espalier!
@@TheMillennialGardener I do know that not all fruit trees can be grown this way some are done by the fan method have you done any of that?
Peaches and Nectarines grow on 2nd year wood, and you would end up cutting all of the fruit off to maintain your shape.
Thank you for this video. I live in rural Việt Nam and nobody seems to know about this.
You're welcome! Thank you for watching!
I loved this video and will do the same with a couple of my young fig trees! Very well done!
Thanks for watching!
Absolutely amazing video! Must watch! Thank you so much for sharing. Great information. Best wishes 🙏
I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Really effective demonstration. Super well done!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I love that you made this video.... very helpful to the point information with details.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Excelentes instrucciones, aquí en sudamericana dejamos que crezcan de manera libre las higueras. No obstante estaré aplicando tus conceptos a la hora de evitar que la planta crezca tan alta ... gracias nuevamente!!
I'm glad it was helpful for you. Thanks for watching!
That's going to look so cool. I can't wait to start trying this out for myself. Would make a fantastic privacy screen that's also productive.
Thanks! As long as all the wood survives the winter, it should look good next season. It's been a really cold December. I'm hoping January isn't as harsh.
@@TheMillennialGardener I hope so too.
An excellent demonstration. Thank you very much! Looking forward to having a try myself now.
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic guide, MG! One more thing on my bucket list to do.
I know the feeling of the never-ending to-do list! Thank you for watching.
Very well explained and demonstrated. I will use this info. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Excellent.
Thank you! I appreciate it!
Well done, thanks for the thorough explanation
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge so thoroughly!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!
Great, clear instructions. Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Very specific. Thanks
You're welcome!
That's awesome you did a great job
Thank you. I appreciate you watching.
This demo has amazed me--thank you so much!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching.
The absolut espalier explaining easy and clear video! Thank you!
Thanks for watching! I will be making a pruning video soon, too!
@@TheMillennialGardener I had an old fig tree wich i cut down full of runners. i was supposed to cut them too but you inspired me to keep 3-4 of them and maybe graft them to diffrent varieties... I have to make a research for what is good here in Greece! thank you so much!
@@agardeningreece in Greece, I think any fig will do well! My summers are very wet, so figs suffer. You have a beautiful climate for any fig. I really like the Adriatic types: green skin and red pulp. The Greek figs we grow in the United States usually have thicker skin, so maybe thick skin types do well in Greece since they dry on the trees better? It may be worth looking into.
@@TheMillennialGardener I have no clue. When I'll be well aware I'll let you know! From a quick search we have a variety similar to Black Madeira Fig if not the same... It is called Black Markopoulos.... I'll look out for it!
Watching your video today could not have come more timely for me as my goal this year was to transfer a good number of my containerized fig varieties into the ground and I do want to employ this espalier method. The details you provided are absolutely perfect and I know I can follow them to a tee. I just have a few questions that I would like your response on.
1- If I want to have 3 horizontal wires to accommodate 3 condors per tree & am willing to drill my own holes in the u post would your recommend a horizontal spacing of 12 inches"?
2- When the season is over, do you cut back the entire vertical growths that emanate from the condors all the way back to the very node leaving no stub? If so, what guarantee is there that that node will produce another shoot from it the following year. Are the nodes just programmed by nature to do just that?
Thank you for this video! You have the best videos - so detailed and very informative! truly from a heart that wants to share knowledge. watching your videos leaves me very inspired, thinking. I can do this!!!! Thank you for all your videos!
ALICIA QUIROGA thank you, that means more to me than you can ever know. My goal of this channel is exactly that - to inspire people to grow, no matter how big or how small. Just grow something. I’m glad it gets your wheels turning!
Rest assured you are well on your way to achieving your goal! I am sure you will have laurels on your cap from inspired novice and experienced gardeners!!!
This was super helpful and well explained! Thank you so much for sharing this!
You're welcome! I'm glad to hear it was helpful.
This video is the best one I've ever come across, very informative, loads of useful pro-tips, I definitely subbed and like 👍 🌿🌿🌲🌴🕊☘
Thanks for the sub! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Great video. I would like to plant my fig trees in the espaulier method.
What distance would you suggest between rows if I plant numerous rows of 6 plants?
Thank you. I learn more every video!
people in my country side here in morocco tend to keep fig trees away from houses becaus their roots grow wild they can damage your house
Glad to find a local to follow
Thanks for watching! I appreciate it.
Thank you! 👍🏻
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Best espalier video.
Thank you! And thanks for watching.
Your trees look fantastic - great looking backyard. Good job and video
Thank you very much! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for sharing, it’s very informative and helpful . 👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏
Thanks for watching!
Wow your yard is beautiful I'm envious. I live in zone 4 and I can't even grow Chicago's here. It sucks
Thank you. It's been a long work in progress. I moved south for the warmer climate. I used to live in an area where I couldn't grow much for so many reasons (Philadelphia area). Thanks for watching!
Excellent presentation
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching. I appreciate it.
Been hanging for this all week 🤓🙏👍
Thanks. This one took some work.
Great guide, I'm going to use this for my VdBs, Panache and Brown Turkeys. Would it make sense to espalier a san pedro type like a Desert King that is harvested mainly for its breba crop?
Awesome video ! Question : Do you need that many trees? Seems even one or two would cover the span of the wire easily ?
I have a couple of questions, (no idea if you will see it or not, but here goes)… 1) is there a reason you decided on 2 vs 3 cordon wires? It would seem that you could do another cable at the top of the posts. 2) are you going to brace the end posts so that they don’t get pulled inward due to the weight of the tree limbs growing along the cables?
Is "cup hook" different in your area? Around here that's an eye hook or eye bolt. A cup hook here is more like a.. well like a hook. Open on one side.
Unbelievable video. Great job as always
Thanks for watching!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your support and generosity! I really appreciate it so much ❤
This. is a most helpful video. Thank you. My question is how far away from the fence did you plant the fig trees? We are about to start this type of project and I want to make sure I have them at the correct distance.
my guy! I've needed to see this! Thanks from the northeast coast of South Carolina. 🤙
Thanks for watching!
Hey I def needed this, thanks for the help!
Glad I could help! Thank you for watching!
Well demonstrated!
Thanks for watching! I should have a follow-up soon, within the next month or so.
I've seen it done with an apple tree and it was tremendous after a couple of years even his children were able to reach all the apples
Hi great video. Quick question...you tied 2 branches to the wire and centre branch to the cane. What do you do with any other branches. I see you left them but do you cut them at the end of the season. Thanks
Very informative, thank you! Any reason you chose to espalier these trees on cable in front of the fence, as opposed to just running the wire attached to fence and planting the trees against the fence?
I will be definitely waiting for the update video but I'm guessing it's going to be a while
Thank you for the lesson.
Thank you for watching!
Really enjoying your posts. You are very thorough and a good communicator. Question on your end posts. Did you anchor them with any concrete or are they just into your soil?
Thank you. I appreciate that. No, they are just pounded into the ground. Espaliering trees is very different than growing vines. If you were trellising, say, tomatoes, beans or cucumbers, those vine-type plants place all of their weight on the trellis, so you have the entire force of gravity pulling down on the trellis. This isn't the case when you espalier trees. Trees are made of wood, which defy gravity. Therefore, there is no tension placed on the trellising cables. They are simply tie guides. Because the branches are self-supporting, they don't weigh on the trellis at all. You don't need the posts to be very strong. They only need to be strong enough to support the tension in the cables. Hope this helps!
Outstanding. Thanks so much. I am new to fig growing, planted 2 in the ground last spring. Olympian and Lattarulla. Learning about pruning them now (we are in Maryland). Most of the figs did not fully ripen and I want to improve my approach and process. I did not prune at all in the spring when I purchased them. I did give them some fertilizer when I planted but not any more thru the growing season. Also now that Im learning more - not really thrilled with their shape. I was thinking that perhaps they had too many branches for the fist season and that the root system could not support the number of figs on the tree. Thus the need for pruning. Do you have any other suggestion on how to get higher percentage of figs to ripen?
Thoughts on planting figs near a fence line?
Nice video and nice looking trees! We're going to do some grapes and espaliered fruit trees next to a fence in our yard. I'm still on the fence (ha!) whether I'll eventually put a fig in the ground here (6b), but I'm warming up to it. I think it'd be a bush and die back to the ground each year, not worth trying to espalier. I'm probably going to do espaliered apples or asian pears. Maybe some stone fruit.
Have you considered doing a single pair of cordons on the lower wire and then just having a bunch of larger upright canes? I'm probably going to do that shape for our grapes and then maybe a 2 cordon candelabra shape for some cool variation on the other trees. My wires will be a little bit higher than you've done.
FYI, your loops will hold up better if you use the thimbles. There's a device called a "come-along" that you can use with wire rope grips to put all the tension you need on the wires (if you don't want to use turnbuckles). You can also pinch the cables together with a cable clamp for a semi-permanent connection that you can adjust later. I'm assuming that you put the U posts in the ground vertical and the tension in the wires isn't enough to have the end posts lean? U posts would definitely be easier to put in than digging holes for fence posts or other trellis materials that I've been considering. I can always paint them so that they're a little more presentable :)
Thanks. You should definitely put a fig tree in ground. All you have to do is after your first couple frosts and light freezes, cut the tree down into a single 18 inch trunk, place 4 stakes around it, wrap the 4 stakes with 3ft tall chicken wire and stuff it with a bale of straw or hay. Make sure you leave at least a foot on all sides of the trunk, but more is better. That'll insulate the tree. Then, remove the straw in April or whenever you stop getting frosts and the tree will have a huge head start. I did this with my bananas over the winter. Banana's can't take a moderate freeze, and this method protected them completely. Now, I have a bunch of bananas ripening in North Carolina!
I am not 100% sure how the espalier is going to work out. I know I want 2 levels of cordons, but I'll play it by ear and see where to go from there. This is going to be a trial and error experiment. Yes, I had a ton of thimbles but I decided not to use them. I think that cable is going to outlast me. It's stainless steel, so it isn't going anywhere. The end posts did not lean. I made sure to not overtighten. They only have to act as a guide for the branches. It is not a support. Once the branches lignify, they will conform to that shape and I can untie them from the wires.
Good job. Amazing
Thanks for watching!
Finally a great how to video on this method! My question is on the horizontal tide up branches how long do you let them grow along the cable before you cut or do you not cut them?If you do cut them does the branch need to be lignified or can you cut back when they are green? Thanks!
For the branches that grow horizontally against the wire, I will cut them right at the U-posts in the winter, so basically, each tree will have 3ft long horizontal branches. Right now, I have them bent against the U-posts where they're too long. I'm going to cut that all off. I only did that so I'll have more cuttings for people in the winter. Come January, that's getting cut off flush with each U-post.
I always assume all green growth will be killed/damaged by freezing temps, so I am hoping things lignify by November. I'm still 4.5 months from my first frost, so I have plenty of time and I'm not worried at all. I only need 3 feet of lignification in all directions. That'll be easy to achieve.
Great video. Curious why you planted the trees quite far (1m / 3ft) from the fence? 💭 Thanks. ❤
Fig trees will grow branches in all directions and you'll need room to fit behind the tree to prune them.
Super! Loved the video.
Thanks for watching!
thanks so much for such an informative video. I am going to build this trellis this weekend. I try to buy from your links to support you and to thank you for sharing. I also like a link so that I am sure to get what I need. Can you share with us the size of the hooks and bolts/washers you used on the post. if not an Amazon link then just the size. Thanks a million
Now that you have a couple years under your belt with this project, do you still suggest this form even though freezing can cause die back to the ground and force a fresh start?
At the end of the year do you cut the branch flush with the cordon? Or do you cut it back to a few nodes?
Awesome knowledge, thanks for sharing it in detaill.. Kudos to you and family from India🙏
Thank you for watching from India! I appreciate it.
excellent video. hope to see an update in summer 2021
Thanks. As long as we don't get a bad winter that kills them back, there will be.
My zone they die back almost every year so this won’t work on figs. However I’m looking at fruit trees to do this
If you see dieback, yes, you are correct, this will be a no-no. However, this will also work very well with apples, peaches, pears, plums, etc. You can search photos of them grown espalier and they're beautiful.
Excellent video, very simple and informative. I have a question in regards to the pruning (which you may already have planned for a future video), however in the Southern Hemisphere we are in the middle of winter here. When it comes to pruning the new fruiting branches (ie those that have grown vertical from your scaffolds), do you plan on pruning the fruiting branches all the way flush with the scaffolds, or leave 1-2 nodes on the vertical fruiting wood. Hope this question makes sense. Please keep up the great work. Have learnt a lot from you - many thanks for that.
I plan to prune them to within 1 node of the scaffolds to encourage vertical branching the next season.
@@TheMillennialGardener Thank you for replying and the advice. Keep up the great work.
Looks great. However, I would put the second airplane cable in place now so that you can secure the bamboo stick to it so that the tree grows exactly where it should be.
Honestly, I wanted to do that but I ran out of turnbuckles. I have to get a bunch more at Lowe's. I also need to do this for some blackberries.
Two questions: 1. Would the end U-posts not tilt under the cable tension? 2. Would this espalier work for grapes, or do I need 4×4 wood posts at the ends?
1. The trellis is not supporting any weight. This isn't like a tomato vine, where the trellis must hold the weight of the tomato against gravitational forces. Because trees are made of hardwood, they defy gravity. You're only tying the wood down to the cable to direct its growth, so it isn't supporting any downward force. Therefore, the cable does not need to carry high tension. It just needs to be "straight enough" to use as a guide, so simply don't torque your cable hard enough to pull the U-posts.
2. Yes, this is a common method of growing grapes. I'm actually following the "cordon form" that wineries often grow grape vines. Since grapes are vines, they will apply tension to the cable, so you will need to make sure your U-posts are pounded into the ground well enough because the cables will have to support some amount of weight. However, grape vines are pretty light. U-posts should be adequate as long as you embed them about 18 inches deep and don't over-torque your guide cables.
How do promote lateral branching? I only have two growth areas and I need three (2 for laterals and one for upward growth). Do I make a nick in the trunk above a node?