Hey everyone! I'm looking to grow a Red Falstaff apple tree on M26 rootstock in my front garden. After a lot of research, I've decided this is the right choice for the spot I've got in mind, which is about 120cm wide and right against my bungalow wall. I've heard I should try pruning it in the espalier style—training it to grow flat against a trellis or wire. I just want to double-check if my information is spot-on and if there's anything else I should know to successfully grow this apple tree. Any advice or better suggestions would be awesome!
2 Answers
You should be good with any M26 apple tree! If you’re planting against a wall, put up a trellis and spread the branches out as you prune them. I find summer pruning works best for shaping the tree. I've got several trees against a trellis, and they're thriving! The wall tree is a Golden Delicious, positioned to soak up heat from a south-facing wall for ripening. I usually let them ripen until mid to late October for the sweetest fruit. A bush tree is also a lot more budget-friendly than an espalier. Just a tip, I've thinned my apples down to 40 on one of my trees from around 200! They're massive and juicy!
I have a Red Falstaff on a dwarf rootstock and we train ours as a cordon, where the trunk grows at an angle and small spurs shoot off. This year's been great for us! Following the RHS guidelines for espalier should work fine. Just make sure to water and feed it during the growing season. I absolutely love the blossoms; the bees do too! Just a heads-up, some apple trees need to cross-pollinate. Ours is self-fertile, but having other apple trees around (like a Cox and a Greensleeves) helps as they flower at the same time. How's yours looking?
Would you say you're getting more apples with the cordon method? And yeah, mine's self-fertilizing, but I’ve got neighbors with apple trees too!
That sounds amazing! Do you have any pics of the Gala you mentioned? I'm curious to see how they're growing!