6 Kinds of Apples From 1 Little Tree!

Kelly-n-Tony
by Kelly-n-Tony
12 Materials
$57
1 Hour
Easy
Do you want some fruit tree variety without all the space multiple full grown trees take? A grafted Espalier fruit tree might be what you're looking for. You can do this with apple trees, pear trees, and even peaches.

How cool to get 6 types of apples from ONE tree!
When I saw this apple tree for $49.99 at my local farmers supply store I was so excited. It has been grafted so that each branch is a different type of apple! They choose and sell the combination of fruit that works best together in your location.


For my Michigan location it was these apples -
HONEYCRISP (sweet as honey)
YELLOW TRANSPARENT (makes great applesauce)
GALA (sweet-tart, great for cooking)
FUJI (good for eating, canning, cooking)
YELLOW DELICIOUS (sweet with hint of spice)
GRAVENSTEIN (wonderful dessert apple)
What you will need besides the TREE is 6 EXTENDED EYE HOOKS, WIRE, & VELCRO STRAPS.
Also a bag of TREE & SHRUB GARDEN SOIL with slow release fertilizer.
This one has Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Peat Humus, Composted Bark, and Slow Release Fertilizer (seek out organic!)
And tools you will need might include a SHOVEL, TAPE MEASURE, WIRE CUTTER, PLIERS, DRILL.
Later you will need PRUNING SHEARS as you will want to prune away what isn't needed.
Choose a sunny location along a fence or wall. Measure out 6 inches from your fence or wall structure and dig your hole about the depth of the top of the dirt in your tree pot but wider. If your dirt needs it mix in some TREE & SHRUB GARDEN SOIL with slow release fertilizer.
Then gently loosen the root ball so it isn't tightly bound, set your tree into the hole to check the height. Fill in the surrounding gap with soil, gently pressing the dirt down as you go. Creating a birm is a good way to direct water towards the roots in a new tree.
The tree could grow branches outwards 4 to 10 foot wide each side if you let it but can be pruned to keep the size where you want. I decided to limit mine to 5 feet on either side of the tree trunk. Attach the extended length EYE HOOKS to the fence or wall and string the wire left to right. With 3 rows of branches we needed 3 rows of wire.
Using the VELCRO STRAPS loosely attach the branches to the wire to give some gentle support and train the branches to go the direction we want (outward left and right). Eventually the branches will thicken to better support the growing apples.


Don't forget to remove the name tags from the branches so branches don't get pinched during growth. You can put them on the corresponding wires.
The tree is going to need about a gallon bucket of water every week as it grows. If it's rained a lot don't water but keep a close eye on the tree during hot weeks and adjust accordingly. Also watch for bug damage and treat properly to protect your investment!
Once Spring growth begins you can use PRUNING SHEARS to remove the none-flowering buds and anything that isn't where it belongs. The bees will help pollinate the flowers so you get the apples so be sure to encourage bees by not spraying your yard- allow those dandelions to grow! We attached a BEE BOX CONDO to the fence near the apple tree to further encourage the bees to help us out.



Resources for this project:
Grafted Espalier Fruit Tree
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Frequently asked questions
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  2 questions
  • Lho8229599 Lho8229599 on May 12, 2018

    I'm confused as to why you planted it so close to the fence? I would have moved it away from the fence by at least 4 ft..


  • Sue Berenson Sue Berenson on May 12, 2018

    Where can you buy a tree that has six types of apples

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  • Cheryl Gillman Cheryl Gillman on May 21, 2018

    I wonder If They sell those trees in Canada! I have never heard of them Before!!

    It would be even cooler if you could get different fruit from one tree! (Apples/pears/peaches etc!) But I'd settle for multiple choices of one fruit from one tree haha! Awesome info thankyou! Going to look into these now for sure!!

  • Sandy Hartnett Sandy Hartnett on May 29, 2018

    What a nice idea...looks great near fence too...nice looking! Hugs

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