Have you ever thought about planting a single fruit tree in your yard? Or even maintaining a large-scale orchard? If so, you’ve quite possibly come across the concept of tree training at some point.
However, many people aren’t familiar with the advantages of tree training, let alone understand the value of tree training supplies.
I’d like to help fix that by teaching you about the major benefits to training your fruit trees!
What is Tree Training?
Trees don’t bark and wag their tails, so you won’t be training them like you’d train your dog! Rather, tree training is a process that allows you to guide your tree into growing into a specific shape.
This is accomplished through the use of strategic pruning techniques and arrangement of the limbs in order to produce the desired effect. In doing so, you are able to structure the tree so that its shape will take in the optimal amount of late, thus benefiting the tree’s long-term health.
Another benefit is that a well-trained tree looks stunning in any yard or garden.
Benefits of Tree Training
In addition to the benefits outlined above, here are a few more reasons why you should consider early training for your fruit trees:
- Maximize the tree’s structural strength: Tree training helps remove the branches that are most prone to breaking as the tree continues to grow.
- Minimize the amount of future maintenance: With a healthy branch ratio, your fruit tree will need much less maintenance.
- Increase the tree’s lifespan: A trained tree is a healthy tree, and your tree will be much more likely to withstand the elements if it’s trained early.
- Increase fruit yield: Trees that are trained will be in a better position to bear more fruit due to their optimal intake of nutrients from the sun.
- Easier to harvest: By governing the shape that the tree will grow in, you’ll have a much simpler time harvesting the fruits of your tree’s labor.
Tree training supplies can help to set your tree up for success throughout its life. Think of them like posture-assistive devices for your fruit tree.
What Types of Trees Can Be Trained
Tree training principles can be applied to any orchard tree. Common applications include:
- Apple trees
- Pear trees
- Cherry trees
- Soft fruit bushes like gooseberries or redcurrants
These types of trees stand to reap the most benefit from early training. Wire for training fruit trees comes in quite handy for these species of tree.
3 Basic Tree Training Systems
To train your trees, there’s a variety of ways you can approach it.
These are the three most common solutions:
- Metal wire for training fruit trees
- Selective pruning with specialized pruners
- Ties for branches
A combination of these three solutions can lead to a very healthy life for your fruit tree.
5 Tips for Tree Training
Here are a few parting tips to help you get the most out of your tree training:
- Measure twice, cut once. Visualize your tree before pruning a branch, because it cannot be undone.
- Train the tree as much as possible and try to rely less on removal of branches.
- Make sure your cutting supplies are sharp and make clean cuts.
- Always throw away pruned branches, as their decomposition can attract insects.
- Use high-quality tree training supplies.
Find the Right Tree Training Solution
Here at Evans Manufacturing, we design and fabricate industry-leading tree training supplies, including:
- The Universal Trellis Clip. Our intuitive wire trellis clip can quickly be installed with one hand, requires no tools, is reusable, and works for trees, vines, berry canes, and irrigation lines.
- Tree Guides. We offer four types of wire tree guides, with each version being optimized for a specific type of tree guiding system.
Contact us today to learn more about our innovative tree-training products.