Now that garden spaces are becoming smaller, apple trees are now grown as a hedge or an ornamental border for a vegetable plot. Stepover apples are now becoming popular and fashionable for gardeners since it serves as a division of gardens as decoration.
There are also special varieties of fruit trees that are growing as stepovers. These plants are intended to grow low and horizontal to save space in gardens while growing fruit-bearing trees. As the trees grow, a branch is trained to be horizontal.
Training a Stepover Apple To Grow
Each tree is planted 1 meter apart at 45 degrees on a wire of your desired stepover height. As it grows, you have to prune the growing small branches upwards and the growing tip is tied to the wire. The hedge is created once the growing tip outgrows the other. Once the fruiting season comes, the grown apples will have an ornamental effect as they hang on the branches tied to the wires.
Maintaining The Step Over Apple Trees
Like other plants, keeping the plants off from weeds and grass is an important part of its maintenance. It should not be planted with other plants since it will compete with the other plants in getting nutrients and moisture from the soil. They will not grow with large roots so watering the stepover apples often is needed.
It does not need regular maintenance but an annual trimming will keep your tree in shape and have continuous production of fruits. Cutting at least up to four leaves on the laterals and up to two leaves on the shoots is enough.
Once it bears fruit, apples should be picked regularly to give space to the other growing apples.
Where To Get Stepover Apples
To buy a stepover apple tree, an online nursery website based in England called https://www.fruit-trees.com/ which offers a wide range of stepover trees to choose from. The website has information to help you choose which fruit tree is perfect for your garden. If you want to buy a stepover apple tree but are not sure how to grow it, they are easily reachable through their phone number and inquiry form available on the website.
CRJ Fruit Trees are professional gardeners so you can make sure that the propagation and grafting of the fruit trees are done in the correct method. The delivery of the trees is quick which only takes seven working days. All deliveries include a guide to planting, growing, and plant maintenance.