Espalier

A trellis ( espalier French, cf possibly Italian: spalla = support, shoulder) is usually a grid-like structure, can be attached to the traditional crops ( fruit tree shoots, vines ) and brought into a desired growth form. In distinction to a climbing aid or a trellis on which climbing plants grow up independently, various non- climbing plants and their shoots are tied regularly to a trellis. Trellises are also used for ornamental plants (eg roses), or even without plants ( as pure ornament ).

A trellis can be mounted on a wall, or be built as a freestanding structure. Trellises can be made of wood, metal, wire or fiber-reinforced composites, such as Glass-fiber reinforced plastic are built.

History

Under trellis (French espalier ) was understood in horticulture originally the cultural form of the trellis Obst, also known as fruit Hecke ( palissade ). It emerged at the end of the 16th century. in France. The fruit hedge could stand on a wall or free. In the latter case, there was talk of contre trellis. One used in the 16th century no wooden scaffolding, but kept the fruit hedges only externally in the form and tied her makeshift firmly to the wall. The term espalier ( trellis ) originally had nothing to do with slatted frames. There was also no special cutting technique. The trees grew largely free within the hedge.

In the mid-17th century. came on in France Spalierobst s eventail. This means that the plants were passed in a certain fan-shaped shape.

Mid-18th century led René Schabol attention to an in Montreuil (Seine- Saint- Denis ) newly developed espalier tree shape in which was removed as the dwarf tree of the main trunk and him only two at about a 45 degree angle emerging branches were left, of which approximately vertical and horizontal leading off the branches. This form - also palmette à la Montreuil or palmette Quarree called - had a geometric than the previous. She had actually been developed as the subjects for the peach, but lent itself much better for pear and apple trees.

Topiary trees with precisely guided in the vertical and in the horizontal branches ( palmette à cordon horizontal) appear first in the 18th century in the Netherlands and in England. This elaborate form of espalier fruit enabled the use starkwüchsiger pear varieties that could take probably 10 meters of a wall in this way. Supposedly they only guaranteed the uniform distribution of the juice on a trellis.

In the 19th century many other espalier forms emerged, including:

• The Candelabrum- palmette ( palmette - candelabre ) with vertical branches, who move from a low-lying horizontal branch
• U-shapes ( cordon vertical)
• U- palmettes in which the tree is divided into one to four U shapes that are lined up next to each other
• The Verrier - palmette with concentric U shapes of decreasing size, named after Louis Verrier, a horticulture teacher, who developed it in 1850
• The palmette with slant branches ( palmette à branches obliques ) and
• Stranger Cordon ( cordon obliques )

Forms of construction

The slats and wire work, what are vines and fruit trees stretching the width and connected with the branches and twigs, can preferably be mounted on walls or building walls that are oriented to the south. For the supporting structure specific post made ​​of wood are used, which are referred to in the wine as Stickel. On the trellis a plasticized or a simple galvanized iron wire is fastened with wire hook, which is stretched tightly over a tension Stickel at the beginning of the line and at the end of a line of a trellis and a bar anchors. The belt tension is adjusted by a turnbuckle or by means of special booklet chains. The tensile load can become very large depending on the crop, form of education and line length on the wire and the Stickel used. At high stress points in the trellis therefore crossbars can be mounted between the Stickeln so that the tension is dissipated into the ground. At the stressing Stickel, who has to bear the greatest tensile load, is also recommended in addition to the rod anchors the use of a wedge wood, which dissipates the forces over the two following master Stickel evenly into the soil.

Application

Arboriculture

Trellises exist particularly in orchards and also in the open field, to give the trees a harvest fair shape. These topiary trees differ from the pyramid growing by the position of its branches, which are not in a spiral line around the trunk, but in pairs, opposite right and left form as possible to each other, the horizontal as possible Leitäste. This specially designed for the use of harvesting machines cultivation, it allows through the ranks of the space-saving trellis fruit to (a kind of fruit shape ) drive, but is connected to the crop with numerous disadvantages. The linear alignment makes the systems particularly vulnerable to wind. The uniform spacing between the crops and the broad reading streets lead to a more rapid drying of the soil and thus increase its erosion tendency. To avoid drought stress must therefore be frequently irrigated plants in such trellises.

Viniculture

Trellis vines on the southern front of the establishment in Geisenheim / R. - Historical figure.

Wine garden with espalier in South Tyrol.

Other meanings

As espalier refers to the deployment of troops or people in rows on either side of a track. Such a lane of two rows of standing people and / or by mounted animals ( guard of honor ) is to pay homage to particular persons or on special occasions such as weddings, baptisms or deaths formed and to punish ( gauntlet ).

The trellis -called growth habit of certain alpine plants was also derived from this structure.