Growing Apple/ Pears as a Cordon

[digon]

I have just bought some apple and pear trees from Lidl to grow cordon style at about 30 degrees up a 3.5m high wall. The trees are all over 5 foot high but they have had the main stem cut off at the top. Does this mean that the main stem will not grow any higher? If so would it be possible to graft onto the tip to get it to grow higher. I would like the vertical height to be 2.4m or more if possible when mature.
I've also put a couple of plum trees in the cordon but have read conflicting views of whether plums are suitable for cordons???

[FB.]

If they were only recently cut off at the top, they'll grow new shoots next year. Train the strongest shoot to continue the growth in the direction that you want.

If they were cut off a year or two ago, you might still be able to train one of the shoots to continue the stem growth.

Plums and cherries are not generally preferred for restricted forms because the considerable pruning required makes them very prone to getting diseases (canker, silver leaf) into the pruning cuts.

[digon]

Thanks FB.
Is there any solutions available to paint onto pruning wounds to protect them from diseases?

[chris]

I've read it's better to leave that paint stuff off (wasn't it bitchumen based anyway?) If pruning is done in the correct time, it heals better. I think that was in one of Carol Kleins books I recently got.

[FB.]

Current thinking is that pruning wounds are best left uncovered.

For cordons of all varieties - plums, apples and pears - you should hard-prune the new shoots in July. This has two effects:

1.
The "shock" of losing leaves in the middle of summer causes the tree to *think* that it may die, so it therefore rushes to do what nature intended: reproduce. The hard summer pruning will increase fruit bud formation for the following season.

2.
The summer pruning keeps the tree smaller and more compact.

So, I suggest prune in July, don't use wound dressings, but check the pruning wounds every few weeks and if they start to look nasty, prune back to healthy-looking wood. That should reduce canker.
Don't prune plums or cherries in winter.
Apples can be pruned in winter, but winter pruning reduces fruit bud formation for a couple of seasons.

July pruning = smaller tree, more fruit.
Winter pruning = bigger tree, less fruit.

[Snadger]

The "shock" of losing leaves in the middle of summer causes the tree to *think* that it may die, so it therefore rushes to do what nature intended: reproduce. The hard summer pruning will increase fruit bud formation for the following season.



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They're clever things these fruit trees aint they!