The same apple can grow as a knee-high column in a pot or as a mighty tree with a swing hanging beneath it. What makes the difference is not only the rootstock but the form the tree is trained into during its first years.
You best make this decision before buying, because it determines for decades how much space the tree needs, when it bears and whether you harvest from the ground or from a ladder. This article presents the most important tree forms and shows what each is suited for.
Form and rootstock belong together
The rootstock sets the vigour, the training shapes the concrete form from it. A weak rootstock and a slim spindle form give the small, early-bearing home-garden tree. A vigorous rootstock and standard training give the large tree for the orchard meadow.
The two must match: training a standard on a weak rootstock works as poorly as a dwarf spindle on a seedling. The basics are in Understanding fruit tree rootstocks.
The most important tree forms
From spindle to standard
- Spindle
Slim, small, with a continuous central leader and short fruiting branches. Bears early, is easy to pick, ideal for small gardens and rows. Needs a permanent stake.
- Bush tree
The classic round-crowned form with a low trunk. A good compromise of size and yield, easy to tend and harvest, the sensible choice for most home gardens.
- Standard
High trunk, large crown, the tree of the orchard meadow. Bears late, but for decades and without support. Needs plenty of space and the long ladder to harvest.
- Espalier and cordon
Trained flat against a wall or wire. Uses the smallest areas and a wall's warmth, but demands regular summer pruning to stay flat.
Formative pruning sets the form
Whatever form you choose, it arises in the first years through the formative pruning. You set the leading branches, determine the crown height and bring the tree into a stable basic structure. What goes wrong in this phase can only be corrected later with effort.
The underlying moves, thinning out, deflecting and heading back, are the same for all forms. Anyone who has grasped them can train any form. They are covered in detail in the fruit tree pruning basics. How to train an espalier specifically is in Training an espalier: apple and pear on the wall.
The form sets how big your tree becomes and how you harvest. Choose it before buying, to match space and rootstock, and train it consistently in the first years.
The core rule on tree forms
Frequently asked questions
Which tree form suits a small garden?
The spindle or the bush tree on a weak to semi-vigorous rootstock. Both stay small, bear early and are easy to pick. A standard, by contrast, needs plenty of space and is out of place in a small garden.
What is the difference between spindle and standard?
The spindle is small, slim, bears early and needs a stake. The standard is large, long-lived, bears late and stands without support. The spindle is the home-garden tree, the standard the tree of the orchard meadow.
Can I change the tree form later?
Only to a limited extent. The basic vigour is set by the rootstock, and that does not change. The crown form you can reshape within limits over years by pruning, but a standard never becomes a dwarf spindle.
Why does the spindle need a stake?
It usually stands on a weak rootstock with little root mass and bears early and heavily. Without support the slim tree would topple under the fruit load. The stake stays permanently on this form.
What is formative pruning?
The pruning in the first years that sets the tree's basic form: leading branches, crown height and the stable basic structure. It determines the later shape, so it is worth getting right from the start.
