Pruning and mounting lime trees

Pleached lime trees are very popular for screening gardens and properties or as a natural sunshade. Pleached fruit trees are also increasingly being used for this purpose, combining a practical function with a regular fruit harvest.

Installation advice:

Once your pleached lime tree has been planted, it is time to install and tension the wire ropes. The recommended wire rope diameter is 4 mm. Galvanised wire rope offers sufficient corrosion resistance and is most commonly used for training pleached lime trees.

Standard Parts List for Supporting Pleached Lime Trees:

Wire rope – 4 mm galvanised wire rope is most commonly used
Turnbuckle – M6 galvanised hook-and-eye turnbuckle
Wire rope clips – fit 3 galvanised DIN 741 wire rope clips per loop
Deep socket bit – for faster installation of wire rope clips
Wire rope thimble – 4 mm thimble for proper load distribution
Screw eyes for wooden posts – 6 × 60 mm screw eyes

Installing Wire Rope in Wood

1. Use screw eyes with a minimum diameter of 5 mm. Pre-drill the holes using a drill bit slightly smaller than the screw-eye thread. This helps prevent the wood from splitting.
2. The turnbuckle is fitted with a removable pin. Remove the pin, connect the turnbuckle to the screw eye and refit the pin.
3. The body of the turnbuckle has a hole into which you can insert a screwdriver or awl. Rotate the body to draw in the threaded ends and tension the wire rope.
4. Fit a thimble inside the wire rope loop to distribute the load correctly and prevent the wire rope from kinking.
5. Tighten the wire rope clips using a spanner. Fit the saddle on the live, load-bearing part of the wire rope and the U-bolt around the short, dead end.

Installing Wire Rope in Concrete

1. When installing the system in concrete, the main difference is that a suitable wall plug or concrete anchor must be used.
2. Insert the turnbuckle hook into the eye. Position the eye horizontally and make sure the open side of the hook faces downwards.
3. Rotate the body of the turnbuckle to tension the wire rope. You can use an open-ended spanner, adjustable spanner or locking pliers.
4. Position the thimble in the eye and form a loop with the wire rope.
5. Tighten the wire rope clips using a spanner. Fit the saddle on the live, load-bearing part of the wire rope and the U-bolt around the short, dead end.

Installing Wire Rope in Iron or Steel

1. Depending on the eye fitting you intend to use, tap an M6 or M8 thread into the metal profile and screw in the eye fitting.
2. Position the eye horizontally and hook the turnbuckle into it.
3. Rotate the body of the turnbuckle to tension the wire rope. You can use an open-ended spanner, adjustable spanner or locking pliers.
4. Position the thimble in the eye and form a loop with the wire rope.
5. Tighten the wire rope clips using a spanner. Fit the saddle on the live, load-bearing part of the wire rope and the U-bolt around the short, dead end.

Installing a Stainless-Steel Wire Rope System

1. Pre-drill the holes using a 3 mm drill bit and screw in the screw eyes.
2. Unscrew the turnbuckle to its maximum working length.
3. Form a loop in the wire rope.
4. Fit the stainless-steel wire rope clip and tighten both nuts evenly.
5. Rotate the body of the turnbuckle to tension the wire rope.

A complete kit is available for this installation: Go to >> Stainless-Steel Pleached Lime Tree Support Kit

Installing Stainless-Steel Wire Rope with an Architectural Tensioner

1. Depending on the eye fitting you intend to use, tap an M6 or M8 thread into the metal profile and screw in the eye fitting.
2. Remove the retaining clip from the clevis and attach the clevis to the eye fitting.
3. Tighten the long tensioner body using a spanner to tension the wire rope. Cut the wire rope to the required length as accurately as possible.
4. The terminal end contains two small internal components that must be fitted onto the wire rope. The terminal can then be screwed together, clamping the wire rope securely.
5. Use stainless-steel wire rope with a 7 × 7 construction. The fibre core in the galvanised wire rope used for this application cannot be secured correctly inside this type of self-assembly terminal.

Additional Practical Tips

• If you are installing supports for a large number of trees, consider using aluminium ferrules. They are much faster to install, but require suitable wire rope crimping pliers.
• All the galvanised steel components shown in the examples above are also available in stainless steel. Stainless steel is more expensive but generally offers a much longer service life.