Sure, go for it. There is nothing inherently wrong with a watersprout. They tend to be in the dark interior and completely vertical so of the worst type for fruiting, but if you bend one off vertical and it gets good sun, then its a keeper. Scott

PS: I'm trying to follow the advice at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8301.html but it suggests that summer pruning will slow growth ...the laterals? Leader? or all growth?

Good fruit grower is a magazine for commercial growers. I've no idea about the actual experience of the writer of the article- the name isn't even mentioned so my hunch is the info is derivative and not specifically applicable to espaliers- it is about summer pruning in commercial orchards. Repetitive cutting of shoots during the growing season stops some varieties from setting fruit buds, but other varieties respond differently based on what I've read and my experience with certain pears. (Mike, I told you that your problem with the method is you were performing it on Macintosh which tends to set flowers on 2-year wood- for it, repetitive pruning creates a purely vegetative response.) You can also prune espaliers anytime during the growing season for any variety if you are only removing the more vigorous shoots- not just water sprouts (as stated in the article). There are several other things in the article I could debate, but a short article has to speak in sweeping general recommendations. Pruning espaliers involves much more aggressive removal of wood than regular "3D" trees, even if there is some overlap in potential response. One rule of thumb for espaliers in particular, feel free to remove any shoots or branches off a main branch that is more than a third the diameter of that branch at the point of attachment- and do it at most any time. The fruit almost always sets on the less vigorous shoots and with espaliers relative diameter is the primary determiner of vigor. With free standing trees branch angle and position in tree (light exposure) is also important.

Brian: Gee that's an ugly looking tree you just planted. Looks like it sat in a pot for three years. I don't like three main laterals all coming from one point. But the tree looks too old to start over that low. So I'd cut to laterals facing in the direction you want growth. And balance up the sides by cutting more on the taller lateral. In your country any apple will bear well if it doesn't break down. So your tree has hope. Just thin well and try not to overload any limbs. You could even tie the limbs together. The Fruitnut