Training: climbers

It is still advisable to check climbers regularly, loosening tight ties and tying in new shoots. The younger the growth, the more pliable it is and the easier to train. 

Espaliered apple Just as climbers flower better when their shoots are trained horizontally, so apple espaliers can bear fine crops. With a vigorous rootstock, the tree can be trained with as many tiers of branches as space and inclination permit, but three, or perhaps four, is the norm. 

The differences between the easy and the hard ways must be similar to the situation in which one man climbs the [mountain] and another takes the ski-lift. The view from the top is the same for both. The mountain climber has sweated and striven against the dangers. His view must be different from the ski-lift rider s because it incorporates the struggle and the trimnph. Ski-lift transcendence can approach that of the mountain climber s only if the prior life preparation has also been one of training and self-discipline, Sidney Cohen 1964. 

Grow beans on a teepee 118 Keep urban honey bees 120 Plant blueberry bushes 124 Grow an apple tree in a pot 128 Start a worm composter 130 Use eco-friendly DIY materials 136 Train a fig tree against a wall 140 Make your own barbecue 142 Plant a tree or climber for wildlife 146 Plant vegetables in a square foot garden... 

Climbers should never ascend a structure while alone. At a minimum, an employee with a cellular phone should be stationed on the ground, having the climber in visual and/or shouting range. Otherwise, climbers will function according to a buddy system of two or more trained personnel at altitude. 

The Metaphor of the climber and the rock face. One can consider hazards as rock faces. They are an inevitable part of nature. In industry, such rock faces may represent sick patients, the chemical properties of compounds, solar radiation etc. Risks depend on the willingness to deal with these rock faces and the way in which this is done. One can refuse to climb them (plan A), one can limit oneself to climbing only known rock faces and follow all the required procedures (plan B), or one can attempt rock faces in non-standard situations (without equipment, without training, under poor or changing conditions), or worse still, climb unknown rock faces (plan C). The more stable and supervised it is, the more it relies on avoidance, plans A and B, and the less stable it is, the more it will have to rely on its adaptability to deal with changing conditions (plan C). 

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