The Art of Pruning
Consider not pruning at all. Allow one tree to be wild and compare the results.
Read a pruning manual or speak to an "expert" and you will get a different
opinion from each and every source. find your own way. Trees will speak to you
if you listen; they will guide your hands and shears.
Some advice anyway. Stand back and see the whole tree. Understand its
natural structure before imposing your own. Come to know its variety and what
type of wood produces the largest and most delicious fruits. The peach produces
the best fruit on the previous year's growth, apples on second- and third-year
wood. Pruning is our way of making the tree young again each year. Remember that
light and air are important elements in the health and vitality of a fruit tree
and in the quality of its fruit.
Prune to create openness and air movement. Each cut made stimulates a
response. If you cut too much the tree will respond with rank and vigorous
growth, too little and it will languish and lose vitality. Seek balance.