Cox's Orange Pippin Apple Tree Pruning Advice

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping that someone can offer me advice on pruning an apple tree with codominant stems.
Please see the attached photos. From my research online, I plan on finding the graft union and then removing the large suckers with a saw. The goal is to prune it into an open vase.

The tree is a 13 year old Cox’s Orange Pippin, which has had minimal pruning previously.

Any help would be appreciated :slight_smile:

Nick

Trying to prune the tree into a new form would be difficult at this point. I might take out one of the lower branches and cut out one of the central branches where it forks into 3 central leaders. Make one or two big cuts a season with the goal of more light to center of tree and promoting good branch angles.

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