How to prune old, mature Apple trees?

[slizniakzrenic]

If you want to help a beginner, let me know. We have a mature and pretty old Apple tree full of suckers and watersprouts. Im looking forward to pruning this thing, but im not quite sure how much i Can remove and how.

Here’s what i know so far:

Remove any overlapping or crossing branches.
Remove suckers, watersprouts from the branches or the stem, ground.
Remove any diseased, damaged, broken, decaying branches.
Remove any branches directing themselves to the center of the canopy.

What do i do if one of the branches is in a good 45° angle and is healthy, but is too long?
Should i prune to an outer bud (if there is any), or remove the entire branch.

Please help.

[Phlogopite]

@slizniakzrenic

What do i do if one of the branches is in a good 45° angle and is healthy, but is too long?
Should i prune to an outer bud (if there is any), or remove the entire branch.

If you want to keep it don’t get rid of it

@slizniakzrenic

im not quite sure how much i Can remove and how

You CAN remove the entire top and it won’t die, if you want it to still fruit well the next year aim for about 1/3rd of total growth

Here’s an in depth guide from an expert, try using the search function on the forums to answer your questions before starting a new thread

Pruning Guides

Pruning by Numbers Written by Alan Haigh, All rights reserved. Reprint permission required. alandhaigh@gmail.com The basis of this formula I am about to describe is employed by many commercial apple and pear growers in Washington state and elsewhere. It may have been devised to provide simple guidance to minimally trained pruning crews called on to train hundreds of acres of free-standing fruit trees. A free-standing tree is defined as…

[Eugeneb]

As a beginner I found this book by Orin Martin very helpful:

Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More

He also has YouTube videos if you want a shortened, visual, and free version.

Overall I think you have enough basics to go for it; don’t stress too much and don’t make perfect the enemy of good lol. Remove the obvious bad branches you already listed. If something is otherwise good but too long, shorten it. If some branch is promising, cut it a bit to stimulate the growth. Your goal is basically to fill up the space with good branches and distribute them well enough to let the sun and air flow touch that fruit.