Newbie fruit tree grower here. I would like some advice for how to prune two of the trees I just planted.
I bought a bareroot apple (mail-order) that is about 32 inches tall and has many tiny branches starting at 8 inches above the soil level. It has a strong branch (that looks like it wants to become the leader) at 12 inches high.
My goal for the tree would be to have the branching start just below 18 inches - I intend to keep the tree below 6 feet tall. Should I prune off all the small branches and the strong side branch and encourage it to grow like a whip to 18 inches and then do a heading cut?
My second question is about an young orange tree which is branching much higher than I want - at about 3 feet above the ground. If I cut it at 18 inches will it start branching out below that? Right now, the first shoot off the main stem is at about 30 inches above ground. Again, I want to keep this citrus tree or bush below six feet in total height, so I would prefer lower branching. Thanks in advance for your advice!!!