If a new trunk branch would fill a void in the overall tree structure, you can keep that, but having a cluster of trunks probably means the tree is pretty dense already. It may help to remove some of the trunks if this is just resulting in a lot of interwoven branches up higher. All of the trunk base and distant suckers should be cut off. The distant suckers are attached to the main tree roots and should not be dug out unless they are way outside the tree drip line. Weather during bloom time affects the fruit set. The crop size may be limited by the natural self-fertility that varies a lot from tree to tree. So you could have a light crop in great weather or a big crop in poor weather depending on the tree's nature. Nothing you can do about that. A few quince go a long way for most people unless you are into juicing, saucing, and donating.

Fruitnut, I have 2 methods and I'm sharing my trade secrets here (what the hell- I'm 6 months from 60 and hope to retire in 25 years anyway). I start some plants straight in the ground, planting them way too close in a fenced off area. Planting them close makes maintenance per plant much less expensive given that it's all done by hand (don't ask). For apples in my climate it takes about 3 years to size them up to about 1.5" diameter- at least when planted this close. I carefully dig up these BR and put them in short 20 gallon pots (wide and shallow) in a mix of 1 part peat, 1 composted wood chips or stable waste ( almost pure humus with some carbo lumps) and 1 sand, plus a little wood ash. They limp the first season but I sell them the next for around $180 per. At this point they are bearing, 12' tall and well branched and the foliage is back to mormal. Other trees I transfer to Carl Whitcomb grow bags in real soil and let them grow about another 3 years and sell them for $250 per, or less to contractors. The grow bags I use are his last edition because they allow more root out of the bag and I can grow them without any irrigation at all- even through drought. Irrigation would reduce production by about a year, I'm sure, but in my operation only my potted plants get any and they are set in the soil as well. I always take some trees in the grow bags, remove the bags and put them into 25 Gallon pots with the soil intact but surrounded by my potting mix which allows me to sell some larger trees during the growing season. Surprisingly the soil surrounded by potting mix works very well and you might want to try that method for your trees as the soil gives you much more bang per square inch and costs less. Repotting would require only replacing the artificial soil on the edge of the soil ball. It makes things real heavy though, and my soil is not too fine so I don't know how it would work with a more clay soil but I bet it would work just fine. I'm sure my prices seem outrageous by your regional standards but I'm less than an hour from NYC and here it's more than competitive- it's the best deal around- because I have scores of varieties and they're actually properly shaped for fruit production. They also plug in better than the competitions BB'd trees, especially the ones I have in pots.

Dwarfs will produce much longer than 10 years. Mine are around 20 years. The lady who runs the Upick I went to said they started planting the orchard in the late '70s. As thick as her dwarf trunks are I can believe it. S/D had better last longer than that. It took mine about 5 years before it produced anything. I don't remember exactly when it started putting out a lot but it was probably closer to the 15 year mark than not. My niece has a S/D that is probably 30 years old. The trunk is rotting away and they pruned it horribly but it's still going. Rootstock has a lot to do with disease resistance. They also have to do with precocity, fruit size and many other things that go into the final fruit. So no, the three sizes will not be the same, although they may be very similar. It all depends on if the rootstock is suitable for the site. This is just my opinion but I don't think the size you prune the tree to has anything to do with how long it lives and produces. Keeping it disease free and healthy equals longevity.

OK Brandon - here is my explanation :-) I wrote that response last night sipping my glass of wine while waiting for dinner to cook. Seems to me that over the years I had seen some rootstocks increase in length (IOW, the graft appears higher than it did initially) but maybe that was just a perception of the increased diameter or the soil level declining. This morning, after I think about and have sufficient caffeine, it doesn't seem very logical at all. I take it back :-)) Ken, I think you need to get out more :-)) All sorts of fruit trees can be grown in containers and it is an excellent way of growing tender or semi-tropical fruits in colder climates due to portability. And essential to those who garden in limited spaces like rooftops or apartment balconies. It helps if it is a naturally small tree or on dwarfing root stock but even that is not essential. And root pruning does not affect fruit size, just as growing on dwarfing root stock does not result in dwarf fruit - if all other cultural conditions are met, the fruit will be of normal size, regardless of the size of the tree or any necessary root pruning. container blueberry, root pruning is necessary for any woody plant confined to a container. Obviously the root run of a tree in the ground is far larger than a container will provide. Container grown plants will become rootbound eventually and rootbound plants are unable to get adequate moisture, access nutrients and lose vigor and decline. Root pruning restricts the growth of roots to fit the container and regenerates feeder roots that die off quickly when limited by the container size, heat, insufficient nutrients and dry soils. Unless you have a very large container, this type of growing is a natural dwarfing or stunting process, similar to bonsai. Top pruning may also be required but proper root pruning is essential.