Hi Infiniteohms.

Well, I thought I would try to take a shot at this in the hopes of learning something from the corrections I'd get later! But I had trouble seeing the trees well enough to figure out just what to do.

But basically, thin, simplify, head back. Branches that point straight down from scaffolding branches can generally just be removed, and most that go up vertically can too, although it's worth noting that a few of the verticals can be kept to bear, especially when kept short. Branches pointing to the interior of the tree can come out.

If it doesn't get sun the fruit won't thrive, so stuff in the shaded interior or underside of the tree can go, as can small branches that are struggling.

Of course crossers and rubbers gotta be negotiated.

Also the biennial fruiting habit is easy to deal with by heavily thinning fruit as early as possible. Remove all but one fruit from each cluster- and consider removing every other cluster completely. I've only been doing this a few years, but it's definitely worth your time and effort, and it's not hard. Much easier than dealing with a bunch of stunted fruit later.

A rule of thumb is that you don't remove more than a third of the tree per year. Great- in only three years you can completely eliminate the problem! :-) And, you might consider whether rejuvenation is the route you want to take, when by planting new you could have your choice of cultivars, probably on better rootstock. Still, you do have history on your side: those three trees have proven themselves to be survivors, and then there's all that root system established and ready to go to work for you!

Just thoughts, and I hope other opinions will be better informed than mine, so pay attention to those. I'll hang around and listen to the discussion and see what I can pick up. Thanks for sharing the photos.

Good luck,

M

There is a Cooperative Extension bulletin(I suppose it's still in print) entitled "Renovating Old, Abandoned Apple Trees" or something similar - with good, step-by-step instructions and drawings illustrating how to properly prune and rein in an those old, long-untended fruit trees. Check with your local Cooperative Extension office, or it may be available online.

Occasionally saw out entire old shaded or otherwise less desirable branches rather than detail pruning whole tree like you might with a younger, developing specimen. Look at other possibilities for lack of production, like lack of cross pollination or a nutrient deficiency. At one location in New York nitrogen supplementation greatly increased yield. Check with Maine Cooperative Extension about soil testing and for other information.

Tree #1 - Pear, usually bears decently every 2 year, this spring it lost a large limb in a storm and then was defoliated TWICE by moths... i'm surprised its still alive.

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Tree # 2 Apple, hasn't had a good crop in years, but has a decent framework and is healthy.

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Tree #3 - Apple, hasn't had a good crop in years. The large limb on the right has some serious damage about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up.

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Dear InfiniteOhms,
I am seldom on this forum anymore, because I just can't seem to find the time.

I did notice Tree #2 has shrubs growing close to the tree. The first thing I'd try is clearing all that growth near the tree.

Plants compete at root level for nutrients and water, and above ground for sun...

For Tree #1, TLC...some amendments? If the bark shows signs that the tree has suffered from a dry spell, might consider some water during very dry summers.

Good luck,

Restoring old apple trees is something I do for a living. You won't find an extension bulletin very useful for this as they will have a much younger tree as an example. The main thing you'll get is that you needn't fear removing a lot of wood.

When I started taking an interest in these kind of renovations I found a book called "Ecological Fruit Production in the North" that has an extensive chapter on old apple renovation. He calls his technique the "Swiss Method" but I think it's a basic style that's used all over the world with neglected big apple trees. The book has photographs that present the method very clearly.

Over the years and thousands of trees later I have developed my own methods as one would expect but his basic instructions are still a framework.

He instructs you to train the trees to a weep leaving the spurry weak wood drooping down to where you can easily spray and pick the fruit. You reduce competing branches enough to assure that the fruiting wood is not shaded by other branches. NAFEX has his book in their library so I suggest you join that organization and check it out. They also have a video about bringing back neglected trees that might be instructive.

I just spent this weekend pruning some old neglected fruit trees. I am not a professional, there is no one else willing or knowledgeable and I have some (young) fruit trees so I volunteered.
The damaged wood has got to go, it may allow in pathogens or insects that may put the healthy wood in danger. Also, any deadwood must be removed. Thin out the center, if there are say 7 upright branches, thin out to the best (and well spaced) 3 or 4, those that go straight up are the ones I remove first; branches that cascade outward are keepers, those that cross over or rub on other branches must go (before they become damaged wood).
Then I head back each main branch by about 1/3rd, remove any laterals that grow straight up or underneath (shaded) leaving a nice flat profile (laterals extending out on either side horizontally. Then I thin those horizontal laterals so they are nicely spaced and I head each one back - if there are fruiting spurs be sure not to cut them all off and lastly thin the spurs so they aren't all congested. I do this branch by branch, stepping back to look at the whole tree from time to time from different angles - you are sculpting for equal/staggered spacing for sun light, air and pleasing structure.
Clear any brush from around the base of the tree, heap up some manure or mulch to the drip line but steer clear of contact with the trunk. I like to chop up the wood pruned off and put it somewhere else in the yard to compost, it's not helpful to leave diseased wood close to the trees. Take a well deserved break until summer pruning time (you don't want this to happen again!).

I hope this helps.

I live across the street from what was once, about 40 some years ago, a small mom and pop commercial orchard of about 12 acres of apples with a few pears. It was developed about 12 years ago. They tore out most of the trees, but left some which didn't interfere with the building process. Most of the new homeowners ripped out the survivors -- very large, old standard sized trees which had been neglected for years, so they were overgrown, ugly, full of deadwood, and dropped lots of wormy, messy apples.

One new homeowner completely topped his three remaining trees, down to the trunk and three or four main branches on each, leaving the branches perhaps four to five feet long out from the trunk. Where they were cut, they were well over 12" in diameter, probably closer to 18" inches.

These trees have thrived since then. They threw out a lot of watersprouts at first, but he thinned them out, and now, after like 10 years of regrowth, they are full sized, vigorous, and healthy. It really gave them a new lease on life.