Hard to imagine the graft union being that high up, although it can be done. I don't think you've hurt the Baldwin at all. I suspect that the bulge about three feet high is the tree growing to accommodate the double leader that took off there, if I see it correctly. Usually the graft union bulge is quite close to the ground - we get warned, for example, to not plant the tree too deep so as to avoid it rooting on its own and bypassing the rootstock's qualities. More experienced hands may well give better advice, but that's the way it looks to me. Good luck, M

Hello Holly. If those "small shoots" are what I think they are (vertical sprouts off horizontal branches?) then they can all come off at any time and should. There's no rule that will keep you from taking off any excess wood right now (although: be aware that if you have fireblight, which can happen on new growth and blooms, you need to take special precautions.) So remove that rampant growth, and any diseased or dead wood, and while you're at it take out branches that clog the center of the tree. When two branches cross and rub remove one. You should be able to do most of your work with nippers and loppers, and if you need the saw use it cautiously until you gain a little feel for what you're doing. Provide for air and light to all parts of the tree. Remove stuff that points straight down or straight up. Step back often while working and look at the tree. There's several people on this board that can give you more experienced answers, so be prepared to get other, better opinions. I write as a relative newbie but one with perhaps an insight to the challenges facing the less experienced, as I am one ... :-) Good luck, Mark

Lydia, If your neighbor has an Anna, you can scroll up in this thread to see that Anna doesn't require a pollinator. But self-pollinated fruit will be skinny (and not as many will set). If the apple is something else, then yes, it may need a pollinator. You need to find out what apple tree your neighbor has to determine the best pollinator. The pollinators need to bloom at the same time. You can visit Dave Wilson Nurseries to read up on the best pollinators for different apple varieties. Here is a link that might be useful: Dave Wilson Nusery - Apple Trees

What you have is a whip - a very young tree with not yet any lateral branches developed. The suggestion you received is pretty standard for newly planted whips and is worth following as it encourages the development of a strong branch system. And that's were the fruit will grow. What you want to do is make a heading cut where you want the branching to begin and just above one of the buds. You do not need to take it down as far as they said - that is normally the practice for semi-dwarf or larger growing trees. And you don't want this tree to start to set any fruit until it develops a proper habit with some branches and a basic structure. So remove any flowers for at the least the first few years. And you should continue pruning in subsequent years but not in this same manner. This is pretty much a one time shot. You might want to research apple pruning or maybe a local nursery or your extension service has classes you can attend. Apples need routine, preferably annual, pruning to stimulate and encourage the development of fruiting spurs or those little nubby protuberances that the fruit grows on. 6-8' is really short for a dwarf apple. I'm thinking this is a mini dwarf, which only get around 6' tall - dwarfs typically get about 8-10'. Do you have another apple for cross pollination?