Wow, very helpful! Fruitnut, you say to remove the "overly thick" and 20% of the larger branches. I know it's a dumb question, but how do I decide what overly thick and "larger" means? Harvestman, your explanation was definitely helpful! Let me ask this: if I let some of the tall vertical growth keep growing, will those bear fruit? I read that fruit only came on the more horizontal ones, but there appear to be flower buds galore on even the tall, straight, thin ones this year (though last year there were only leaves). And yes, it's grown out of the bottom of the barrel and into the cobblestones! They are 150 year old cobblestones, and there's about 3/4 inch in between each one, so there's room there... I forgot to add one fascinating fact (and question!!). That thick, low branch that grows out the right side there--that's a grafted peach branch! It didn't do too well. TONS of peaches, none of which were edible. They made the branch way too heavy, never got enough sun, the branch is smashing into the fence (and most of the fruit only grew on the end there, and they were diseased. I have NO idea what to do with that!!! Suggestions?? Because of space constraints and b/c it has grown to reach so far out beyond what it can handle in weight, I obviously need to prune it pretty dramatically. But the amt. that I figure I need to prune (to stop it from growing into the fence anymore) would basically cut back all of the vegetation and fruit. Should I do that?? THANK YOU!!!

its a simple equation ... its either your backyard.. or the trees... if you dont prune.. the tree will take over .... with no more than that pic ... and presuming there is a deck or patio behind.. i would prune everything .. from the pix sight-line... below the fence behind.. and whn i got near the fence line.. i would stop.. and wait until next year.. taking this summer to find out if i liked what i achieved.. my general pruning rule is.. you can always take more off next year.. but you cant staple them back on.. if you get carried away .... because i would want to retain the site block on the houses behind ... if there is a deck and its elevated.. then that might change perspectives.. etc ... i would then hand prune off any twig-let branches.. new word there.. lol ... of any twigs growing down.. from what i left... anything that could poke me in the eyes while i enjoy my shade ... its much simpler to snip off a tiny twig.. than wait until its an inch thick .... and while you are at it.. knock him down.. and give him a shave also ... lol .. do you have any clue on how to prune [i see a link above, which i dont have time to proof] .. do you own the right saw.. and do you have a pair of good pruning hand shears??? ken ps: i wouldnt worry about more than one leader.. now that it is fence high ... i dont think that these trees favor single leaders naturally.. so i wouldnt be worrying about it in the future .... i would not want a shrub at the ground.. but now that it will be over my head.. i feel its moot ....

Hello, Donnas. Yes, sudden cold weather, after spring temperatures have been around for a while, can cause the bark to split if it freezes. You can look around to see if you notice this bark split, although some people report that it may not be visible sometimes until June or so. Some form of winter protection is needed when the weather does this. Can you also make sure that it is getting adequate moisture? Insert a finger to a depth of 3-4" inches and see if it feels dry, moist or wet. If it is dry, it needs more water. If it feels moist, it is doing fine. If it feels wet, it is getting too much water amd this can cause root rot so tweak your sprinkler system. Also, check for borer damage. If a borer got into the plant, parts of the plant above the entry point will die so ck in areas where the dead branches meet live branches. Luis

I was getting a lot of blooms but I noticed they were samller than what I used to get. Some fruits that came were also small and wont grow bigger. I always prune the trees so that it will not grow too big, that hand pollination will be impossible. I probably prune too early, March 15.