OK, you have branches at 23" already and they're staying, and you want the next branches to be at 53". Got it. Cummins suggests you head the tree at 36", and they probably know what they're talking about, but that doesn't mean you have to establish a whorl there. If you cut the leader at 36" you will get some undesirable branching going on there. You will get several upright branches just below the heading cut competing for dominance. You could simply select one of those and remove the rest, leaving a single central leader. Then you can take one of two approaches: 1) As that leader grows longer, buds lower down will break out into branches with better angles of attachment. You aren't in total control of that situation but you can simply select the best suited ones and remove the rest. You can also encourage selected buds to branch by notching above them to block the auxin flow from the leader. 2) You can dormant head the leader next year or later when it is sufficiently thick at 53" and train the subsequent branches horizontally leaving one upright leader. The advantage in my mind of establishing branches at heading cuts is that the branching is very predictable. The downside is that they tend to be upright and have to be subordinated.

Everyone has different ideas on this. Me, I don't prune too much until they start to bear, but I do tie down limbs. For you though, I think you would like to remove those extra limbs. You probably want a nice looking tree in your yard or area and there is nothing wrong with that. I don't spray year old trees in my area, but I don't know where you are or what happens there. Glowingstar is a nice peach.

Brian: Gee that's an ugly looking tree you just planted. Looks like it sat in a pot for three years. I don't like three main laterals all coming from one point. But the tree looks too old to start over that low. So I'd cut to laterals facing in the direction you want growth. And balance up the sides by cutting more on the taller lateral. In your country any apple will bear well if it doesn't break down. So your tree has hope. Just thin well and try not to overload any limbs. You could even tie the limbs together. The Fruitnut

we planted 4 last fall. my father in law grew them from seed, so they are 3 years old now. he said he would pinch/clip the new growth fromteh trunk except for that onthe upper limbs. we did the same thing a couple weeks back. you prune it to basically define the shape of the tree, so use your own discretion. never prune more than about 30% of the tree mass as you could kill it. try to get things before they get too large, i get them when they are basically jsut green leaves forming on teh trunk.