The apple tree can be pruned further so as long as you don't mind looking at stumps until it leafs out. The other two could stand a pruning as well and while you are at it get some manure at a big box and put it around the base of all the trees. Prune the sucker growth back, those are the whips that shoot up from the main branches. For healthy plants the soil must be healthy as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

First rules of pruning is anything rubbing or crossing, dead or growing vertical except the main leader. Then you can shorten to an outward bud but not totaly more than 1/3 a year. Some trees take several years to get back into shape. I usually try to open up the center some as it is easier to pick.

Mags,

With the apple: I think you are correct that it could be opened up so as to admit more light. By removing those central, vertical branches, the tree would also be shortened. Find a couple good horizontal branches and cut to them. You may need to stop there. The rule of thumb is no more than 1/3rd each year and you've already taken 10% or so, wouldn't you say?

The pear: (I can see what you mean by a horizontal problem. Oh, you mean the branches!! :o) After you remove the problem branches as mentioned by others, you may wish to take off all of the lower branches. It looks like it has developed some height and since the width of the tree is starting to cause some problems, perhaps those 4 (is it?) bottom branches could go.

And the plum: I find it rather difficult to "open up" a plum tree. Perhaps the best thing to do is to just be quite vigorous in taking out the competing branches. You've also got a descending branch or two that needs to come off that one. Careful about removing too many fruiting spurs.

Just my 2 cents and Good Luck!

digitS'

Here is a link on pruning fruit trees. I always need visuals, so hope it helps out. At the bottom of the page is info for older trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: pruning

Emagineer, that's a wonderful resource you linked to. I was going to provide a link to a publication by Utah State University last night, but I decided its pictures were not great and it didn't illustrate the technique well enough. I'm going to have to save the one you linked, because I think it's a great explanation.

I would add that around here, it seems like people have grown up learning how to prune peach trees, and they often think that all fruit trees should get the same treatment. But peaches do best with an open-center shape, and as that document shows, apples do better with a central leader style.

My trees were fairly big when I bought them, and one of them is really a multiple leader shape -- it doesn't fit with any of these drawings, but it still produces a lot of fruit. So, fortunately, nature is forgiving. You don't have to adhere to the guidelines strictly in order to get fruit, although they're certainly helpful in creating a healthy tree.

Good luck, Mags!

Steve, thanks too. I tried to find the info from my master's gardener class, but didn't happen. So looking for the right info went along with what best known prior info.

We had an orchard in Alpine, along with the best veg. garden ever and over an acre of grass to mow. I've always wondered why things grew so much better in Utah and still do. Could it be that you have more hours of light than we do in CO?.

I was also curious about our house in Alpine and did an ariel search. Interesting....the orchard no longer exists, but all that lawn sure does. I remember our water bill was 250 the last year and that was 15 years ago. We had irrigation rights, but it was iffy when available depending upon drought. Most of the time we just let the farmers use it.

How do you keep all so beautiful and growing well? Used to joke when plowing the garden that it grew baby rocks every spring...they popped up in droves over winter. Loved the pics in the magazine and your girls. Ooops, guess I jumped this thread.

Thanks for asking this question Mags, your timing was great for me, too. Got the grape vine trimmed last weekend and the apple trees are calling. We have Granny Smith and Braeburn.

Love the site! What do you guys think, are my trees spur type or intermediate type as far as growth habits?

Thank you all for your help!

Emagineer, the site you sent has by far the best info I've seen on pruning! I'm visual, too, but looking at all the diagrams I've seen before didn't help me a lot until I read the advice from all of you. Now the diagrams make more sense.

Luckybottom....I looked at LOTS of diagrams about trimming my long-neglected grape vines two years ago. With a 40 foot section of grapes, on a 6 foot fence, I was overwhelmed by the vines and the diagrams, and just took off what made sense to me. I must have done something right. I've never seen so many grapes. Have to get to that and the fruit trees this weekend.

Mags