Farmer, I'll offer a few general comments with regard to the peach. Most people don't prune their peach trees at all, or wait too long and then want to correct. After this it can be pretty tough sometimes, though not always impossible, to bring it back to the shape or size desired. Perhaps an analogy would be building a house. If the foundation received little attention, it's difficult to rectify a problem, if the rest of the house is already on top. The good news is your tree is still small enough you can train it any way you like. If it were my tree, I'd select three scaffolds, going in different directions and cut everything else off. Ideal scaffolds point more horizontal than vertical, are spaced uniformly around the trunk, and are separated by about 4" vertically on the trunk. This is going to get a bit complicated, but I'll try to give you some specific advice about your peach tree. It's hard to tell from pictures, but on your peach tree it looks like you could select the big scaffold lowest down (pointing towards the right) for your first scaffold. Take a tree saw and cut the scaffold from the underside about 1/2" away from the collar. Cut about 60% through the branch with your tree saw (again from the underside). Move up the branch and inch and repeat (cut 60% through the branch from the underside). Move up the branch another inch and do it again for a third time. Now that branch will easily bend down. Bend it down about 30 degrees from horizontal and tie it there with some string (make sure you tie a large loop, not a tight loop, around the branch so you don't girdle it). Don't pull so hard you break the branch off. Tie the string to something which will hold the branch at that angle. I strong piece of wire pushed in the ground makes a nice anchor, or a large rock, or a jug of water, anything. The branch cuts you made with the tree saw will heal over and the branch will be set more horizontal. Because of the cuts, the branch will grow a little slower, which is a good thing in this case because it's currently too dominant. Next there is a thin low branch pointing toward the left. Leave it. It should make a nice scaffold the way it's going. It is a bit too close to your first scaffold on the trunk, but these things happen. Lastly, go up the tree a little more and pick a scaffold pointing away from the camera. I can't tell where on the trunk that occurs, but I do see some shoots pointing that way. You'll need to tie one of those shoots down. They look small enough you won't have to use the tree saw. Again tie it down about 30 degrees from horizontal. Cut everything else off. As your peach tree grows, keep pruning the strong vigorous vertical (upright) growth and leave the more horizontal growth. As you get more growth on the three scaffolds you selected, don't be afraid to keep tying things down if you want. You can always prune upright growth off, but you can tie it down too, if you are short of more horizontal growth. Either way, just don't allow that strong vigorous upward growth. It isn't the most fruitful wood, and it gets your tree too tall. Lastly, it would be a good idea to put about a 4' ring of mulch around that tree. Young peach trees don't compete well with grass.

I suggest you try this post on the Fruit and Orchards Forum where the fruit tree pruning gurus live. Personally I'd leave the poor things in peace for a year to settle in. Fruit and Orchards Forum

Now is not a good time to prune because your plant is declining due to lack of light. Since the leaves are where the plant's food comes from, removing all or part of them decidedly accelerates that decline. If the root mass is as small as you described, you're probably over-watering and your soil is most likely overly water retentive. I understand that timing and other factors (like moving) can trump what's best for the plant - no judgment passed there - but I wouldn't repot now (I'd definitely wait until June to do that), and I'd reduce the plant's foliage mass no more than absolutely necessary. If it was my plant, the plan for getting it back on track would go like this: * Reduce the plant's foliage mass no more than absolutely necessary, at this point. * Make sure you have watering under control. Use a wooden dowel sharpened in a pencil sharpener and stuck deep into the pot to test for moisture. Don't water until the tip of the dowel comes out dry. * The next time the plant needs water, flush the soil thoroughly - using a volume of water = to at least 10x the volume of the pot, poured slowly through the soil to flush out accumulated salts. * Immediately after the pot stops draining, fertilize with an appropriate fertilizer, then tip the pot at a 45* angle (if you can) to allow additional water to drain from the pot. Note the difference in how much excess water leaves the pot when you tip A so it becomes B. * As soon as night temps are reliably above 55*, move the plant outdoors so it can take advantage of brighter light to build energy reserves. * Bare root, correct problem roots, and repot into an appropriate soil sometime around Father's Day or the Summer Solstice (first day of summer). An appropriate soil is one you can water to beyond saturation at will, w/o having to worry your soil will remain soggy so long the lack of air (due to sogginess) inhibits root function or wreaks havoc with root health. * If you have questions or decide on an alternate course and need help deciding how to make the best of your choices. Just ask. You might find this basic primer of interest. There is information in it that can help you avoid all the common pitfalls most growers are forced to deal with at one time or another. Al

Thanks Dave. Those links are full of great stuff! I've been trying to wait longer before watering to avoid the whole root rot problem, but one of those links talks about feeling near the drain holes to gauge when to water. This will definitely help me! Can't get my hands on a magnifying glass today but I do have a higher magnification mirror. Still couldn't see much. Flat looking brownish things all along the stems of leaves and top of each leaf. Don't seem to be underneath leaves. Tried scraping a couple off and had to use a little force as they don't come off easily. Kind of orangish brown, smushes easily once off plant. Here's some pics, don't know if this helps: