Thanks for the advice; otherwise, I wouldn't have thought about fruit sunburn. It seems like pruning to a main leader will be best for my dwarf Goldrush. Since it has such a short growth potential, I guess I will just let the first tier of branches start 18 inches above the graft union. Each year thereafter I think I should be able to prune and train the leader for growing another 18 inches before letting each following tier of branching to develop. I was glad the instuctions sent with the tree, indicated that it will always need to be staked. Knowing that will keep me from making a mistake by expecting it's roots to develop well enough to support this tree. With the semi-dwarf sized Fuji apple tree, I planned to begin 30 inches above the graft union for the first tier of branching, and each time thereafter space the next tier of branching about 18 to 20 inches above that. It is not yet clear to me as to how the tree will grow and react if I try to prevent it from growing above 10 feet tall. Of course while the Fuji apple tree is growing in a pot over the next couple of years that should not be a concern. After that though, if it develops well enough, and thereafter enters into full enough dormant state, well enough, I plan to try and safely plant it in the ground. Once planted in the ground, and it reaches 10 feet tall, I am wondering if I can just keep pruning out any new buds which would otherwise allow the tree to keep growing higher. Hopefully I will not find that each pruning job thereafter becomes to demanding for me to expect that I will be able to keep the tiers of branches from spreading more wide than what looks best with the tree's main leader and tier structure.

rob, generally you are right , but I have seen where a few have had leftover rootstock that was to large for toung and whip and they used cleft instead of budding.....though it is usually only done by someone that they are teaching to graft and since they normally start by having them grafting pear and apples it's no big deal to them to trim it following the first seasons growth. Ive worked with some of the large nurseries and seen it tho once they learn to bud they wont use cleft again unless topworking and even then only if it cant be budded.

I have the same concern as the original poster. The abnormal sprouts on my young navel orange (Lane Late Navel, about 3.5 feet tall) have THORNS on them. The abnormal sprouts are not from the trunk or below the graft but are from other "normal" branches. They grow very fast, have wider spacing between leaves, and the stem has a distinctly flattened cross section (and they have thorns). What causes these abnormal sprouts? Can I prevent them? Should I remove them (I don't like the thorns and I wonder about eventual fruit quality)?

You can't prune an open canopy, spreading tree - like most apples (and most other trees as well) - into a columnar form very successfully - the tree will fight against you. Columnar apples are bred specifically to have that very narrow, pole-like habit, but non-columnar forms will not lend themselves to this type of treatment readily. I doubt even the spurring types will respond favorably. OTOH, any type of apple, if started young enough, can be trained into an espaliered form and these can be great space savers as well as being maintained at a low height that is very unlikely to shade out much of anything. How to espalier fruit trees.