How Do I to Trim Back My Apple Tree

Question

Due to poor pruning, my 30 year old apple tree is out of control–too many oversized water shoots and branches (with many more than 1/12″ diameter) that are very long. I want to trim it back this fall. I live in NYS.

Answer 1

It will not hurt the tree to remove these shoots now, or fall, as they will only sap energy and nutrients from the tree. However, all other pruning should be done while the tree is dormant. For future reference, this article should help: https://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fphg/pome/pruning/pruning-a-special-case-renovating-old-fruit-trees