APPLE TREES
Done a lot of apple, but not for orchards.
Typically, the best form is pyramidal. Ideally, a single trunk, with limbs coming out at near 90 degree angles to the side, spaced evenly in each direction.
The lower limbs would be longer, with limb length decreasing at upper limbs.
In Oregon, so many apple trees are neglected. They get left alone for 3 years, get thick, get fried by disease from poor air circulation, then have to be limbed up.
And so the elevated umbrella shape takes place. Every few years of neglect brings the umbrella higher, and higher.
Don't know how your tree started, but the picture looks reasonable.
I only remove about 2/3 of the biggest tips anymore to save the auxin production in the apical points to a small degree. It keeps sprouting minimized a bit more the next year.
Our personal trees are lightly thinned once a month in the growing season.
People think that apple should be pruned once. Ideally one main time in fall or winter, and several light prunings in summer - very light prunings. It also makes the winter pruning more pleasureable.
For hire, that's very hard to do unless you have a maintenance account and it really matters to the homeowner.
My ex-boss from 1985; University of Portland Grounds Superintendent - ex-nurseryman with 20 years exp. & masters in plant pathology - said never remove all the water sprouts. Pick some you want for fruit spurs if they come up in a good void. Lowell (his first name) was right. It always worked.
Cut the sprout to about 1" ( hey, its going to sprout anyway if you cut it all the way off).
Next year, again remove all totally unwanted sprouts, but that saved 1" one ( & several others like it), cut if about one node higher at about 1 & 1/4" or 1 & 1/2 " high.
Do this for about 3 years and the sprout won't sprout as much. It will take on that white fuzzy bark look and start to produce flowers.
These eventually can become branches in a decade or two. And then overly large limbs can be removed as these spurs become twigs with spurs that become limbs with twigs with spurs.
The big homeowner mistake is always trying to save everything on the tree, instead of starting new replacements to replenish the old.
The key is to always maintain the same amount of tree at the same height and width decade after decade.
Mario Vaden
Landscape Designer / Arborist
M. D. Vaden Trees & Landscapes
Beaverton, Oregon
[email protected]