Advice on fruit trees(Prunus)

[beastmaster]

I am doing this really gravy job right now. I am pruning and trimming a bunch of fruit and citrus trees. Almost all pole saw and pruner work from the ground.
The trees haven't been touched in years. The problem is these three apricot trees. Their hideous. Someone cut all the lower branches, so there is just these long poles sticking up then 15, 20 ft Then branch a little. I already suggested removal and planting new ones to replace them, the HO won't have it.
I have hit them pretty hard removing as much heavy stem wood and reducing the Ht. in hopes it'll cause a flush of growth that I can then develope into a new structure. I made a lot of small heading cuts, but I am wondering if I should just head them suckers off 4 ft above ground and work from there?(They are really ugly now)
I am also thinking of nicking them at nodes to promote lateral growth along those bare stocks. Even those small heading cuts will only release dormancy a few feet below them I think.
I also was wondering about bud grafting? Never done it before but it looks kind of easy.
Any ideas or tips would be appreciated.. Their all old trees. Thanks

 

[sgreanbeans]

One of my mentors is a botanist. He owns the local hi-end nursery. He does a lot of grafting with fruit trees. He told a few years ago, what fruit trees do well and what ones don't. He did say that apricot does not do well. Said he tried several times, but didn't work. He has a apple that grows several different types on one stem.....cool! Says he is going to try puttin a orange in, lol. Now that would be sumtin! I think pruning fruit trees suck. They a 1/10th of the size and it can take just as long to prune one of them as a large tree.

 

[treemandan]

I am doing this really gravy job right now. I am pruning and trimming a bunch of fruit and citrus trees. Almost all pole saw and pruner work from the ground.
The trees haven't been touched in years. The problem is these three apricot trees. Their hideous. Someone cut all the lower branches, so there is just these long poles sticking up then 15, 20 ft Then branch a little. I already suggested removal and planting new ones to replace them, the HO won't have it.
I have hit them pretty hard removing as much heavy stem wood and reducing the Ht. in hopes it'll cause a flush of growth that I can then develope into a new structure. I made a lot of small heading cuts, but I am wondering if I should just head them suckers off 4 ft above ground and work from there?(They are really ugly now)
I am also thinking of nicking them at nodes to promote lateral growth along those bare stocks. Even those small heading cuts will only release dormancy a few feet below them I think.
I also was wondering about bud grafting? Never done it before but it looks kind of easy.
Any ideas or tips would be appreciated.. Their all old trees. Thanks

Gonna need pics though it sounds like you did a decent enough job.