RE: Old apple tree questions
Tschaef,
Tou have gotten some good pruning advice above. Nowadays, apple trees are usually pruned using the center spindle method. Visualize the shape of a christmas tree and prune your tree so that it approximates that shape.Longer main scaffold branches on the bottom, progressively shorter towards the top. This allows light to get to the center of the tree. Frankly, this doesn't do too much for the size of the fruit (this is controlled by other factors), but it colors the apples well, and helps provide a more stable tree. With an old tree, you cannot always work them into the pretty shape of a young tree, but keep this approximate shape in mind as you make your pruning cuts.
If you prune fairly hard, do not over fertilize, or you wil be amazed at how fast the tree takes on the appearance of a hedgehog. Of course, all of this is for naught, if your blossoms are not pollenated.