How To: Understand the basics of apple tree pruning

Each year an apple tree should produce three things: new growth, fruit buds on last year's and older growth, and fruit on those fruit buds formed in previous years. In order to keep an apple tree in balance and fruiting, one must prune. However, pruning is too often done poorly. In this, the second installment of his series on practical apple tree pruning, Stephen Hayes of Fruitwise Heritage Apples looks goes over what to look for in a good secateurs, or pruning shears, and how to thin out spur systems and how to deal with lateral branches that are badly placed or overly big.