Reddit reviews American Horticultural Society Pruning & Training (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides)

Well, I have this excellent book, which I was roughly using as a guide. The root (ha!) problem I think, is that I didn't have the balls to do it last year, when I planted it. It was a gift when we bought our house, and it's the first thing I've ever stuck in the ground and didn't want to hurt it. I've since planted a bunch of stuff, and I'm a bit less timid. I figured that even if I killed it, I can learn from my failure and do better next time.

My goals, though, were several. Trying to encourage the open-center shape, for one; hopefully strengthening those two thin branches (as I said in my other comment, those were the only two on that side of the tree even before the massacre); plus the general advantages of pruning.

As for next time, I have no intention of ever having to do anything this dramatic in the future. Here's hoping I didn't fuck it up too bad. Thanks for the input, and I hope I get better at it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1564583317/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1372706208&sr=8-6&pi=SL75

That's a good one.

The fruit that is on there is probably fine for this year. In future years when it sets heavier you will want to thin the clusters to 1-3 each (rather than the typical 3-5).

You should NOT prune your trees now unless there is a diseased or damaged branch. Pruning on apples and pears is done in the late fall and winter when the tree is dormant.

You can read this for some basics. http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/22166/pnw400.pdf

Better bet is to buy a pruning book and learn about the basics. Couple great examples here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1564583317/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

or here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780192703/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1