Without a plan,
I doubt that anyone living knows when the last time the old Apple tree at the farm was properly, or even semi properly trimmed, save for maybe Ted. And it's been decades since it put out a proper apple crop. But withe the work I've been doing to establish a new orchard at the farm it seemed only prudent to start working to bring the old tree back into shape and get it productive again. Next year I hope to propagate scions from the old tree onto new rootstocks, what fruit it makes are a nice medium/tart cooking apple, well worth the effort.
Now, believe me I'm far from an expert, but living close to orchard country I know even a full size apple is not supposed to be allowed to reach 25+ feet in height, they will do it if left unattended, but the big operations don't let them do it.
My brother and I headed out to the farm, equipped with a couple alloy step ladders, saw, pruners, and the extendable pruners. As soon as I walked up the sheer magnitude of this overgrown, unpruned monster hit me, though I look at it every day I suppose I never saw it.
What I had hoped to be a fairly short job, turned into a four hour fight in the wind, with me, 10 feet up in said tree hanging on for dear life, all to take the top '3 or so off, it made a nice trailer load though.
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