I answered you before on this tree. I'm still not sure why you want to save
it. It is
really a mess, a pruning nightmare. You can try and remove these suckers
gradually,
not more than 1/3 of the tree in a given season, but is there anything left
worth saving? You can try to develop some leaders, but the tree is so misshapen
already,
that I doubt you will succeed. If you are trying to save the apples, I suggest
you cut
of some of the scion wood and graft it onto a new rootstock, then take the old
tree
down.

Sherwin D.

Ook wrote:

Some of you have seen my big old apple tree before, and posted a lot of good
advice for which I'm gratefull. Today, I have some specific trimming
questions. Please look at this pic:

http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2007/...s/DSCF7350.jpg
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2007/...s/DSCF7348.jpg

A few years the previous owner of my property butchered this poor tree. I'm
trying to clean up the mess, and I'm not sure how to handle a few of the
branches. I'm thinking I should remove the vertical suckers, but I'm not
sure how to shape what is left. Should I also remove the smaller fork? Both
had their ends cut off, and you can see the mess of small branches trying to
grow out of the stub. Any suggestions?

Here is another branch:

http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2007/...s/DSCF7344.jpg

It's similar to the first. It forked, had the ends cut off, and now there
are several new small branches trying to grow. I can post more pics if
anyone wants to see them.