Hello everyone! I just moved into a house that has an apple tree. I am supper excited for this and would like some advice on how to prune and what to expect come this fall. I live in San Tan Valley Arizona. I was trying to upload a pic but it is to big I guess.
Start taking dead wood, water shoots (the most upright) and crossing branches. That'll keep you busy for spring of 2014 & 2015.
By 2016 you will want to be able to toss a basketball through the branches. This paradigm is for good model for air-flow.
Clean up every branch leaf stick and blade of grass under your tree, replace with a layer of bark mulch. And keep it clean. Replace mulch yearly, forever.