Prune your fruit tree like any other tree:

ØFirst, and always, take out all dead wood.
ØTake out the worst crossing, rubbing branches.
ØTake out the worst wrong-way branches.
ØTake out some, not all of the suckers.
ØRemove weak crotches if they are or will become part of the main framework (Scaffold) branches.
ØThin (don't strip all those branches rather than heading them, and do more thinning on the top to encourage light penetration and air circulation).

Here is more information about fruit trees:

¨ Pruning of young trees (under six years) is done to develop strong, low framework and branches and not much else. Go easy in the early years.
¨ Cross Pollination is important when planning your orchard. Some varieties are self-fertile and others require pollinations. Check with your nursery for appropriate pollinators.
¨ Bee activity is needed for pollination. Sometimes during a wet spring, you may not get enough bee activity.
¨ Fruit trees need sun in order to flower and fruit. If your tree never sets fruit, it may be in too much shade.
¨ You can improve the size and quality of your fruit by thinning branches so more light gets to the interior of the tree. Also, you can thin spurs and baby fruit, so that more energy gets put into the remaining branches or buds for bigger, tastier fruit.
¨ Traditionally, fruit trees, like roses, are for people who like to prune and spray a lot. To reduce these maintenance chores, purchase varieties that do well in this area, disease resistant and dwarf trees.
¨ The easiest way to prune fruit trees is to prune them as you would ornamentals, for health and good looks, and leave it at that. Make sure they are planted in a sunny location and you clean up under them.
¨ Horizontal branches bear more fruit than vertical branches.
¨ The two most common errors in pruning fruit trees are (1) Topping and (2) creating umbrella trees with ugly, sucker-laden crowns.
¨ All fruit trees are not created equal.

Group A:
¯ Peach- Head a lot
¯ Apricot- Prune Hardest
¯ Nectarine
¯ Japanese Plum

Group B:
¯ Apples- Keep Young Trees Short
¯ Pears- Head laterals to encourage fruit laterals to encourage fruit spurs, Prune Medium

Group C:
¯ Cherries- Hard to keep trees short with pruning
¯ European Plums- No topping, No heading laterals, least pruning, Train Early by bending branches

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