Pruning persimmon, fig, plum trees

My brother and I are trying to prune a persimmon tree that has basically not been pruned or maintained at all in 30 years. The tree has produced very little fruit for several years, and was originally supposed to be a dwarf if that's relevant. We started cutting some branches mostly on the right side of the photo but decided to hold off and look for more information. I did find some general tips, but they seem to be for younger trees or ones that have been maintained in some sensible way. Can anyone suggest how to take care of our tree in the state it is now? Any examples of where you would prune in the photos would be a huge help, too.

I'd also like to start taking better care of some other fig and plum trees that are much younger and smaller but seem to only grow water sprouts going straight up. Does this mean something, and should I just cut all the vertical growth?

Thanks in advance!

All my experience with persimmons is with wild ones and they fruit just fine. Maybe they don't like pruning? Or it could just be that one tree or the conditions it's in are not favorable.

Figs fruit along the main stem at the base of the leaves, so I wouldn't worry about them. Mine seem to put out as many stems from the ground as they can put fruit on.

Plum trees may benefit from pruning though.

Producing fruit requires a lot of energy and resources from the tree, and as trees get older and bigger they require more resources to support their size. If there aren't enough resources, the tree will skip producing fruit, and focus its energy on more necessary things. Increasing the soil health and organic matter should greatly help to increase fruit production. A good leaf mulch will break down into super rich, moisture retaining soil, giving the tree what it needs to produce a good crop.

Lots of vertical growth can be a sign of too much fertilization or also a result of over pruning. Some varieties just like growing more vertical though, and will do so no matter what. You can bend some of the branches down, which will encourage earlier fruiting and discourage vigorous growth.

Good luck with your fruit trees!

Thanks for these suggestions -- I'll see if I can improve the soil as I don't think we've done anything for it in the past either.