Pruning Overgrown Apple Tree

Hello everyone,
We just moved to a new(to us) house. There is an apple tree I'd guess 15 - 30 years old. I don't think it has ever been pruned... The branches arch over almost to the ground. I am trying to figure out the best way to prune this tree. When? How much of tree to cut off? etc...

Also, I would like to take some cuttings from it to start a few more trees. When would be the best time to get the cuttings?

Thanks for any help!

Can you post some pictures of the tree? It's hard otherwise to give useful pruning advice.

Best time for collecting scion wood is during the dormant season - January/February in the northern hemisphere.

Are you pruning it because you want somewhere to play/hang out without things poking you in the EYE. Or do you want to make the now 35ft tall apple tree a 'regular' 15ft apple tree. Is it not fruiting enough and you want it to fruit?

S Bengi wrote:Are you pruning it because you want somewhere to play/hang out without things poking you in the EYE. Or do you want to make the now 35ft tall apple tree a 'regular' 15ft apple tree. Is it not fruiting enough and you want it to fruit?

It is fruiting fine. I want to prune it because I think it is going to break in half, or worse. I tied it up this year so that wouldn't happen. I will try to get a picture this evening.

Here is a picture of the tree.

Hau, Adam, I can not see the picture, so will be hard to give advice on how much to prune.

Easiest method of pruning is to start with any crossing branches and remove the weakest one.

Right now we are still in dormant stage so this is where I would start with pruning.

You said "branches are arching over almost to the ground"; and that it is in danger of "breaking in half".

So I think you want to head back the worst branches. Find a point where you have a nice side branch heading upwards and prune back to that. Repeat periodically, as the branch grows and droops again.