Rae Brooks

Thank you, this helps so much! I was worried that all was lost because we missed the pruning window, but it sounds like it's a better late than never kind of thing. I laughed out loud at our tree being "motivated"-- yes it is reaching for the sky! I will remove the waterspouts in the summer, and then in winter take off any branches that are crowding each other.. Do I also take off the waterspouts coming from roots (suckers?) in summer?
Really hoping we get some good fruit in spite of the trees getting a bit of neglect. We have a pear tree that's similar but without the waterspouts and a cherry tree that is very neat and tidy. I guess the previous owners liked cherries the best!

We bought a house with some established fruit trees and we have no idea how to take care of them. The apple tree looks strange with the branches coming straight out of the top, and I'm guessing those all need to be pruned? We don't own any pruning tools, and I'm confused about whether loppers are ok, or as I heard from a YouTube video, they can damage the tree and it's better to use a hand saw or handheld pruning scissors. I am also unsure of when to prune. It is the end of March and I saw a neighbor pruning their apple tree, which is what began my day long pruning research fest. Some sites say we are too late and could damage the tree, some say too early, because we could damage by pruning if there is another frost! It's all very confusing. We are in zone 8b, and the tree is covered with leaf buds, which are just opening up. Some videos and posts I have found suggest minimal intervention, and letting the tree return to a more natural state, others say once pruning has been started you must continue. I have included a photo, and would greatly appreciate any advice!