This is also true for raspberries. Raspberry canes die after the second year. Dead canes that do not develop leaves in the spring should be removed at ground level.
There is no benefit to shortening the live canes back to an arbitrary height such as 5 or 6 feet. Canes can be bent down to pick higher fruit.
There is one type of branch that can and should be removed from fruit trees including apple, pear, cherry, peach and plum. These are the branches that grow straight up that we refer to as water sprouts.
These are usually small branches but can grow quite large if left to grow a second year. Vertical water sprouts seldom bear fruit. If left to grow they will prevent good structural development and cause trees to grow taller than is desirable for convenient fruit picking.
The main pruning time for fruit trees is winter or early spring before new growth starts.
At that time, small branches are removed to open up the tree so more light can reach the fruiting branches and fruit color is improved. This also reduces the amount of fruit so the branches do not break from the heavy load.
Normally about 25 percent of small branches are removed. The branches that grow outward are left and those that grow up at a sharp angle or grow inward toward the center of the tree are removed.
Before pruning small branches, look for larger branches that are growing up at a sharp angle. These branches can be shortened just above an outward facing bud or side branch. This will keep the tree at a lower height. The more horizontal branches are, the more fruit they will bear.
Tomatoes: Another similar fallacy is removing side branches of tomato plants or other vegetable plants. These side branches will usually develop fruit when they become larger. And even if they don’t, their leaves are producing food that is transferred to the fruit on other branches.
