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James A
It's not a bad tree, but all trees benefit from some guidance, to get the best shape. Since it'll be a pot tree all it's life and it's already quite well grown, I'd more-or-less let it do as it pleases, but with a few bits of encouragement.
If it was mine, here's what I'd do:
1
Choose the best branch at the top of the tree as your dominant "leader" and remove all fruits that try to form on that branch. Keep that branch growing upwards, to allow the trunk to continue, so that another tier of branches can develop above. If you don't want anotehr tier of branches, then allow it to fruit and get pulled horizontal, or prune off the leader in the winter.
With all the top branches pulled down by fruit weight, it will virtually cease growth and form more fruit spurs.
Some ideas on how to to choose the "best" of that uppermost cluster:
The one that joins the trunk at trhe highest point
The most upright
The most central
The strongest
2
Some or all of the other high-level branches should be either:
Allowed to fruit and let the weight of fruit bend them downwards.
or Weighed or tied to an almost horizontal angle.
or Pruned back hard or pruned off next winter (pruning M27 rootstock is best avoided wherever possible as it sometimes lacks enough vigour to re-grow after pruning - especially if fruiting)
3
Cut back, during next winter, (cut off two-thirds it's length), that really long branch on the middle right of the picture.
4
Thin out fruits after the June drop, so that only 1-3 fruits are allowed to develop from each cluster of flowers (often five flowers per cluster).
5
Try to encourage growth on the upper left, above the nursery tag, otherwise the tree will become unbalanced. Clever winter pruning of one of the cluster of branches at the top (cut back to 2-4 buds) might - as it re-grows - allow you to force a shoot to grow in the correct direction.
6
Make sure that the compost is changed every few years.
But please bear in mind that it'd be much easier if I was stood beside the tree, to see what could be done with it.
It's not a bad tree, but all trees benefit from some guidance, to get the best shape. Since it'll be a pot tree all it's life and it's already quite well grown, I'd more-or-less let it do as it pleases, but with a few bits of encouragement.
If it was mine, here's what I'd do:
1
Choose the best branch at the top of the tree as your dominant "leader" and remove all fruits that try to form on that branch. Keep that branch growing upwards, to allow the trunk to continue, so that another tier of branches can develop above. If you don't want anotehr tier of branches, then allow it to fruit and get pulled horizontal, or prune off the leader in the winter.
With all the top branches pulled down by fruit weight, it will virtually cease growth and form more fruit spurs.
Some ideas on how to to choose the "best" of that uppermost cluster:
The one that joins the trunk at trhe highest point
The most upright
The most central
The strongest
2
Some or all of the other high-level branches should be either:
Allowed to fruit and let the weight of fruit bend them downwards.
or Weighed or tied to an almost horizontal angle.
or Pruned back hard or pruned off next winter (pruning M27 rootstock is best avoided wherever possible as it sometimes lacks enough vigour to re-grow after pruning - especially if fruiting)
3
Cut back, during next winter, (cut off two-thirds it's length), that really long branch on the middle right of the picture.
4
Thin out fruits after the June drop, so that only 1-3 fruits are allowed to develop from each cluster of flowers (often five flowers per cluster).
5
Try to encourage growth on the upper left, above the nursery tag, otherwise the tree will become unbalanced. Clever winter pruning of one of the cluster of branches at the top (cut back to 2-4 buds) might - as it re-grows - allow you to force a shoot to grow in the correct direction.
6
Make sure that the compost is changed every few years.
But please bear in mind that it'd be much easier if I was stood beside the tree, to see what could be done with it.
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