Carla:

Now's a good time to summer prune, as long as your tree is leafed out fully and is vigorously growing. You'll be able to see what branches are fruiting branches and which ones are just vegetative growth. Remove any vigorous watersprouts, dangling wood, and keep the height down to where you can reach it. Do another pruning in late August or September before the tree starts to go dormant.

Applenut

There are three basic pruning cuts you should consider when summer pruning. A thinning cut will take the branch back to its base. A drop crotch cut will take it back to a lateral branch. A heading cut will simply shorten the branch and should not generally be used. For removing water sprouts,crossing branches, dangling branches or deadwood, thinning cuts are recommended. One of the principal reasons for summer pruning is size or height reduction done at a time of year when new growth will not be stimulated. Canopy or height reduction is best accomplished with drop crotch pruning done throughout the canopy systematically over a period of years. Al